‘Shiggy’ rescues point for T&T; Warriors still alive after 1-1 draw with 10-man Haiti

Trinidad and Tobago are still alive in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup but they could only take a point from a 10-man Haiti outfit, as the two Caribbean nations played to a 1-1 draw in front of a largely empty Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.

The Soca Warriors can still advance to the knockout stage of the competition with a win in their final Group D assignment on Sunday against Saudi Arabia, who are without 12 players that are on duty with Al-Hilal in the Fifa Club World Cup instead.

So, is coach Dwight Yorke’s cup half-full or half-empty?

Trinidad and Tobago lost their last three straight matches against Haiti, who are 17 places higher up the Fifa rankings than the two-island republic. The Warriors rattled the Haitians tonight and could have easily taken all three points.

At the same time, Yorke’s troops played with a man advantage for roughly an hour with little to show for it. And the Warriors might just have easily lost the match, with Haiti substitute Mondy Prunier skying a penalty kick in the 85th minute.

There was no shortage of excitement in the affair—that’s for sure.

Yorke assured supporters on the eve of the contest that he was confident in his players’ ability to respond from Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the United States. Apparently, he did not mean the young men who struggled last weekend.

There were six changes to Yorke’s starting team, as Alvin Jones, Kevin Molino, Ajani Fortune, Noah Powder and Isaiah Lee found themselves on the sidelines, while fullback Isaiah Garcia did not make the matchday squad at all.

Levi Garcia, as expected, returned to the squad and the newly married attacker was gifted the captain’s armband too. Midfielder Andre Rampersad was in too—his first appearance since he was yanked at halftime in Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup qualifying tussle with Saint Kitts and Nevis—alongside Nathaniel James, Andre Raymond, Dante Sealy and the teenaged Rio Cardines.

Notably, the Warriors lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which, with three attacking midfielders behind a centre forward, was practically a front four.

Trinidad and Tobago did not convince in a more conservative shape against the USA. So, screw it, Yorke set out to attack this evening.

The problem, though, was in getting the ball safely into the attacking areas of the field. For the first 15 minutes or so, the Warriors tried in vain to ping line-breaking passes into their offensive midfielders.

Trinidad and Tobago had slightly more of the ball, but Haiti had the territorial advantage and looked the more dangerous team—let down primarily by wild shooting.

Yet, in the sixth minute, there was a long diagonal clearance from Sealy which Haiti right back Carlens Arcus looked to have covered. Until left winger Tyrese Spicer hit second gear, and then third.

Arcus had to throw a desperate lunging tackle to get a toe on what looked to be a 60-40 ball in his favour.

For all the athleticism of the Haiti team, the electric acceleration of Trinidad and Tobago’s front three remained a real worry. And the next occasion that the French-speaking islanders saw it was a potential game-changer.

There did not seem to be any obvious danger when Rampersad pinched possession from Haiti winger Ruben Providence, on top of the T&T penalty area, and drove the ball forward to Levi Garcia in the 39th minute.

But Garcia leaned one way to lure Haitian central defender, Ricardo Adé, and then let the ball run. One man down.

Garcia pushed the ball forward and hit the ‘X’. And Ade’s sidekick, Jean-Kévin Duverne, was about to get torched too.

Duverne tripped the Trinidad and Tobago forward and could only muster a rueful shake of the head when El Salvadoran referee Ismael Cornejo showed him a straight red card. Haiti were reduced to 10 players!

Haiti coach Sébastien Migné responded by immediately replacing his nation’s record goal scorer Duckens Nazon with another defender. Nazon has 40 international goals from 67 appearances.

Advantage Trinidad and Tobago. Right?

Barely five minutes later, Haiti had a penalty kick as Cornejo ruled that Trinidad and Tobago defender Sheldon Bateau had tugged back Providence.

There was no doubting Bateau’s pull on his opponent’s jersey. But was there enough contact to merit a penalty? And, just as relevant, could the referee be considered to have made a ‘clear and obvious error’—which is what VAR is supposed to correct—in the circumstances?

Costa Rican Yasith Monge, who headed the VAR team, asked Cornejo to have a second look at his decision. And, as usually happens on such occasions, the referee reversed his initial call.

The scoreline remained 0-0 at the interval.

Haiti had 55% possession after the initial 45 minutes, with 118 accurate passes to 98 for T&T and eight shots (with five on target) to one from Yorke’s team.

Yorke made no changes at the break, which suggested that he believed his starting 11 could get the job done. Within three minutes of the restart, they were behind.

Louicius Deedson took on Trinidad and Tobago left back Andre Raymond and whipped in a cross that rugged Haiti forward Frantzdy Pierrot converted at the near post for the opening goal.

Seconds earlier, Pierrot wrestled Bateau out of the way to get a yard of space to strike for his nation.

Was it a foul on the Trinidadian? Well, having escaped with his tug on Providence, Bateau could not expect to have it both ways.

This time, Cornejo ruled in Haiti’s favour.

James, who played in Molino’s role as an advanced midfielder, might have gotten the equaliser in the 54th minute—but dragged his angled shot wide, after being picked out by a clever pass from midfielder Daniel Phillips.

James was clearly being asked to get close to Garcia and run behind the opposing defence on the occasions that the Spartak Moscow attacker showed for a ball to his feet.

In that moment, there was a peep into the reason for James’ start ahead of the veteran.

Ironically, it was James’ last contribution. In the 55th minute, Yorke replaced James, Phillips and Sealy with Molino, Steffen Yeates and Real Gill.

The triple substitution—as seen against Saint Kitts and Nevis after a 2-2 halftime score and the United States when three goals down—is fast becoming another trademark of Yorke’s tenure.

Like against the Sugar Boyz at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the changes appeared to offer a shot of adrenaline.

In the 62nd minute, Gill was inches away from meeting a threatening left side Raymond cross. And, three minutes later, Spicer hit the upright after running on to a lofted pass by Raymond.

Then, in the 67th minute, Trinidad and Tobago pulled level from a move engineered by the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Molino whipped a free kick into the opposing area and ‘Army’ teammate Justin ‘Shiggy’ Garcia got on the end of it to head past Haiti custodian and captain Johny Placide.

Who said Trinidad and Tobago soldiers are toothless? Can someone forward to Venezuela’s Guardia Nacional?

Twice, in the 82nd and 87th minutes, the Warriors worked the ball into Yeates within striking distance. Both times, Levi Garcia was moving into space and begging for a measured touch. On each occasion, Yeates—chosen ahead of Fortune—could not provide it.

Sandwiched between those opportunities was another penalty for Haiti. This time, VAR did not intervene as Cornejo penalised Raymond for a trip on opposing right back Wilguens Paugain, just seconds after Yeates lost the ball at the other end.

Paugain was one of Haiti’s five changes. Mondy Prunier, a 25-year-old forward, was another.

Prunier had barely been on the field for three minutes when Haiti were awarded the penalty—but he quickly gathered the ball and never let it go. His attempt to grab the spotlight failed miserably, as he smashed his effort over the bar.

Five minutes into stoppage time, Molino won a free kick in dangerous territory, after an exchange with another Defence Force substitute, Isaiah Leacock. And Kaihim Thomas, also a soldier, set his sights.

But Thomas, a set piece specialist, could not beat the Haitian wall; and the two teams had to settle for a draw.

The second half stats showed that Trinidad and Tobago improved to finish with 59% possession and 159 accurate passes to 102 from Haiti. Both teams had eight shots with two on target after the interval.

It was a good result for Yorke—or a bad result; depending on how you look at the half-full-empty glass.

Only one outcome would do on Sunday though. Trinidad and Tobago must win to go through to the knockout stage.

Undoubtedly, no matter the result, it would be entertaining.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Marvin Phillip (GK); 17.Rio Cardines, 4.Sheldon Bateau, 5.Justin Garcia, 6.Andre Raymond; 8.Daniel Phillips (7.Steffen Yeates 56), 18.Andre Rampersad, 15.Dante Sealy (20.Real Gill 56), 9.Nathaniel James (10.Kevin Molino 56), 13.Tyrese Spicer (25.Kaihim Thomas 87); 11.Levi Garcia (captain) (12.Isaiah Leacock 87).

Unused substitutes: 21.Jabari St Hillaire (GK), 22.Denzil Smith (GK), 2.Darnell Hospedales, 16.Alvin Jones, 19.Ajani Fortune, 23.Noah Powder, 26.Isaiah Lee.

Standbys: 3.Joevin Jones, 14.Wayne Frederick II, 24.Isaiah Garcia.

Head coach: Dwight Yorke.

Haiti (4-2-3-1): 1.Johny Placide (GK) (captain); 2.Carlens Arcus (24.Wilguens Paugain 70), 4.Ricardo Adé, 22.Jean-Kévin Duverne [Red card 39], 8.Martin Expérience; 14.Léverton Pierre, 17.Danley Jean Jacques; 10.Louicius Deedson (11.Dany Jean 81), 9.Duckens Nazon (6.Garven Metusala 42), 18.Ruben Providence (21.Christopher Attys 70); 20.Frantzdy Pierrot (16.Mondy Prunier 81).

Unused substitutes: 12.Alexandre Pierre (GK), 23.Garissone Innocent (GK), 5.Carl Sainté, 13.Duke Lacroix, 15.Mikaël Cantave, 19.Joseph Belmar, 25.Téo James Michel.

Head coach: Sébastien Migné.

Referee: Ismael Cornejo (El Salvador).

Concacaf Gold Cup

Group D

(19 June 2025)

Haiti 1 (Frantzdy Pierrot 49), Trinidad and Tobago 1 (Justin Garcia 68) at Houston.

United States 1 (Chris Richards), Saudi Arabia 0 at Austin.