[UPDATED] Yorke takes positives from Saudi Arabia outing

THE Soca Warriors lost their first competitive match under Dwight Yorke, falling 3-1 to Saudi Arabia in a friendly at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 17.

Yorke, named Soca Warriors coach on November 1, got to see his players test their ability against a team that featured at the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

There were moments Yorke was proud of. "Despite the defeat, I was delighted with the team attitude and performance. There were so many positives. Yes, there were some negatives involved, but I look for attitude," Yorke told Trinidad and Tobago Football Association media.

Saudi Arabia won an early penalty after it was ruled that defender Ross Russell Jnr handled the ball.

Saleh Alshehri converted the penalty to give Saudi Arabia the 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. TT striker Reon Moore put the ball in the net in the first half, but it was disallowed due to offside.

The home team held a 1-0 advantage at halftime.

Saudi Arabia doubled the advantage in the 53rd minute as Abdullah Alhamddan found the back of the net, before Nasser Aldosari made it 3-0 in the 88th minute. TT grabbed a consolation goal four minutes into stoppage time courtesy substitute Jamal Jack, but the final whistle came shortly after.

TT did have their chances in the contest to score more goals as Isaiah Lee and Jariel Arthur both struck the post in the second half.

Yorke said it was an honour to coach the national team for the first time. "A real proud moment for me as the head coach of TT national team."

More than 20 TT players were used during the match. Yorke said he wanted to give as many of his players a chance after travelling so many miles to Saudi Arabia.

The Gold Cup qualifiers will be the Soca Warriors' next major assignment. "The bigger picture is in March when we come up against Cuba. The process takes a little bit of time, but in the meantime we will try and make every opportunity (count) that we get to see the players."

Yorke said Saudi Arabia is a tough opponent as the quality of their local league has helped develop their football. "These guys were preparing for a major tournament in the region here with the Gulf Cup...all their players are playing in the Saudi League. It is a high (level) league and a lot is expected of them."

This story was originally published with the title "Soca Warriors fall 3-1 to Saudi Arabia in Yorke's first loss" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

THE Soca Warriors lost their first competitive match under Dwight Yorke, falling 3-1 to Saudi Arabia at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 17.

Yorke, named Soca Warriors coach on November 1, got to see his players test their ability against a team that featured at the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Saudi Arabia opened the scoring in the 13th minute from the penalty spot through Saleh Alshehri.

The home team held that lead until halftime.

Saudi Arabia doubled the advantage in the 53rd minute as Abdullah Alhamddan found the back of the net before Nasser Aldosari made it 3-0 in the 88th minute. The TT players grabbed a consolation goal four minutes into stoppage time courtesy of substitute Jamal Jack, but the final whistle came shortly after.