Bus woes, rising expectations and ‘getting at them’; why Yorke thinks T&T’s ‘in a good place’ to face Jamaica

“We weren’t at our best in the first half—I think that was well acknowledged,” said Trinidad and Tobago coach Dwight Yorke, in last night’s post-game press conference. “But second half we played in the manner that we can play… Playing the way we did in the second half gives us plenty of confidence going into [the Jamaica game].”

Was Trinidad and Tobago’s goalless draw against Curaçao last night, in their opening match of the Concacaf World Cup qualifying third round, a case of a point gained? Or two points lost?

There was considerable debate around that point from the head coach of either team yesterday, in the wake of not only a wildly fluctuating contest at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain—but Jamaica’s comprehensive 4-0 triumph away to Bermuda as well.

No Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray and Mason Greenwood for Reggae Boyz coach Steve McClaren? No problem, mon.

Even without such absences, McClaren still had a talent like Shamar Nicholson, now an employee for Mexican top flight outfit Club Tijuana, to bring off the bench to score against Bermuda.

In contrast, Yorke, desperate for a winning goal, waited until the 83rd minute before making his first change against Curaçao.

The head coach said later that he “did not want to disrupt things too much” and “thought we might have nicked a goal”, with the strain that his starting XI were putting their Dutch-speaking opponents under at the time.

It was a valid point. But he would surely have had no qualms about an earlier change if he had the likes of Cornell Glen and Jason Scotland in reserve, as coach Leo Beenhakker did during the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.

At 21, Lincoln City forward Justin Obikwu’s best days are ahead of him. However, career stats of 10 goals from 35 games in two years at England’s fourth and lowest professional tier, does not exactly inspire similar confidence in a clutch World Cup qualifier.

Much was made of Trinidad and Tobago’s slow start in front of a sell-out crowd on Friday night. In truth, the Soca Warriors’ problems started much earlier.

At roughly 5.55pm, the team’s PTSC bus broke down at the Brix Hotel in Cascade. By the time a replacement vehicle was sourced from City Gate and worked its way through the traffic, the Warriors got to the Hasely Crawford Stadium at 6.50pm.

It meant a frenetic start to their pre-match routine, with their designated warmup time locked at 7.15pm.

“For whatever reason, we weren’t at the races in the first half,” said Yorke. “[Curaçao] controlled the tempo of the game in the first half and really pushed us back… I’m not sure if some nerves kicked in earlier on, with the expectation [from] the country and the crowd.

“[…] It is not an excuse. They’ve got to live with that [expectation].”

Yorke was without first choice left back Andre Raymond through injury, so he opted to start versatile midfielder Noah Powder in that post instead.

Powder played in that position before, primarily with the national youth teams; and, thankfully, was a more-than-adequate replacement. But it does beg the question of what Darnell Hospedales’ role in the squad is exactly.

When central defender Josiah Trimmingham could not continue in second half stoppage time, Yorke sent Jerrin Jackie on—a central defender in an amateur division in Portugal—to make his senior international debut ahead of Hospedales.

But then Jackie went in before former Defence Force defender Justin “Shiggy” Garcia too, who seems to be perpetually trying to prove his usefulness as well.

Yorke preferred to focus on another debutante, former USA youth international Kobi Henry, and his team’s second competitive clean sheet from eight games under his tenure.

Those two pluses were arguably linked, not least when Henry lunged in with impeccable timing to block an attempted shot from Curaçao winger Jearl Margaritha in the 38^th minute.

“We have to take the positives [and] we didn’t concede,” said Yorke. “Since I’ve taken the reins, we always seem to concede—so that is a plus going into the [Jamaica] game.

“[…] I thought Kobi Henry had an excellent debut—he has only been with us for three days.”

Henry looked comfortable on the ball while he read the game well. But Trinidad and Tobago’s passing from the back seemed erratic and, at one time, forward Levi Garcia could be seen screaming in frustration while Henry was in possession.

Was the problem sloppy passing? That Trinidad and Tobago’s players had not absorbed their tactical instructions well enough? Or that their build-up routine simply lacked the guile and sophistication to consistently trouble Curaçao?

It’s hard to pinpoint the issue from a distance. But the Soca Warriors were underwhelming in the first half.

“[In] the first half, we had no problems at all,” said Advocaat.

Both coaches conceded that things changed dramatically after the interval.

“Curaçao were clearly the better team in the first half but we were clearly better in the second half,” said Yorke. “We were short in every department [in the first half and] they took the sting out of the game very quickly.

“[…] In the second half, we got into them a little bit more and stayed a little bit more aggressive. We were a little bit off [of] them (Curaçao) in the first half.”

Yorke’s greatest strength as a head coach thus far seems to be more his motivational powers than arranging Xs and Os on his tactics board.

“We had a conversation [at halftime] about being more on the front foot and being more aggressive,” said Yorke. “We are more a reactive team than a proactive team. I am working hard behind the scenes to get us to be more proactive.”

Pep talks alone won’t solve the problems that top opposition can cause you. And they will not pose the necessary tactical riddles to opposing defences, which can create holes for the likes of Trinidad and Tobago’s mercurial front three of Levi Garcia, Tyrese Spicer and Dante Sealy to pore through.

This is not to pigeonhole Yorke as one-dimensional. It is true that Trinidad and Tobago look far more capable of causing problems for opponents than in recent times—and, for what it’s worth, more aesthetically pleasing too.

It is partially why the Hasely Crawford Stadium is now incapable of housing the volume of Soca Warriors supporters who want to be a part of the action.

Trinidad and Tobago shook up Curaçao with their energy and the directness of their three-pronged attack, ably supported by veteran midfield schemer and captain Kevin Molino.

Is that enough to get a team to a World Cup?

We would probably get a better answer to that question on Tuesday night, when we face Jamaica at The Office in Kingston.

“Over the last few months, we had good games against Jamaica—the difference between the two teams is very minute,” said Yorke. “[…] We respect Jamaica but we don’t fear them.

“[…] They won’t be really looking forward to playing against us if we perform the way we can perform, certainly when you look at the second half. They are going to be in for a really tough game.”

In four games against teams ranked in the top 100 in the world, Trinidad and Tobago, under Yorke, have no wins, three draws (against Haiti, Saudi Arabia and Curaçao) and two defeats (Costa Rica and USA)—with three goals scored and nine conceded.

Yorke remains upbeat about his team’s chances.

“I am very happy with the squad that we have,” said the Warriors coach, when asked about the impending ‘grandparents’ law’ which is unlikely to be implemented in time for this World Cup qualifying campaign. “I think this is the strongest team I have had since [I started in November 2024].

“[…] We have a difficult challenge going into Jamaica but I feel we are in a good place.”

One way or the other, it is likely to be a memorable Caribbean derby in Kingston.

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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.