For years, they didn’t have a synthetic grass field, but they made it work anyway. On Saturday, September 14th, the Men’s Challenge ended, offering only one spot for the coveted Pan American Cup, which will be held in July 2025 in Montevideo—this, in turn, provides a place for the 2026 World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago, who were unable to train in ideal conditions for a long time, finally achieved their goal of taking first place. They hit the mark. And dreaming? Dreaming costs nothing. In fact, it does: effort.
The final left no room for doubt. The Caribbean nation won 6-0 against Peru. Trinidadians hung the brightest medal around their necks and secured the cherished ticket everyone was after: a place in the continental tournament to compete with the best in the Americas.
Their captain, Jordan Vieira, one of the most experienced players on the team at 28 years old with ten official championships under his belt, expressed pride in what had been achieved. He also explained the journey up to this point and their goals for Montevideo 2025: “In Uruguay, we don’t just want to add numbers; we want to compete against the biggest teams. We’ve been without artificial grass for the past eight years, and recently, we’ve finally reinstalled it, which is a huge boost for us. There are a lot of new faces and younger guys on the team now, and we need to make sure we keep improving and capitalize on the momentum from this tournament if we want to succeed in the Pan American Cup,” he concluded.
Continuing to grow is part of Trinidad and Tobago’s essence, overcoming obstacles and doing it all with a smile. Next step: surpass the 7th place they achieved in 2022 in Santiago, Chile.
Every team has its own projects adapted to its reality. Peru finished second, and for Fernando López, a key player on the team, this result “strengthened the progress of recent years.” He added, “This year begins a new cycle with a view towards the 2027 Pan American Games. Our goal is to consolidate ourselves to move up in rank. We have three years of intense preparation ahead for those Games. During that process, the 2026 Odesur Games will also be a key milestone where we should be fighting for third place. For this, it’s crucial to keep receiving the necessary support,” said the Peruvian captain.
For Paraguay, fulfilling their promise meant getting on the podium, and that’s exactly what they did. They beat Guatemala 2-1 and took home the bronze medal. Alexis Pereyra, the captain, explained how they plan to continue: “The main medium- and long-term goal is the 2025 Junior Pan American Games in Asunción. We also hope to reach the podium there. Moreover, we want to keep fostering the development of this beautiful sport in our nation.” Little by little, they are advancing and climbing the ladder with each competition.
The reality for Guatemala (4th place) is different. Their leader, Juan Carlos Villatoro, spoke about what his team is aiming for: “Participating in international tournaments is crucial because it provides a platform to showcase the country’s sporting potential. Although Central American countries often face challenges due to a lack of resources and support, these tournaments allow us to demonstrate that, despite being developing nations, we have great capacity to compete internationally,” explained the player, who reached 28 caps wearing the Guatemalan jersey.
Each country adjusts to its circumstances, but all continue to dream despite the difficulties. Just like Trinidad and Tobago, who finally made it and claimed their gold. Soon it will be the women’s turn: on September 21st, the adventure will begin with Brazil, Guyana, Paraguay, Mexico, and Bermuda. There will also be only one ticket to the Pan American Cup.
