Diel Spring
Vincentian footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diel Reon Spring (born December 26, 2000) is a Vincentian footballer who plays as a midfielder for North Leeward Predators and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diel Reon Spring | ||
| Date of birth | 26 December 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Chateaubelair, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Leeward Predators | ||
| Youth career | |||
| North Leeward Predators | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2020 | North Leeward Predators | ||
| 2020–2021 | Wisła Sandomierz | 11 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Podlasie Biała Podlaska | 31 | (2) |
| 2023– | North Leeward Predators | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines U17[1] | |||
| 2018 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines U20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2018– | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 29 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 June 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 8 September 2024 | |||
Early years
Spring hails from the village of Chateaubelair.[2][3] His mother is a chef and his father is a construction worker while his grandparents were farmers.[4]
Spring led St Martin’s Secondary School to a junior division title in the 2015 Secondary Schools’ Football Competition, scoring a brace in the final.[5] The following year he was named best midfielder of the Barrouallie Football League under-17 division as a member of the North Leeward Predators youth set-up.[6]
He also participated in sports such as athletics and cricket.[4]
Club career
During the 2017 season in the second-tier SVGFF First Division, Spring helped the Predators finish the regular season undefeated and reach the championship final,[7] where he scored the opening goal of the match as they defeated Largo Height via penalty shoot-out.[8] He was nominated for Youth Male Player of the Year at the 2017 National Football Awards.[9] That same year, he and future international teammate Joel Quashie were chosen as the winners of a Caribbean Football Union- and Manchester United-backed skills-based competition for young talents, earning invitations to a talent development camp in Trinidad and Tobago.[3][10]
The next season, Spring captained the Predators to a runner-up league finish in the SVGFF Premier Division and a Knock Out Cup title.[11] He recorded a brace against Bequia United in week 10,[12] and repeated the feat against System 3 in week 17. He finished the season with a hat-trick in a 4–1 win against Largo Height on the final match-day. At the end of the year he was named Best Midfielder at the National Football Awards.[11][13]
In the summer of 2020, he signed a deal with Wisła Sandomierz in the Polish III liga.[14][15] He admits his time at the club was not ideal, having only played a few matches due to injuries and other problems.[4]
On 26 July 2021, Spring moved to another III liga side, Podlasie Biała Podlaska.[16] Here he was coached by Rafał Borysiuk, brother of Ariel Borysiuk.[4]
International career
Youth team
In November 2018, he represented the national under-20 team at the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, playing in all five matches.[2][17]
Senior team
On 8 September 2018, Spring made his debut for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the qualifying rounds of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League against Nicaragua.[11] He came on as a halftime substitution for Wendell Cuffy in the 2–0 defeat at home. He was called up again later that month, earning his second international cap three weeks later during a friendly against a Barbados XI made up mostly of under-20 players preparing for the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. He came on after halftime yet again, this time for Brad Richards, in the 1–1 draw.[18] He made two further appearances in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying to finish the year.
In February 2019, Spring was named to the 20-man squad selected to play at the 2019 Windward Islands Tournament on home soil.[19] He played in all four matches as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines won their fifth title.[11][20]
Career statistics
International
- As of matches played 8 September 2024.[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 29 | 2 | |