Yorke gets first competitive assignment as Soca Warriors coach

NEW SOCA Warriors coach Dwight Yorke will take his team into competitive action for the first time in March 2025 when they face Cuba on a home-and-away basis in a Gold Cup preliminary matchup. The winner of the two-legged affair will qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

The seven Gold Cup preliminary matchups were confirmed by Concacaf on November 20. The matches will feature the four 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal losers, the third and fourth-placed teams from the two Nations League A groups in the 2024/25 cycle, the top two Nations League B runners-up and the four Nations League play-in winners.

The preliminary matches were determined via Concacaf’s rankings of the 14 participating teams after the conclusion of Fifa’s November window. The Soca Warriors are ranked fifth behind Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras and Guatemala, with Cuba ranked tenth.

The four 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League semifinalists – Canada, Mexico, Panama and the US – will go directly into the 2025 Gold Cup group stage for the June 14-July 6 tournament.

For the Soca Warriors, their preliminary tie will be a rematch against a Cuba team they met twice in their 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League A campaign. Then, under the guidance of caretaker coach Derek King, TT played to an exciting 2-2 draw away to Cuba on October 10, before earning a 3-1 win at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago on October 14 as they preserved their place in Nations League A for another cycle.

Last month’s matches against Cuba saw the return to the national setup for the veteran midfield pair of Kevin Molino and Joevin Jones. Jones, who now features for Miscellaneous Police FC in the TT Premier Football League, scored in both matches against Cuba and was also named to the Concacaf Nations League A Best XI for the October window.

Both players were engaged in Yorke’s local-based training camp after the coach’s arrival in TT on November 8.

“As for the Gold Cup qualifiers, preparation is already under way,” Yorke told TT Football Association media. “Now the opponent for the Gold Cup qualifier has been identified...my staff and I will be doing everything to ensure that we are fully prepared to face these opponents who will challenge us in both the Gold Cup and World Cup qualifiers.

“These are critical matches for us, and we’re leaving no stone unturned in making sure we are ready. The work has only just begun, but I’m confident that with the effort and focus we’re putting in, we’ll be ready to meet these challenges head-on.”

The schedule for the Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary matches will be announced at a later date. At the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, under former head coach Angus Eve, the Soca Warriors were knocked out from the group stage after suffering heavy defeats to Jamaica (4-1) and Concacaf powerhouse USA (6-0).

2025 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary matchups:

Costa Rica vs Belize

Jamaica vs St Vincent and the Grenadines

Honduras vs Bermuda

Guatemala vs Guyana

TT vs Cuba

Martinique vs Suriname

Nicaragua vs Guadeloupe