Palace Under‑21s wing‑back Rio Cardines played an important role in Trinidad & Tobago’s 2026 FIFA Series campaign in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Cardines featured for 83 minutes as the Soca Warriors opened the series with a 4–1 defeat to Venezuela on Friday (27th March), helping his side remain competitive against opponents ranked 47 places higher in the FIFA standings.
Despite the scoreline, he delivered an encouraging performance during a strong opening hour as Trinidad and Tobago battled hard and even took the lead before Venezuela turned the contest around.
In their second fixture, Cardines was directly involved in both goals in a thrilling 2–2 draw with Gabon on Monday (30th March).
He provided his first assist from an inswinging corner, allowing Levi García to level the score early in the second half, before setting up his second from a free kick, which García finished first‑time to complete both his own brace and Rio’s two assists.
Cardines thus helped his nation earn a draw against Gabon, but in the subsequent penalty shootout Gabon emerged victorious 3–2, ending Trinidad & Tobago’s run in the tournament.
The 19-year-old took a spot kick in the shootout, demonstrating character and resilience despite narrowly missing from 12 yards. He now brings his tally to three international assists in 11 senior appearances.