a n t h o n y s h e r w o o d
F O O T B A L L
Anthony Sherwood is a former Trinidad and Tobago national team player who has represented his country at every age group, beginning with the national under 14 team, and then progressing to the senior men's national team - when he was first selected by Everald "Gally" Cummings at age 17.
Photo: Anthony Sherwood Pictured With The 1989 Strike Squad Team
In 1991, he was a member of the first ever national team to qualify for the Under 20 World Cup in Portugal. Prior to that, he represented Trinidad and Tobago against such teams as England, Argentina, Mexico, Russia, Egypt, Australia, Uruguay, Finland, Manchester United, Aston Villa and many more. He was also a member of the only team in Trinidad and Tobago's history to have beaten a Brazilian national team in a game that ended 4-2 and played in the Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port -of- Spain.
While at Presentation College San Fernando, he was a member of the 1986 team that eventually won a National Championship in the Secondary School's Football League, and were runners up in the National InterCol Championship that same year. After leaving Presentation College, having completed his first year of A-Levels, he left Trinidad and Tobago to take up a full athletic scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States. At VCU, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business while competing on the field of play for the "RAMS." Upon graduation from VCU, he began working as a member of the university's Admissions Committee and was responsible for all aspects of the admissions process for prospective students, seeking academic entry into Virginia Commonwealth University. In his time at VCU, the university became the largest public institution in Virginia, with a student population of approximately 33,000 students.
Like many other ex-footballers, he made the transition into coaching, and began working with the Richmond Strikers - one of the most highly regarded Nike Premier youth soccer clubs in the US. It was while at Richmond Strikers that he developed his passion for coaching, beginning with the club's under 9 teams and progressing through the ranks with the older age groups. During his time at Richmond Strikers, he worked with the club's most advanced players and was geared with the responsibility of developing these players for selection to some of the most prestigious universities in the United States. He coached players who have gone on to play soccer at institutions such as the University of Virginia, UNC Chapel Hill, Brown University, the College of William and Mary, Princeton University, Virginia Commonwealth University and many others. These schools represent some of the most prestigious universities in the United States and are all very well known for their academic and soccer programmes. At Strikers, he also coached several players who went on to represent the United States at various youth team levels, one in particular - Brian Ownby, represented the United States national Under 20 team in Trinidad and Tobago against the Trinidad and Tobago national Under 20 team in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifiying tournament. Sherwood stated, "I had very mixed feelings at the time when I found out that Brian would be playing against Trinidad and Tobago. As a player who started with me when he was just eight years old, it was always my goal to get him to the US National Team, however, I never envisioned that one day, he would be part of a team that could possibly deny Trinidad and Tobago the opportunity to qualify for a youth World Cup. Fortunately, both teams went on to qualify."
Many of his former players are now playing professionally in the MLS. Anthony Sherwood has been a part of the Richmond Strikers coaching staff for the past fourteen seasons, and has worked exclusively with the club's ELITE PLAYERS.
