‘I’ve no interest in critics!’ Yorke defends job and vows to make T&T 10 times better—Wired868 examines coach’s tenure

“In the 12 months that we have been together, if anyone said we would be in this position—unbeaten at home—despite the draws, you would have said I don’t think that would happen,” said Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke. “There are lots of positives in there.”

Yorke was addressing the media in the wake of last night’s 2-2 World Cup qualifying draw against Bermuda at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. As usual, he was calm, confident and defiant in equal measure.

“I’m relatively happy—not totally happy,” said Yorke. “[…] In the campaign there were too many draws… We have to flip those draws into Ws.”

Two things might stand out about Yorke’s self-assessment, for anyone who follows the Soca Warriors closely. First, is the suggestion that Trinidad and Tobago have improved at home under his watch.

The Warriors played five games at home during Yorke’s tenure with wins over Cuba and Saint Kitts and Nevis and draws against Bermuda, Jamaica and Curaçao.

However, his assistant coach Derek King, as caretaker, was also unbeaten at home with a draw against French Guiana and a win against Cuba.

And, more poignantly, Angus Eve—whose termination created the vacancy that brought Yorke back to Trinidad—was unbeaten in seven competitive home games as head coach, which comprised wins over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, The Bahamas, Curaçao, Guatemala and the United States and draws with Nicaragua and Grenada.

When Eve drew 2-2 with Grenada in a World Cup qualifier at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on 5 June 2024, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards sacked him.

King’s opening match as a caretaker was a goalless draw against French Guiana at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, and immediately, the writing was on the wall.

Yorke followed up his 2-2 draw with Bermuda—listed five places below Grenada at 169th on the Fifa Rankings—by hinting that he deserved a contract extension.

The incumbent coach, a former Manchester United star and Trinidad and Tobago’s captain at the 2006 World Cup, dismissed his critics.

“External noise is not something I am interested in, […] there is always going to be some people who don’t like what you do,” said Yorke. “I haven’t become successful by listening to negativity. I’ve become successful by believing in what I am doing.

“Once I continue to do that, I’m not really too fussed with people or critics out there who haven’t played the game at my level. I have no interest in that whatsoever.”

Trinidad and Tobago should have defeated Bermuda yesterday, Yorke suggested, as he pointed to the game statistics. There was supporting evidence, too.

The Soca Warriors had 67 percent ball possession with 22 shots to Bermuda’s 11. But Yorke confessed that even he is tiring of defending his team through data alone. And he described their performance as lacklustre.

“I felt we had done enough to win the game—and it seems to be a theme,” he said. “You can’t be creating that many chances and not score… It’s something we need to be better at.”

Still, he could not resist another stab at the stats, as he compared Trinidad and Tobago to Curaçao, who qualified for the 2026 World Cup—and they are now the smallest nation ever to do so—on the back of three wins (two against Bermuda and one against Jamaica) and three draws.

“When we played Curaçao in the two games, what was the difference between the two teams?” Yorke asked, rhetorically. “Again, you look at the stats… we matched them in every department. But the one significant thing, they managed to convert at the crucial time, and the win against Jamaica was crucial.

“If you are to qualify, you have to beat the team above you. [We had] just too many draws.”

In 13 months at the job, Yorke has not managed a single win against a higher-ranked team—even when Haiti were down to 10 players for close to an hour, or at home against arguably the worst Jamaican team of this millennium.

And Yorke now has just one win against Bermuda to show from his last 10 games, which includes six draws and three losses.

Eve was at the helm for four years and led Trinidad and Tobago into 23 competitive games. Yorke has been there for 13 months and has had 13 competitive outings.

“What we have been able to do at this point—where we were when we walked through the door 12 months ago to where we are now,” said Yorke, “[…] anybody who is looking in from the outside would think ‘Wow, there is some potential there’.

“[…] I think the future looks bright, but it is about the preparation and what you do [next] and not 12 months before [the next tournament] trying to qualify for the World Cup.

“There has to be a plan in place and a process to getting there. We definitely have the talent.”

The response from the Trinidad and Tobago football public—and, in turn, corporate T&T—suggests that Yorke has indeed brought some excitement to the Red, Black and White.

The Warriors have generally played on the front foot, with Yorke keen to maximise on the attacking trio of Levi Garcia, Tyrese Spicer and Dante Sealy. By contrast, Eve was dour and pragmatic.

But Eve’s results were better.

The competitive Trinidad and Tobago record of Yorke and Eve, tabulated as wins-draws-losses-goals for-goals against, is as follows:

• Eve: 23-11-5-7-45-36
• Yorke: 13-4-6-3-22-18

Do Edwards and his executive team lean towards hard data in deciding whether the Soca Warriors are on an upward trajectory? Do they consider the public mood?

With regards to the latter question, there were 15,000 patrons at the Hasely Crawford Stadium to see Trinidad and Tobago face Jamaica and fewer than half that number for yesterday’s clash against Bermuda.

Is the public losing faith? Or might the smaller crowds be attributable to a general unease in the country due to the US-Venezuela conflict?

Without the explicit financial support of the government, paying patrons and corporate Trinidad and Tobago, can the TTFA even afford to retain Yorke?

Yorke, for his part, is happy with his work so far and confident that he can improve the Men’s National Senior Team.

“Overall, I am very happy with where we are as a team,” he said, as he noted that the likes of Costa Rica and Honduras were also eliminated at this stage, while Jamaica and Suriname have to go to a play-off.

“[…] The World Cup campaign is tough and you need to be at your ultimate best if you are to qualify… We have another cycle with these boys, hopefully. I guarantee you we will be ten times better than where we are.”

Yorke pointed to the likes of 22-year-old midfielder Ajani Fortune, 21-year-old defender Kobi Henry, 19-year-old flanker Rio Cardines and the 23-year-old Déron Payne as future rocks of the Men’s National Senior Team.

He also singled out 27-year-old attacker Levi Garcia (who missed yesterday’s match through injury), 30-year-old midfielder Andre Rampersad and 24-year-old utility player Jerrin Jackie for their contributions to the campaign.

One could easily add goalkeeper Denzil Smith (26), midfielders Daniel Phillips (24), Wayne Frederick II (21), utility player Noah Powder (27), and attackers Tyrese Spicer (24), Nathaniel James (21) and Dante Sealy (22) to that list, along with Molik Khan (21), Dantaye Gilbert (20), Michel-Poon Angeron (24) and Isaiah Lee (26).

There is likely to be emerging talent to add to those ranks in a few years from the likes of Lindell Sween (19), Roald Mitchell (19), Derrel Garcia (18), Michael Chaves (19), Adam Pierre (17), Levi Williams (15), Dominic Joseph (17) and Caden Trestrail (17).

“In the next two to three years, you will see the best of this team,” said Yorke. “[…] Overall, when you look at the players in terms of their performance, I think they have been outstanding—barring tonight.

“I think we have been a little bit unfortunate [in the qualifying series]. The footballing gods have not been on our side in the campaign. We needed a little bit of luck, and we didn’t get it.”

Yorke will need a bit of luck himself to retain his post.

Trinidad and Tobago failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, as promised by Edwards, who is also chair of the TTFA technical committee. There has not been an appreciable upswing in results either, despite Yorke’s claims to the contrary.

But there is an unquantifiable vibe around the Men’s National Senior Team, and there is no denying the strength of Yorke’s personal brand.

Is that enough to fork out in the range of US$30,000 per month to retain Yorke?

The decision will say much about the short-term future of the Men’s National Senior Team, and the face of the TTFA’s flagship team.