Wired868 Wired868 for smart sport news and opinion
Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team coach Dwight Yorke is confident of a response from his players against Haiti in Houston tomorrow, as the Soca Warriors look to put their 5-0 Concacaf Gold Cup defeat to the USA in the rear view.
At present, the Soca Warriors are bottom of Group D on goal difference. Haiti also have zero points, after a 1-0 loss to Saudi Arabia on the weekend.
Both teams are desperate for points to keep any hope of advancing from the group alive. Yorke said he’d like to get an improved performance as well.
“When you come off a defeat, you are looking for a response from your players as well as a performance,” said Yorke, who captained Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 World Cup. “We spoke about it in detail. We have some work to be done, and I am sure the players will be up for it. I am very confident in my players.
“[…] We all had bad days at the office. It was just one of those days for us. It has been a good journey to this point, but now we just need to focus… and you look for a reaction on the back of that.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Haiti are 17 places higher than Trinidad and Tobago, in the Fifa rankings, at 83rd. And the French-speaking islanders defeated the Warriors in their last three competitive meetings in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
Yorke acknowledged that another stern test awaits.
“They will be aggressive—they will see an opportunity as well, just like us, to try and win a football match,” said Yorke. “[We] have to show a desire, a certain willingness to try to win a football match.
“[…] A positive result for us would put us with a chance of trying to qualify for the next stage.”
After 10 matches in charge of the national team, Yorke’s only wins have come against Cuba and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Can the Soca Warriors take their first major scalp in Houston?
Yorke hopes the two-island republic will be supporting the team that takes the red, white and black badge into battle, regardless of the setbacks.
“From the moment I’ve taken the job, it has been really positive, there has been an uptick in expectation throughout the nation,” said the former Manchester United star forward. “The support has been unprecedented, and I want that to continue… Support this new era of players in defeat and when we win football matches.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“Despite the result against America, there is no reason for the country not to be hopeful going into this game, and [to] be optimistic that we can turn things around.
“In sport, you get stronger not just by winning but also by defeat, as well. This will be a good test for my players, one that I’m sure the players are up for. And it would be most helpful if the fans and the people behind us [keep] supporting, like they have shown since I’ve taken the job.”
Just over a week ago, Yorke suggested that this current period with his squad, which dates back to 21 March, is a defining moment, as he now has more time to share his philosophy with players.
Photo: TTFA Media.
The outlook has not been quite as rosy since they ran into Mauricio Pochettino’s USA squad in San Jose.
“We have been on the road for the last three weeks as a team—it’s quite a big demand for these players,” said Yorke. “They haven’t been in this high-performance environment where we expect them to train at a high level, and in between that, we are travelling through various countries.
“[…] It can take its toll, and it has been challenging… All these things are educational for my players.”
It was an example of the hyperbole that Trinidad and Tobago football fans probably now expect from the head coach, like his claim of “new selections” for their World Cup and Gold Cup campaigns, which led to the sole introduction of attacker Dante Sealy.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
From Yorke’s starting XI, only Tyrese Spicer, Isaiah Garcia and Isaiah Lee have not played in a Gold Cup before. All three travelled the globe before, though. Spicer (Trinidad, USA and Canada) and Lee (Trinidad, USA and Portugal) lived in three different countries as they pursued their football dream.
Similarly, four of the five substitutes Yorke used against USA, Rio Cardines, Nathaniel James, Andre Raymond and Joevin Jones, have played in multiple Concacaf tournaments.
The fifth, Sealy, represented the United States in every youth age group and played professionally in the USA, Netherlands and now Canada.
Phillips is playing in his second Gold Cup tournament. In contrast, Berhalter was one of three USA players who made only their second international appearance against T&T.
Photo: Anh Chup Man Hinh.
Incidentally, Pochettino’s starting USA team on Sunday had a combined 174 caps at kick-off, an average of 15 caps per player.
In contrast, Yorke’s starting team had 404 caps (exclusive of their recent friendly to Jamaica, for which data is still outstanding), at an average of 37 caps per player.
Still, exaggerations aside, Yorke’s positive impact on the national team has been measurable so far.
A sell-out crowd against Saint Kitts and Nevis might represent the first time that the Hasely Crawford Stadium was stuffed to the rafters for a meeting against such an unglamorous opponent.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
And, within the dressing room, the players are almost unanimous in their support for the way that Yorke treats and communicates with them.
Now, does he have the tactical nous to create something memorable from that goodwill?
Thus far, Trinidad and Tobago have looked unconvincing without the ball. Will Yorke use offence as his means of defence tomorrow and go guns blazing—with the hope that his Warriors inflict more damage than their opponents might do in return?
(via TTFA Media.)
It is a risky strategy against a superior football team. But Yorke’s attempt to “frustrate” the USA on Sunday certainly failed spectacularly.
Whatever the Warriors come up with, it is unlikely to be dull or stodgy. And Yorke showed no sign of being overawed by the challenge.
“We have a chance to turn things around tomorrow, and it would be a very good test for us,” he said, “and I am excited and looking forward to it as well.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“[…] I expect great things from my team tomorrow. I expect a really positive reaction as well as hopefully a good result for us on the back of those reactions.”
Levi Garcia is back in his camp and raring to go. Presumably, Sealy will also return to the starting team, and Spicer will be handed a more attacking mandate as part of a front three.
Yorke and the Warriors would hope that a swashbuckling result can restore any wavering faith in the coach’s “new era”.
Lee scored twice in the first half when thousands of supporters were still trying to get into the venue.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
The head coach gave his tenure high marks so far, as he said he is well on the way to fulfilling all of his “assignments” from his employers, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).
“The first [assignment] was to overcome Cuba, which [took] us to the Gold Cup,” said Yorke. “And then, of course, beating Saint Kitts and Nevis [got] us to the latter stage of the World Cup qualifiers.
“On the back of that, my last assignment is to qualify Trinidad and Tobago for the World Cup. So out of three, I’ve already done two, and I’ve got the major one ahead of me.
(via TTFA Media.)
“There are going to be some bumps on the road, guys, and you just have to be a little patient with us. But we assure the public that when it comes to the World Cup qualifiers, we will be ready and prepared to go.”
Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke said two errors, which led to the second and Read more
The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team began their 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign with an embarrassing 5-0 defeat Read more
The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team will be without key forward Levi Garcia for their opening 2025 Concacaf Read more
The good news is that there will definitely be a Caribbean team at the 2026 Fifa World Cup. And Trinidad Read more
Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke has added Defence Force defender Justin ‘Shiggy’ Garcia to Read more
The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team are through to the third and final Concacaf World Cup qualifying round, Read more
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.
