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HEAD coach of the Soca Warriors, Dwight Yorke, said the Unity Cup will be an eye-opener for his younger players as many of them were never exposed to that level of competition.
TT will play alongside Jamaica, Nigeria and Ghana in the Unity Cup at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium in West London, England, from May 27-31. The Soca Warriors will face Jamaica in their opener at 2.45 pm TT time, on May 27.
If TT defeat Jamaica they would advance to the final, but will play in the third-place playoff if they fall to the Reggae Boyz. Nigeria and Ghana will meet on May 28 in the other semifinal match. The winner of that match advances to the final on May 31.
There are many inexperienced players on the TT team including teenager Rio Cardines, Kaihim Thomas and Isaiah Leacock. Yorke said this tournament will help his players lift their standard and give them the chance to compete against teams they would not normally face.
"It is not something we participate in quite often and it is something we try to encourage. Certainly giving some of the local players the opportunity to come out to England to play at a wonderful stadium like the Gtech Stadium (will give them exposure), many of them would not have experienced (this before). Understanding what it takes and having the vision of what professional football is like. It is a good eye-opener for particularly my players, the younger players who have not been to this level yet," Yorke said.
Looking ahead to their match against Jamaica, Yorke said, "We are here to compete and we know Jamaica obviously is a very good team...we have various systems that I like to play and it depends on the personnel we have on the day, but one thing for sure you will see two teams trying to play entertaining football, attacking, playing on the front foot. It is in our DNA to try and play that way."
[caption id="attachment_1157258" align="alignnone" width="660"] TT's Kevin Molino takes part in a team training session, on May 25, in London, ahead of theioir Unity Cup campaign which starts on May 27. - Photo courtesy TTFA Media[/caption]
Yorke knows Jamaica are a step above TT in Concacaf and world football. "We have a lot of respect for Jamaica, but I know they are ahead of us and we are trying to close that gap."
Having two Caribbean teams and two African nations in one tournament indicates the growth of football.
"The diversity and the inclusion I think is one that we did not see for many years where we come up against African nations. Unless we come up against them in major competition like the World Cup, that will probably be the only avenue that you will see this type of competition...this shows that football has come a really, long way and having a tournamnt of this magnitude right here in England shows that football continues to unite various countries and communities that would never have happened before."
TT will use the Unity Cup to prepare for 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in June.
Squads:
TT
Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip, Jabari St Hillaire.
Defenders: Sheldon Bateau, Justin Garcia, Jamal Jack, Alvin Jones, Jesse Williams, Andre Raymond, Jelani Peters, Shervohnez Hamilton.
Midfielders: Dantaye Gilbert, Kevin Molino, Joevin Jones, Rio Cardines, Kristian Lee-Him, Duane Muckette, Daniel Phillips, Noah Powder, John-Paul Rochford, Kaihim Thomas.
Forwards: Isaiah Leacock, Isaiah Lee, Brent Sam, Reon Moore.
Jamaica
Goalkeepers: Shaquan Davis, Benjamin Williams, Tafari Chambers.
Defenders: Richard King, Mason Holgate, Dexter Lembikisa, Kyle Ming, Amari’i Bell, Greg Leigh, Stephen Young.
Midfielders: Isaac Hayden, Kasey Palmer, Brandon Cover, Jon Russell, Daniel Green.
Forwards: Dwayne Atkinson, Renaldo Cephas, Warner Brown, Rumarn Burrell, Kaheim Dixon, Javon East.
 
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