Wired868 Wired868 for smart sport news and opinion
Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke looks set to give 19-year-old flanker Rio Cardines his first senior international cap, as he included the Crystal Palace youth player in his 24-man squad for the Unity Cup invitational tournament.
Cardines, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at Concacaf Under-17 and Under-20 level, is one of two potential debutantes alongside 25-year-old Defence Force forward Isaiah ‘Bongo’ Leacock.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
The tournament, which includes Jamaica, Nigeria and Ghana, is played outside of the Fifa international match window and, as such, Yorke does not have access to his entire roster of players.
Yorke also recalled veteran Belgium-based defender Sheldon Bateau, who has over 50 senior international caps, and 28-year-old Defence Force attacker Reon Moore.
Bateau, 34, joins seven other players aged 30 or over in the Soca Warriors squad:
Goalkeeper Marvin Phillip (40), defenders Jamal Jack (37), Alvin Jones (30) and Jelani Peters (31), midfielders Kevin Molino (34), Joevin Jones (33), and Kristian Lee-Him (31).
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
The Soca Warriors face Jamaica on 27 May before moving on to play either Nigeria or Ghana in the Unity Cup third place play off or final at the Gtech Community Stadium in London.
The friendly competition will serve as warm-up for Trinidad and Tobago’s upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Saint Kitts and Nevis (6 June) and Costa Rica (10 June).
The Soca Warriors will then face the USA (15 June), Haiti (19 June) and Saudi Arabia (22 June) at the Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
(Trinidad and Tobago team)
Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip, Denzil Smith, Jabari St Hillaire;
Defenders: Sheldon Bateau, Justin Garcia, Shervohnez Hamilton, Jamal Jack, Alvin Jones, Jelani Peters, Andre Raymond, Jesse Williams;
Midfielders: Dantaye Gilbert, Joevin Jones, Kristian Lee-Him, Kevin Molino, Duane Muckette, Daniel Phillips, Noah Powder, Kaihim Thomas;
Attackers: Rio Cardines, Isaiah Leacock, Isaiah Lee, Reon Moore, John-Paul Rochford.
Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke vowed to field several new faces in the Soca Read more
The Soca Warriors will face USA in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, which will be their third meeting in the Read more
Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker passed away today at the age of 82. Beenhakker won three titles at the helm of Read more
“[…] You’d be lucky to find five kids who can name five national players they admire. The conversations have vanished. Read more
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFA) has confirmed the Soca Warriors’ participation in the 2025 Unity Cup, an ‘Afro-Caribbean Read more
“[…] The administration should set in place a programme to begin teaching the youngsters the technical aspects of the game. Read more
