1. Early life and background
Cadet Billy Forbes was born on December 13, 1990. His early football journey began in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where he played for local clubs such as Provopool Celtic and AFC Academy. He made his professional debut with Provopool Celtic in 2006. In 2009, following a training period with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Forbes earned a scholarship to Western Texas College in the United States. He continued his college soccer career playing for Lubbock Christian University.
2. Club career
Billy Forbes' club career spans several leagues and teams in North America, marked by consistent performance and contributions to his teams' successes.
2.1. Early career
Forbes started his club career in 2006 with Provopool Celtic in the Turks and Caicos Islands before moving to AFC Academy. His pursuit of football development led him to the United States, where he played college soccer for Western Texas College and Lubbock Christian University. In 2012, Forbes played for the Mississippi Brilla in the USL PDL during the summer season. In May 2014, he joined San Antonio Scorpions from WV King's Warriors, marking his entry into higher-tier professional leagues.
2.2. Professional career
Forbes' professional career saw him become a prominent figure in the North American football scene.
With the San Antonio Scorpions, from 2014 to 2015, he made 53 official appearances, scoring 10 goals and providing 15 assists. His performance was crucial to the Scorpions winning the NASL Championship in 2014. In the same season, he also received the NASL Assist King award with 7 assists. Following the cessation of operations by the San Antonio Scorpions organization after the 2015 NASL season, Forbes signed with NASL expansion side Rayo OKC on January 28, 2016. During his time with Rayo OKC in the 2016 season, he played 31 official matches, scoring 4 goals, and helped the team reach the NASL semi-finals.
In 2017, Forbes joined San Antonio FC in the USL Championship. He showcased strong performances, featuring in 31 matches and scoring 10 goals, contributing to the team's advancement to the USL Championship quarter-finals. After spending the 2018 season with Phoenix Rising FC, where he recorded 3 goals in 24 official appearances and helped the team achieve a runner-up finish in the 2018 USL Championship, he returned to San Antonio FC for the 2019 season. In his second stint with San Antonio FC, across the 2017 and 2019 seasons, he made 59 official appearances and scored 13 goals in total.
Forbes joined Austin Bold FC of the USL Championship in January 2020, where he scored 7 goals in 16 league matches, becoming the team's top scorer, though the team did not qualify for the postseason. On January 11, 2021, Forbes moved to Miami FC, another USL Championship side. He played 26 official matches and scored 7 goals, helping Miami FC qualify for the playoffs after a two-season absence.
In 2022, Forbes signed with Detroit City FC but only made 5 league appearances. In July 2022, he was loaned to Canadian Premier League side Valour FC, where he played 12 matches and scored 2 goals. He departed Detroit City FC after the 2022 season. On May 3, 2023, Forbes signed with USL League One side Central Valley Fuego FC. He is currently active with SWA 샤크스SWA SharksKorean.
3. International career
Billy Forbes has been a cornerstone of the Turks and Caicos Islands national football team, serving as captain and holding the national records for both most international appearances and goals scored.
He made his international debut for the Turks and Caicos Islands on February 6, 2008, in a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Saint Lucia. As of January 2018, he had earned a total of 6 caps and scored one goal, having represented his country in two World Cup qualification games.
On March 23, 2015, Forbes scored his first international goal in the first leg of the 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF first round against Saint Kitts and Nevis. Despite his goal, the team suffered a significant 4-12 aggregate loss, failing to advance to the second round.
On November 18, 2018, he scored multiple goals against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the third match of the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League Qualifiers, leading his team to a 3-2 victory. On October 10, 2019, Forbes achieved his first career hat-trick against Sint Maarten in the second match of Group A of the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League C, contributing to a decisive 5-2 win. A month later, in the third match against Sint Maarten, he scored a crucial goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, leading the Turks and Caicos Islands to their highest international tournament points record in history.
On June 11, 2022, Forbes scored another brace against Sint Maarten in the third match of Group A of the 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League C. Across six matches, he scored 4 goals, contributing to a record of 3 wins and 3 losses, which marked another historical high in international tournament points for the Turks and Caicos Islands football team. Most recently, in the second leg of the 2026 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF first round against Anguilla, Forbes scored the opening goal. However, Anguilla equalized, and the Turks and Caicos Islands eventually lost 3-4 in a penalty shootout, resulting in Anguilla's historic advancement to the second round of World Cup qualifiers.
4. Awards and achievements
Billy Forbes has accumulated several team and individual honors throughout his career.
4.1. Club
- San Antonio Scorpions
- North American Soccer League: Champion (2014)
- Rayo OKC
- North American Soccer League: Fourth Place (2016)
- Phoenix Rising FC
- USL Championship: Runner-up (2018)
4.2. Individual
- North American Soccer League Assist King: 2014 (7 assists)
5. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | U.S. Open Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| San Antonio Scorpions | 2014 | NASL | 23 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 |
| 2015 | NASL | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | |
| Total | 50 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 10 | ||
| Rayo OKC | 2016 | NASL | 30 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 |
| San Antonio FC | 2017 | USL | 31 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 10 |
| Phoenix Rising FC | 2018 | USL | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| San Antonio FC | 2019 | USLC | 23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 |
| Austin Bold FC | 2020 | USLC | 16 | 7 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 |
| Miami FC | 2021 | USLC | 25 | 7 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 26 | 7 |
| Career total | 195 | 43 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 209 | 44 | ||