Yorke says T&T can compete—but can Warriors get to 2026 World Cup?

Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke said the Soca Warriors proved that they belong among the best teams in Concacaf, despite their group stage exit from the 2025 Gold Cup.

Yorke’s troops were thumped 5-0 from United States in their Group D opener before rebounding, somewhat, with successive draws against Haiti and Saudi Arabia.

It was not enough to advance to the knockout stage, as Trinidad and Tobago finished third in the group with two points—behind winners USA (nine points) and second placed Saudi Arabia (four points).

But Yorke suggested, in last night’s post-match press conference, that there are positives to take away from their campaign.

“We showed that we can compete at this level,” said Yorke. “We just need to have a little more self-belief and a little more confidence in the way we play… You could see why they (Saudi Arabia) could cause problems for opposition [teams].

“[…] I felt that my team matched them in every department and certainly were a little bit unlucky not to take all three points, which would have allowed us to then qualify for the quarterfinals.”

Saudi Arabia bossed the match throughout with 66% possession and 428 accurate passes to 182 from Trinidad and Tobago. The Warriors’ passing accuracy was just 68%, compared to 80% from the Arab nation.

However, Trinidad and Tobago made good use of their chances on the ball and were arguably just as threatening as their opponents.

Saudi Arabia outshot Trinidad and Tobago 14 to 6, but shots on target were much closer: four to three. Both teams hit the bar once.

“I like what I see from my players,” said Yorke. “The odds [were] against us and to hold out and play in the manner that we did; and to have the opportunity to possibly win the game and qualify at the very death. It would have been an unbelievable achievement for us—but it wasn’t meant to be.

“I think we will take a lot from it going forward as a team… We look forward to the World Cup campaign next.”

In competitive outings, Yorke’s troops have three wins, two draws and two defeats thus far. And, if the United States mauling is considered an outlier, the results have been close—even against higher ranked nations.

Trinidad and Tobago (ranked 100th in the world by Fifa) defeated Cuba (ranked 167th) 6-1 on goal aggregate across home and away legs, and drubbed Saint Kitts and Nevis (ranked 145th) 6-2 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, earlier this month.

These results were followed by a 2-1 loss away to Costa Rica (ranked 54th), a 5-0 capitulation to USA (ranked 16th) and 1-1 draws with Haiti (ranked 83rd) and Saudi Arabia (ranked 58th).

Yorke’s optimism is not baseless then.

Trinidad and Tobago have home and away World Cup qualifying ties later this year against Jamaica (63), Curaçao (90), and Bermuda (168). Should the Soca Warriors pick up all nine points at home and at least two points on the road against Jamaica and Curaçao, Yorke could reasonably expect a top-two finish.

(The group winner advances automatically to the 2026 World Cup, while the runner-up enters a Fifa Playoff.)

But there are signs for concern too. First, Trinidad and Tobago remain unconvincing defensively.

In their last four games, the shot attempts/ shots on target allowed to their opponents are: Saint Kitts and Nevis (10/ 6); Costa Rica (19/ 10); USA (22/ 12); Haiti (16/ 3); Saudi Arabia (14/ 4).

Only against Saints Kitts and Nevis did Trinidad and Tobago create more shooting opportunities than they allowed. And Haiti, remember, played for an hour with 10 players.

Although the focus has been on Yorke’s defensive back four or three, the reality is that the Warriors have minimal success in regaining possession high up the field or frustrating the progress of their opponents.

There are problems with his defensive quartet or trio too—and largely of Yorke’s own making.

The conventional wisdom in the composition of a 23-member squad is that the coach selects two players for each outfield position, along with three goalkeepers.

It is staggering then that Yorke named 26 players for the Gold Cup with only two conventional centrebacks and another two who could operate in a back three in a pinch.

Then there was the scenario of Defence Force stopper Justin Garcia joining the squad as a late injury replacement and immediately moving into the starting XI ahead of Darnell Hospedales.

Yorke had Hospedales in his team for four matches before he named his Gold Cup squad. What does it say that he and his staff could not tell—during the period—that the Jamaica-based defender, a former deep-lying midfielder with Presentation College (San Fernando) could not do the job required?

It prompts questions about the technical staff’s due diligence on scouting and assessing their pool, particularly when players like Aubrey David, Dantaye Gilbert, Ryan Telfer, Neveal Hackshaw, Triston Hodge, Luke Singh, Leland Archer, Anthony Herbert, Kaïlé Auvray, Justin Obikwu, Greg Ranjitsingh, Shannon Gomez and Jomal Williams remain on the outside of the setup.

Sure, there is no room for all of them. But is Yorke really certain that none of those players can improve his current squad?

There is no international match window left for experimenting—that ship has sailed. So, Yorke may have to make some calculated gambles when he names his team to face Curaçao at home in September.

A pass accuracy rate of under 70% against Saudi Arabia was another sign that offensive tweaking could be necessary to better serve a talented attacking quartet of Levi Garcia, Dante Sealy, Tyrese Spicer and Kevin Molino—along with the supporting cast of Nathaniel James, Ajani Fortune and Real Gill.

Yorke suggested, after the Haiti match, that some of his players were not showing for the ball. But he should not rule out the possibility that tactical adjustments might create additional passing options for his defensive players.

Trinidad and Tobago’s dynamism in attack is an asset and Yorke deserves full credit for his willingness to unleash it.

It is a pity that Levi Garcia and Sealy basically both like to operate in the same area of the field. Levi has been hampered by Trinidad and Tobago’s inability to develop or locate a successful centre forward since Kenwyne Jones retired—but he has done an admirable job trying to fill that gap.

The Soca Warriors, in the Yorke era, are yet to defeat any nation ranked in the top 100 in the world. Ultimately, they must do so at least twice before Christmas for a merry end to this campaign under a local football hero.

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Lasana Liburd

Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.