Yorke wants quicker start vs Cuba in 2nd-leg Gold Cup qualifer

SOCA Warriors head coach Dwight Yorke is asking his players to get out of the blocks quickly in the team’s Gold Cup qualifier second-leg match against Cuba at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, on March 25. The match kicks off at 7 pm.

Like the legendary Trinidad and Tobago runner Ato Boldon during his sprinting career, a quick start will be ideal in helping the Soca Warriors be successful.

The Soca Warriors did not seem to hear the gun go off in the first leg on March 21, as Yasnier Matos put Cuba in front in the sixth minute. TT woke up after conceding, as goals from Isaiah Lee in the 20th minute and Steffen Yeates in the 53rd gave TT the 2-1 victory.

The winner over the two legs will book a spot at the 2025 Gold Cup, which will be held from June 14-July 6. A draw on March 25 will be enough for TT to qualify for the Gold Cup.

At a media conference on March 24 at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Yorke spoke about allowing early goals. “It is an area that we need to improve on. We always seem to give a team a head start, but we always seem to have the ability to claw our way back.

“It is a bit of a concern, not worried about it, but it is a bit of a concern that we tend to concede very early.”

Yorke said the “fight, spirit, camaraderie and determination” was impressive after going down in the first leg.

Midfielder Andre Rampersad, who has been a consistent member of the team in recent years, agreed. “Ideally, we would like to start fast as coach said, that is something that was talked about.”

Yorke wants his players to stay focused on the job. “We got some work to do...tomorrow, the next 24 hours and the 90 minutes we face will be the toughest 90 minutes for some of these players.

“It is crucial for us to qualify for a major tournament. It puts in the right step, the right frame of mind going into other aspects we want to talk about later on, but until the job is done tomorrow, there is no point in celebrating and we are not going to do that until we get the job fully completed tomorrow.”

The World Cup qualifiers also resume in June for TT.

The Soca Warriors coach expects Cuba to come out hungry. “Cuba is really going to throw everything at us because they are in a situation where they need to turn the tie around and we are fully aware of that, so tactically we have to be aware of what they are like and what may cause us some problems and they have caused us some problems.”

Yorke said a couple of changes may be made to the starting XI, but he will not change the style of play.

“There might be one or two changes, but the structure, the balance and the system remain the same.”

Yorke, who is not making any excuses, said the players are still getting accustomed to the system he is trying to implement, along with assistant coaches Russell Latapy and Derek King.

Midfielder Kevin Molino and defender Jamal Jack are available for selection on the final 23-man squad for the second leg. No reason was given for Molino’s unavailability for the first leg, while Jack had visa issues and could not make the trip to Cuba. Levi Garcia is out injured.

Up to press time last night, the final squad was not named.