Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis — The St. Kitts and Nevis Senior Men’s National Team, the Sugar Boyz, have made an impressive start to the 2026–27 CONCACAF Nations League, League B, Group C campaign, securing victories in each of their opening two matches.
A major factor in that success has been the outstanding form of Tiquanny Williams, who has scored all five of the team’s goals across the opening two games.
But behind the goals and the results is a deliberate process of preparation, player identification, scouting and team development.
In an interview discussing the team’s progress, Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Marcelo Serrano and Assistant Coach Diego Robert Pishinin Mendes outlined the work taking place behind the scenes to build a deeper and more competitive national team.
Building a Stronger Player Pool
Coach Serrano said the process began with the team’s participation in the FIFA Series in Indonesia, where the Sugar Boyz returned home with a historic FIFA medal.
The experience also provided the technical staff with an opportunity to assess the performances of players and identify areas requiring further development.
“We came back with the first FIFA medal to the nation, to the country. And the players, they fought in Indonesia well,” Serrano explained.
He said the technical team subsequently evaluated the performances of the players who participated in Indonesia while also identifying other players who could contribute to the national programme.
That work, he said, helped inform the squad selection for the latest FIFA window, which saw St. Kitts and Nevis defeat Bonaire 2–1 before securing a convincing 3–0 victory over Grenada.
Central to the process has been the creation of a comprehensive player database, managed with significant input from Assistant Coach Diego.
“We have a database of 250-plus players, local and overseas. And we just want to be more organised,” Serrano said.
Scouting Beyond the Scoresheet
Assistant Coach Diego explained that the scouting process goes well beyond simply identifying players who are performing well.
The technical team monitors several factors, including the level of competition in which a player is participating, playing time, the number of matches played during the season, injury history and recent medical developments.
“We have a couple of things that we need to always look for. Which league are you playing? What is the level of the league you’re playing? Are you playing games like 45 minutes, 90 minutes? How many games in the season have you been playing?” he explained.
The staff also monitors whether players have suffered recent injuries or undergone surgery, information that can be critical when preparing a squad for an international window.
“All of those things that we need to be tracking to see when we get to the FIFA date, so we can have the best squad as possible and they’re more prepared,” Diego added.
The approach reflects a broader effort to ensure that national team selection is based on current performance, fitness, consistency and readiness to compete at the international level.
Unity at the Heart of the Vision
While preparation and scouting are helping to strengthen the team on the field, Coach Serrano believes unity must underpin the entire national football programme.
He issued a passionate appeal to supporters and stakeholders across St. Kitts and Nevis to put differences aside and rally behind the national team.
“My message to St. Kitts and Nevis is that you guys taught me to love you. Can we stop the segregation between us and can we do aggregation? Can we bring love to football?” Serrano asked.
He emphasized the unique ability of football to bring people together, particularly through the global spectacle of the FIFA World Cup.
“If one thing that everybody knows, the World Cup unites people; it’s football,” he said.
Serrano believes that same spirit of unity must extend beyond the stands.
“So this is the vision that we have and hope one day when we leave here, we can leave this legacy of unity,” he said.
Confidence Growing in the Camp
Captain Romain Sawyers also credited the technical staff and supporters for helping to create a positive environment around the team.
“I think it’s good. I think you can see it in our performance. Our confidence is high. We’ve had a management team that’s put a plan towards us,” Sawyers said.
He acknowledged that the team took time to fully execute the plan in its opening match but felt the performance improved significantly in the second game.
“We’re scoring goals, which is always good, creating chances,” he said.
Sawyers also highlighted the team’s response after conceding first against Bonaire as an important sign of its growing resilience.
“I think we showed good reaction to the adversity of conceding first against Bonaire. And now we’ve got to get the confidence into the next two games,” he added.
Eyes on Trinidad and Tobago
The Sugar Boyz are set to continue their Nations League campaign in Trinidad and Tobago, with both matches scheduled for Hazley Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
The team was scheduled to face Cuba on Friday, October 2, at 5:00 p.m., before returning to the same venue on Monday, October 5, at 5:00 p.m. for the second encounter.
At the time of the original publication, St. Kitts and Nevis sat second in Group C of League B, level on points with group leaders Cuba and separated only by goal difference.
With confidence building, a growing player pool and a clear emphasis on preparation and unity, the Sugar Boyz are demonstrating that their early success is not simply a matter of form — it is the product of a deliberate strategy to build a stronger, deeper and more united national team.
The journey continues, but the message from the technical team and players is clear: preparation, belief and unity will be central to the Sugar Boyz’ pursuit of continued success on the international stage.
