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Given a mandate to qualify for the Fifa 2026 World Cup, Soca Warriors head coach Dwight Yorke will face another important test when his team meets guest team Saudi Arabia in their crucial 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup group D encounter at the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada on June 22. The match kicks off at 7 pm and will be a must-win encounter for a TT team which are currently at the bottom of the group on one point and a -5 goal difference. Saudi Arabia are second on three points.
At the pre-match press conference on June 21, where Yorke was accompanied by veteran goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, the Soca Warriors coach said his players have to dust themselves off and grind out a win in spite of the two disappointing results they've had thus far. In their opening game on June 15, the Soca Warriors were drubbed 5-0 by the US. They then played to a 1-1 draw against ten-man Haiti four days later. A win will give TT a strong chance of going through to the quarterfinals, granted that the US prevent an upset loss to Haiti who are also on one point. Anything but a win will spell the end of TT's Gold Cup journey.
"It's all about winning right? We have to find a way to win," Yorke said. "At the end of the day, we know exactly what's required which is three points."
This will be the second meeting between the teams in Yorke's tenure, as TT were beaten 3-1 by the Saudis in a friendly in Riyadh on December 17, 2024 – Yorke's first game in charge. Ten players from the Riyadh trip are in TT's Gold Cup squad, including captain Kevin Molino and defender Justin Garcia who combined from a set piece to earn their team a share of the spoils against Haiti.
Though he would've received insight into Saudi's style under coach Herve Renard, Yorke says this clash is a different kettle of fish.
"It's a well-experienced team and obviously a team that has a high level of competition in their league back in Saudi," Yorke said. "We already studied them and did our due diligence in terms of what Saudi brings and the way they play. I don't think it would make much difference to the experience we have gained playing in Saudi to this competition. And certainly, when you look at it overall and what was at stake, that was a friendly and this is about trying to advance to the quarterfinal in the game tomorrow (June 22)."
With the final round of the World Cup qualifying campaign set to resume in September, Yorke said he and his charges welcome this challenge and he's once again calling on his players to start on the front foot.
"Playing this kind of competition against America, Haiti and Saudi Arabia. If we weren't in the competition, the games we would have probably tried to get wouldn't have been of this magnitude," he said. "There are a lot of positives coming out of these games and the players understand that. We have the bigger picture in mind of trying to get to the World Cup as well. You put all of that together, it's a great experience for these players and hopefully, they'll come out in a better place."
The Saudi team edged Haiti 1-0 in their opening Gold Cup game via a Saleh Al-Shehri penalty, before losing to the US via a similar scoreline in their second match.
Yorke praised the Saudis on their rapidly growing domestic league and the type of football culture they're trying to establish ahead of hosting the 2034 World Cup. On the flip side, Yorke and his technical staff are trying to establish a culture of their own within the Soca Warriors' setup and the former TT World Cup captain thinks his players need to have more trust in their abilities to unlock a new level.
"I think if we have a little more self-belief and self-confidence and play football the way I know this team can play and with the ability we have within the team...it's just to have a little more courage and trust each other," he said.
"There are times you will be pushed on the back foot or have your back up against the wall. We have to be resilient and tough to beat. Over those periods, you've got to have your moments as well. It's all about how you execute your time when you're in control of the game.
"I think that's something I'm trying to bring into the culture of our football. The players are getting it. We're not quite there yet as there's some work to be done. But that's all part and parcel of the development and certainly, this is another opportunity for us to try and implement all these things and try and build a new culture in TT football."
Yorke said being on the road since the May 27-31 Unity Cup has taken a toll on his players, but lamented that spirits are high as they still have an outside chance of progressing to the last eight.
"If going into the last game anyone said we have a chance of going to the quarterfinals, I think that says so much for us," he said.
"We could have easily lost the Haiti game and we wouldn't be having this conversation of (still) being in the competition. However, in football, you need a little bit of luck. It gives us a bit of impetus going into (the last group game)...there's a lot on this game despite the negative behind the other two games. We've got to move on quickly because that's what tournaments bring."

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