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Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke vowed to field several new faces in the Soca Warriors team at next month’s 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States.
Trinidad and Tobago are drawn with hosts, the USA, Saudi Arabia, and Caribbean rivals Haiti in Group D of Concacaf’s showpiece tournament, which runs from 14 June to 6 July.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
The ex-national striker and 2006 World Cup captain said his team will launch a new era in Trinidad and Tobago football as they aim to advance from the group stage of the tournament for the first time since 2015—when then boss Stephen Hart led the Warriors to their second successive quarterfinal finish.
“We are trying to introduce the new era of Trinidad and Tobago football, and that is part of our job to get these guys,” said Yorke. “We are going in there. We have made a lot of progress, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
The former Manchester United forward believes he and his staff have built a team to compete and have a “good chance in the competition”.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“What you are going to see coming into this new tournament, or the tournament in June, is a new nucleus of players,” he said. “There are one or two players that the public will be familiar with, but there will be some players in there that you have never heard of before.”
Yorke’s 51-man shortlist for the upcoming Gold Cup is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Christopher Biggette, Aaron Enill, Adrian Foncette, Marvin Phillip, Denzil Smith, Jabari St Hillaire;
Photo: TTFA Media.
Defenders: Sheldon Bateau, Aubrey David, Isaiah Garcia, Justin Garcia, Shannon Gomez, Shervohnez Hamilton, Triston Hodge, Darnell Hospedales, Jamal Jack, Alvin Jones, Michael Kedman, Jelani Peters, Andre Raymond, Josiah Trimmingham, Jesse Williams;
Midfielders: Rivaldo Coryat, Ajani Fortune, Wayne Frederick II, Judah Garcia, Dantaye Gilbert, Neveal Hackshaw, Joevin Jones, Kristian Lee-Him, Kevin Molino, Duane Muckette, Michel Poon-Angeron, Daniel Phillips, Noah Powder, Andre Rampersad, Kaihim Thomas, Steffen Yeates,
Attackers: Kaile Auvray, Tyrese Bailey, Rio Cardines, Derrel Garcia, Levi Garcia, Real Gill, Nathaniel James, Isaiah Leacock, Isaiah Lee, Reon Moore, Justin Obikwu, John-Paul Rochford, Brent Sam, Dante Sealy, Tyrese Spicer, Lindell Sween, Ryan Telfer.
(via CF Montreal.)
There are just three players who are uncapped at international level: the Defence Force duo of midfielder Rivaldo Coryat and forward Isaiah ‘Bongo’ Leacock, and US-born CF Montreal (MLS) attacker Dante Sealy.
Sealy, 22, is the son of former Trinidad and Tobago international forward Scott Sealy. His sister, Diem Sealy, made her international debut for the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-17 team in April.
Crystal Palace youth team winger Rio Cardines has never played senior international football. However, he has represented Trinidad and Tobago at Concacaf Under-17 and Under-20 Championships.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
Yorke, who was appointed head coach on 1 November 2024, guided the Warriors to their 13th Gold Cup, after beating Cuba 6-1 on aggregate in a two-legged play-off in March.
The rookie international coach believes he has already improved the national team.
“I think that, like every other manager, we want to play on the front foot—but we have to know our limitations and what we can do and produce,” he said. “We are tactically a much better team, more aware of the opposition.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“[…] We have always been a team that can play in possession quite exceptionally, but we are a team that when we are out of possession, we are not quite sure how to do that.”
Yorke sees Trinidad and Tobago, ranked 100th in the world at present by Fifa, as underdogs at the Gold Cup. But he intends for his troops to punch above their weight.
“We are clearly the underdogs going into [the] group stage with America and the Saudis certainly ahead of us,” he said. “We feel we have a very good chance in this competition, and Saudi will be one of the oppositions that we will have to overcome if we have to advance.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“[…] Obviously, we haven’t done particularly great in terms of advancing out of the group stage. So that is something that we are going to try to improve on.”
The national team’s best performance at the Gold Cup came a quarter-century ago when the Bertille St Clair-led team lost to eventual champions Canada in the semifinals of the 2000 tournament.
Yorke was a member of St Clair’s playing squad in the group stage of that competition.
Copyright: Mike Nelson/ AFP 2015.
The Warriors head coach spoke briefly about their 2025 Gold Cup group stage opponents.
“[USA] have won the tournament multiple times, so we know what America can do,” he said. “But I think—as with every other team in there—if they take the eye off the ball, we are ready to pounce and we are ready to show we can compete with them at a very high standard.
“[…] We know that […] we have to be at our absolute best to overcome a team like Saudi Arabia.
(via TTFA Media.)
“[…] As a backroom staff, what we are doing is continue to check and figure out with the sports analysts about the danger that Haiti will create. Obviously, we will see them before we meet them so we will have a clearer understanding.”
Trinidad and Tobago lost 3-1 away to Saudi Arabia in an international friendly on 17 December 2024, although Yorke was without several of his overseas-based players for that affair.
The Soca Warriors have not played Haiti at the international level since January 2017, when they stumbled to a 4-3 friendly defeat.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Before the 2025 Gold Cup kicks off, Yorke’s troops have 2026 Fifa World Cup matches against Saint Kitts and Nevis (6 June) and Costa Rica (10 June) to navigate.
He told Trinidad and Tobago football fans what they can expect.
“We play with a lot of passion; we play with desire; we play with organisation,” said Yorke. “We play with the understanding that at the international level, when you come together, you have to bring your A-game and there is no time to develop as a team.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“I think that we have built a team now to compete. I think that is one of the most important things, that we are ready to compete.”
Trinidad and Tobago kick off their 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign on 15 June against the USA at San Jose, California. They also play Haiti (19 June) in Houston and Saudi Arabia (22 June) in Nevada.
Yorke, who represented T&T in 72 matches between 1989 and 2009, is stoked ahead of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“I am very excited, not just myself, but the whole country and the team are excited to be in such a wonderful competition,” he said, “and I’m looking forward to it.”
Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team Fixtures
2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers
6 June: T&T vs Saint Kitts and Nevis at Port of Spain;
10 June: Costa Rica vs T&T at San Jose, Costa Rica;
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
2025 Concacaf Gold Cup
15 June: USA vs T&T at San Jose, California;
19 June: T&T vs Haiti at Houston, Texas;
22 June: Saudi Arabia vs T&T at Paradise, Nevada.
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