[UPDATED] Soca Warriors brace for USA test

TT men’s senior football team head coach Dwight Yorke is rallying his squad to embrace the challenge of the Concacaf Gold Cup with a renewed sense of purpose, as they prepare to kick off their 2025 campaign against seven-time winners USA, at PayPal Park in California on June 15, from 6 pm (TT time).

Speaking from the team’s US training base on June 13, Yorke said the Soca Warriors must shift full focus to the immediate task at hand: navigating a tough Gold Cup group and advancing beyond the first round. The former TT skipper hoped to have entered the Concacaf tourney on a winning note, having fallen to a 2-1 defeat against Costa Rica in their final Concacaf World Cup qualifying second-round contest on June 10.

“It’s been a little bump in the road, the result against Costa Rica was not ideal,” said Yorke. “But what we tried to accomplish in qualifying for the Gold Cup group stage, we did that. Now we’re in the US and our focus is fully on this tournament.” For Yorke, a former Manchester United star now leading TT into a major continental tournament as coach, the opportunity to steer the Soca Warriors out of the group stage is both a personal and collective mission.

“The Gold Cup is something very traditional and we haven’t been able to progress out of the group stage for quite some time,” he added. “We want to try and do that. We’ve got some challenges ahead, and America probably presents the biggest test of all. But we have to make sure we’re ready for that challenge.”

TT’s best showing at the Gold Cup saw them reach the semi-finals in 2000, with quarter-final finishes in 2013 and 2015.

This year, the Kevin Molino-captained TT unit are in Group D alongside USA, Haiti and tournament guests Saudi Arabia. They are also the lowest-ranked (100th) team in the group, alongside 16th-ranked USA, Saudi Arabia (58th) and Haiti (83rd).

However, TT will be without the likes of Russian-based striker Levi Garcia for their Gold Cup opener, who is due to get married this weekend. Yorke rues his absence for the opener but believes it provides an opportunity for someone else to step up and taking a leading role in the team.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference on June 14, Yorke congratulated Garcia on his big day.

“We’re very happy and delighted he’s getting married and we give him 100 per cent support. We’d have liked it to be another day but it was arranged way in advance. We accept that and what that does give is present an opportunity for someone else to step into Levi’s shoes and show what they’re capable of, and can get in our squad.

“(His absence) will be a bit of a blow. But at the same time, we have players raring to go and this will present someone an opportunity to come in and show the sort of quality we try to maintain in this squad.”

Yorke believes that with the right mindset and preparation, his team can rise to the occasion.

“It’s another exciting time where football is concerned. We look forward to embracing it all — being excited about the group — but most importantly, we want to win and advance into the next stage of competition.”

While the broader mission of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains firmly in the background of team discussions, Yorke was adamant that the current priority is their Gold Cup performance.  He admitted that short conversations have taken place among staff about the World Cup qualifier path, there is a clear distinction between long-term goals and immediate focus.

“The conversation has been brief. We acknowledge what’s happened. But at the moment, we are fully focused on the American game in the Gold Cup. We need to make sure we stay locked in on that.”

After advancing out of the second round of World Cup qualifying, TT have been grouped alongside Curacao, Jamaica and Bermuda, and begin their final World Cup quest in September.
Yorke reiterated, “The World Cup is behind our minds in terms of what we’re trying to achieve there, and the planning for that will soon come into progress. But at the moment, the Gold Cup is at the top of our list, and we’re expected to be competing in it from all fronts.”

Skipper Molino said they hope to capitalise on their opponents’ recent run of form – four consecutive losses – and pile on the pressure in search of a positive result.

As underdogs, he said, “It could work in our favour by going out there and competing, nothing giving them anything. When you look at the last four games, they haven’t won, and that should give us a little confidence going into the game. We’re hungry to try to put them on the back foot and try to win the game.”

As the Soca Warriors prepare for their opening match against a powerful American side, Yorke is calling on his players to rise to the moment, leave recent disappointments behind, and fight for a breakthrough performance that could signal a new era for TT football.

“Despite what people think, TT is always going to be the underdog once you face America. But we have a lot of good things happening in our front and we’re excited and looking forward to the game.

Mexico are defending Gold Cup champions.

Soca Warriors Gold Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip, Jabari St Hillaire, Denzil Smith

Defenders: Sheldon Bateau, Rio Cardines, Isaiah Garcia, Darnell Hospedales, Alvin Jones, Andre Raymond, Justin Garcia

Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Wayne Frederick II, Real Gill, Joevin Jones, Kevin Molino, Daniel Phillips, Noah Powder, Andre Rampersad, Dante Sealy, Kaihim Thomas, Steffen Yeates

Forwards: Nathaniel James, Isaiah Leacock, Isaiah Lee, Tyrese Spicer, Levi Garcia (unavailable for US game)

Gold Cup Groups:

Group A: Mexico, Costa Rica Suriname, Dominican Republic
Group B: Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, Curacao
Group C: Panama, Jamaica, Guatemala, Guadeloupe
Group D: USA, Haiti, TT, Saudi Arabia

This story was originally published with the headline Yorke: Soca Warriors 'locked in' on Gold Cup mission and has been updated to include additional details. See original post below.

TRINIDAD and Tobago men’s senior football team head coach Dwight Yorke is rallying his squad to embrace the challenge of the Concacaf Gold Cup with a renewed sense of purpose, as they prepare to kick off their 2025 campaign against seven-time winners USA, at PayPal Park in California on June 15, from 6 pm (TT time).

Speaking from the team’s US training base on June 13, Yorke said the Soca Warriors must shift full focus to the immediate task at hand: navigating a tough Gold Cup group and advancing beyond the first round.

The former TT skipper hoped to have entered the Concacaf tourney on a winning note, having fallen to a 2-1 defeat against Costa Rica in their final Concacaf World Cup qualifying second-round contest on June 10.

“It’s been a little bump in the road, the result against Costa Rica was not ideal,” said Yorke. “But what we tried to accomplish in qualifying for the Gold Cup group stage, we did that. Now we’re in the US and our focus is fully on this tournament.”

For Yorke, a former Manchester United star now leading TT into a major continental tournament as coach, the opportunity to steer the Soca Warriors out of the group stage is both a personal and collective mission.

“The Gold Cup is something very traditional and we haven’t been able to progress out of the group stage for quite some time,” he added. “We want to try and do that. We’ve got some challenges ahead, and America probably presents the biggest test of all. But we have to make sure we’re ready for that challenge.”

TT’s best showing at the Gold Cup saw them reach the semi-finals in 2000, with quarter-final finishes in 2013 and 2015.

This year, the Kevin Molino-captained TT unit are in Group D alongside USA, Haiti and tournament guests Saudi Arabia. They are also the lowest-ranked (100th) team in the group, alongside 16th-ranked USA, Saudi Arabia (58th) and Haiti (83rd).

However, TT will be without the likes of Russian-based striker Levi Garcia for their Gold Cup opener, who is due to get married this weekend.

Yorke believes that with the right mindset and preparation, his team can rise to the occasion.

“It’s another exciting time where football is concerned. We look forward to embracing it all — being excited about the group — but most importantly, we want to win and advance into the next stage of competition.”

While the broader mission of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains firmly in the background of team discussions, Yorke was adamant that the current priority is their Gold Cup performance.

He admitted that short conversations have taken place among staff about the World Cup qualifier path, there is a clear distinction between long-term goals and immediate focus.

“The conversation has been brief. We acknowledge what’s happened. But at the moment, we are fully focused on the American game in the Gold Cup. We need to make sure we stay locked in on that.”

After advancing out of the second round of World Cup qualifying, TT have been grouped alongside Curacao, Jamaica and Bermuda, and begin their final World Cup quest in September.

Yorke reiterated, “The World Cup is behind our minds in terms of what we’re trying to achieve there, and the planning for that will soon come into progress. But at the moment, the Gold Cup is at the top of our list, and we’re expected to be competing in it from all fronts.”

The build-up to the Gold Cup has involved rigorous training and tactical fine-tuning, with an emphasis on team cohesion and belief — key traits he hopes will define their campaign.

As the Soca Warriors prepare for their opening match against a powerful American side, Yorke is calling on his players to rise to the moment, leave recent disappointments behind, and fight for a breakthrough performance that could signal a new era for TT football.

“Every game presents its own opportunity. We know what the U.S. brings, but we’re not here just to participate — we’re here to compete.”

Mexico are defending Gold Cup champions.

Soca Warriors Gold Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip, Jabari St Hillaire, Denzil Smith

Defenders: Sheldon Bateau, Rio Cardines, Isaiah Garcia, Darnell Hospedales, Alvin Jones, Andre Raymond, Justin Garcia

Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Wayne Frederick II, Real Gill, Joevin Jones, Kevin Molino, Daniel Phillips, Noah Powder, Andre Rampersad, Dante Sealy, Kaihim Thomas, Steffen Yeates

Forwards: Nathaniel James, Isaiah Leacock, Isaiah Lee, Tyrese Spicer, Levi Garcia (unavailable for US game)

Gold Cup Groups

Group A: Mexico, Costa Rica Suriname, Dominican Republic

Group B: Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, Curacao

Group C: Panama, Jamaica, Guatemala, Guadeloupe

Group D: USA, Haiti, TT, Saudi Arabia