Sealy scores stunner; but T&T eliminated after 1-1 tie with Saudi Arabia in tense affair

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team are out of the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament. But it came down to the slenderest of margins tonight, as they were held 1-1 by Saudi Arabia at the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Vegas.

A win would have taken the Soca Warriors into the knockout rounds and seen Dwight Yorke follow in the footsteps of his former mentor Bertille St Clair (2000) and ex-coach Stephen Hart (2013, 2015).

In the end, Trinidad and Tobago’s fate came down to a matter of inches. If defender Justin ‘Shiggy’ Garcia’s goalward stab, five minutes into second half stoppage time, was about three inches lower, Yorke would be a hero.

The rookie coach has never defeated a team ranked in the top 100 in the world and, with the final World Cup qualifying round set for September, it would have been a tangible sign of progress.

Instead, Garcia hit the post. And the narrative remains: 12 games played and only wins against Cuba and Saint Kitts and Nevis to show for them. These fine margins matter.

After an opening 5-0 loss against the United States, Yorke promised a response from his players. A draw against a 10-man Haiti outfit might not have been altogether convincing, but it was still a point gained against a credible Concacaf opponent.

Today, against a weakened Saudi Arabia team—12 of their players are competing in the Fifa Club World Cup with Al-Hilal—Yorke picked up another point.

The Warriors might not be where anyone, including Yorke, would like them to be. But it is hard to argue that this does not represent progress all the same.

“What should we expect from Trinidad and Tobago?” a reporter asked winger Dante Sealy, after the contest.

“A team that fights,” Sealy responded. “A team that never gives up. And we have a good World Cup qualifying campaign to look forward to.”

After over 22,000 patrons turned up to see the Soca Warriors whip Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-2 in a World Cup qualifier earlier this month, Yorke was the toast of the town.

However, the mood soured quickly after a humiliating experience against the United States. And today’s Trinidad Guardian report about roughly a dozen players appearing at a party after their loss to Haiti was not well received.

Yorke and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards both apparently have a relaxed view on such things. And although Yorke did not make a statement—which would obviously have clarified things—it is not felt that the young men breached any team rules.

Thankfully, the Warriors were happy to put in an appearance on the football field today too.

And Sealy must have had Trinidad and Tobago football supporters dancing when he opened the scoring tonight with a cracking left footed strike into the far corner, after cutting in off the right flank in the 10th minute.

Up until that point, Saudi Arabia hogged the ball with 81% possession but did not have a shot to show for it.

The Warriors nearly got a second item too in the 16th minute, as forward Levi Garcia, picked out by teammate Real Gill (who started in place of the injured Tyrese Spicer), forced a fine low save from opposing goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi.

The scoreline remained unchanged at the interval. By then Saudi Arabia’s possession had dropped to 68%. But with 213 accurate passes to 88 from Trinidad and Tobago, the Arab nation did not have a single shot on goal.

It was like watching a team try to dig a hole in the ground with plastic forks.

At halftime, Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard threw on an additional forward as they went from 4-3-3 to 4-2-4.

Yorke, who started in a 4-2-3-1 shape, might have matched them with a back five. But there were potential issues there.

First, with Sheldon Bateau out injured, Yorke was short of defenders and might have felt uneasy when he looked at his bench and saw only Isaiah Garcia and Darnell Hospedales as potential inclusions—both of whom have struggled at this level.

Second, his back five system did not offer an obvious role for Sealy, who was a non-entity upfront against Costa Rica, two weeks ago.

So Yorke kept his team’s first half shape and hoped his boys could manage.

In the 53rd minute came the first warning, as Saudi Arabia left back Saud Abdulhamid got on the end of a lofted diagonal ball in Trinidad and Tobago’s six-yard box, only to hit a golden opportunity into the side netting.

Six minutes later, the Green Falcons did not miss. This time, it was a diagonal low right-side cross from right back Ali Majrashi that found two Saudi Arabia forwards isolated against two Trinidad and Tobago defenders.

Feras Al-Buraikan flicked the ball deftly into the path of his captain Saleh Al-Shehri. The latter’s rising shot was pushed on to the bar by veteran Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, but Feras was the first to the rebound to knock home the equaliser.

Yorke replaced captain Kevin Molino and his hyperactive midfield partner Daniel Phillips with Ajani Fortune and Steffen Yeates in the 66th minute. Nathaniel James came in next for Gill in the 70th minute.

But, in truth, the Warriors looked exhausted. Perhaps the constant chasing after the ball had taken its toll.

Several of Yorke’s starters, like Gill, Andre Rampersad and Andre Raymond, have not played regularly with their clubs while others, like Molino and Justin Garcia, certainly do not face physical tests like this in the TTPFL.

In the 72st minute, flanker Abdulrahman Al-Aboud smashed a shot off Phillip’s bar after a swift exchange of passes. And, a minute later, Phillip and Garcia (J) made crucial blocks to deny Feras and then Al-Aboud from inside the T&T box.

Fortune suffered a fractured foot and had to be replaced by Joevin Jones. Trinidad and Tobago were hanging on.

Yet, Yorke’s Warriors are always an offensive threat. Always.

James, the lively and street-smart La Horquetta boy, made room for himself and threaded a perfect pass into space for his forward to run on to in stoppage time.

The problem was: the forward was actually Justin Garcia, who had been sent upfront—presumably to use his aerial prowess, as he did with the equalising goal against Haiti on Thursday.

Would ‘Shiggy’ strike again?

Not quite. His effort hit the Saudi Arabia bar and rebounded into play. And Trinidad and Tobago, whose passing percentage tonight was a wayward 68%, were eliminated.

It has been a testing month for Yorke and his charges. Now they regroup and recharge.

In a best-case scenario, Yorke and Latapy would sit with more seasoned coaches to discuss how they might address Trinidad and Tobago’s deficiencies. The team’s collective defending as well as Yorke’s individual selections in defence have been unconvincing—with the coach himself seeming to lose faith in Hospedales and Isaiah Garcia.

Successive draws were not enough to get into the Gold Cup quarter-final round. But it is likely to have bought the coaching staff time and respite, as the more important business of the 2026 World Cup qualifying series looms.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Marvin Phillip (GK); 17.Rio Cardines, 16.Alvin Jones, 5.Justin Garcia, 6.Andre Raymond; 18.Andre Rampersad, 8.Daniel Phillips (7.Steffen Yeates 66); 15.Dante Sealy (25.Kaihim Thomas 79), 10.Kevin Molino (captain) (19.Ajani Fortune 66 [3.Joevin Jones 79]), 20.Real Gill (9.Nathaniel James 70); 11.Levi Garcia.

Unused substitutes: 21.Jabari St Hillaire (GK), 22.Denzil Smith (GK), 2.Darnell Hospedales, 12.Isaiah Leacock, 23.Noah Powder, 24.Isaiah Garcia, 26.Isaiah Lee.

Coach: Dwight Yorke.

Saudi Arabia (4-3-3): 1.Nawaf Al-Aqidi (GK); 26.Ali Majrashi, 4.Abdulelah Al-Amri, 5.Abdullah Madu, 12.Saud Abdulhamid; 16.Ziyad Al-Johani, 7.Mukhtar Sheik (6.Ali Al-Hassan 46), 15.Aiman Ahmed (19.Turki Al-Ammar 46); 9.Feras Al-Buraikan, 11.Saleh Al-Shehri (captain) (8.Marwan Al-Sahafi 79), 24.Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (13.Nawaf Bu Washl 79).

Unused substitutes: 21.Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi (GK), 22.Ahmed Al-Kassar (GK), 2.Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti, 10.Faisal Al-Ghamdi, 17.Mohammed Bakor, 20.Abdullah Al-Salem, 23.Ali Al-Asmari, 25.Hammam Al-Hammami.

Coach: Herve Renard.

Referee: Keylor Herrera (Costa Rica).

Concacaf Gold Cup

(22 June 2025)

Trinidad and Tobago 1 (Dante Sealy 10), Saudi Arabia 1 (Feras Al-Buraikan 59) at Paradise.