Yorke: Soca Warriors need to tackle Cuba head-on

SOCA WARRIORS coach Dwight Yorke said he expects his players to take the Cuba challenge head-on when the teams meet in the first leg of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary playoff from 4 pm at the Antonio Maceo Stadium in Santiago Cuba on March 21.

The second leg will kick off at 7 pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on March 25. The winner after two legs will progress to the June 14-July 6 Gold Cup. The draw for the tournament takes place on April 10 and Yorke said his charges must have the right mindset on the road if they are to get success.

“We came here last time and we got a 2-2 draw. Of course, we beat them 3-1 at home,” Yorke said at the pre-match press briefing on March 20, referring to the pair of matches versus Cuba to end the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League A campaign last October under then-interim coach Derek King. TT’s win at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago preserved their place in League A.

Now, as he leads his team into their first competitive match under his tenure, Yorke and his staff have a different target in sight.

“Our mentality is one that we came in with a lot of respect for Cuba, but also with the intention to try and get a real positive result. We know how difficult it will be and our mindset is to make sure that we're ready, prepared fully mentally and physically because it's going to be a tough game for us.”

He said several players have the experience of playing in Cuba, but he said there are also new faces in the mix, including himself.

“This is a new experience for me and some of my backroom staff as well. We're here to embrace it and take on the challenge head-on. We know what's at stake and we need to be at our best to get a result.”

Yorke is hunting his first victory since being appointed on November 1, 2024. The Soca Warriors lost 3-1 away to Saudi Arabia in a friendly on December 17, before losing 1-0 to Jamaica in Montego Bay on February 6. They then drew 1-1 with the “Reggae Boyz” in Kingston on February 9 after central defender Josiah Trimmingham scored at both ends.

Yorke will be without the services of injured Spartak Moscow forward Levi Garcia, veteran playmaker Kevin Molino and centre back Jamal Jack, who was unable to travel because of visa issues.

Miscellaneous Police FC playmaker Joevin Jones, who scored in the last two meetings with Cuba, said the team’s camaraderie is good and reckons they’re up for the fight.

All-action right-back Alvin Jones, who’s now plying his trade with Deportivo Real Sociedad in Honduras, said unity will be important for the team to pull off a positive result in the first leg.

“We need discipline and energy as a group. We're playing in difficult conditions. It's a turf field. The weather will most likely be hot. Definitely, we'll need that energy and that togetherness to get across the line as a group,” the 30-year-old Alvin said.

The former Police and W Connection defender said the training camp in Miami was important as it helped to integrate some of the newer players. Alvin said those players should now take up the mantle and fill the spots vacated by Garcia and Molino.

Toronto FC’s Tyrese Spicer, the top pick from the 2024 Major Soccer League SuperDraft, is one of the fresh faces in the camp and could be in line for a senior debut.

Another Canadian-based player, midfielder Steffen Yeates, said it was the right time for the TT team to make a grand push as they also look forward to the continuation of the Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.

“The key will be to stick together as a team. I know the team played against Cuba recently,” Yeates said.

“We're going to be away from home, so there may not be certain calls (that will go our way). It's about staying focused on what we need to do and staying focused on the tactics that were given to us by the staff. We want to show our quality. Obviously, we have a worthy opponent and we want to be successful.”

Yeates said the team remains focused and will pull out all the stops to get a good result.