Yorke: Time for Trinidad and Tobago to deliver

TRINIDAD and Tobago men's football team coach Dwight Yorke believes he has now assembled a team which is ready to go to the next level and make a firm push for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, which is being hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US.

Two matches into the final round of Concacaf qualifying, TT (one point) find themselves in third spot in group B behind the early pace-setters Jamaica (six points) and Curacao (four points). And with Curacao and Jamaica doing battle from 7 pm on October 10, TT will relish the chance to get their first win and goals of the final round when they face group B's cellar-placed team, Bermuda from 6 pm at the Bermuda National Stadium, Devonshire on the same day.

Speaking to TT Football Association media on the eve of the clash, Yorke, who took over as men's team coach in November 2024, said his squad is now starting to hit their straps and is confident things will start to go in their favour after a rocky start to the final round.

"Competition for places is really getting intense and it's something I have worked on over the last ten months. Not just myself, but the backroom staff and everyone are involved to get these players on board," Yorke said.

"And now, I can fully say this is my squad. This is the team I've been trying to inherit for a long time. It took us a little while in getting there, but I'm quietly confident when people see what we're capable of doing. They've got some view of what we're capable of doing, but I think this team is coming into their own now and getting a little more confident and understanding exactly what's required. There's no hiding place and no excuses. I think now is the time for us to deliver."

At the end of the final round, the three group winners will qualify automatically for next year's World Cup, with the two best second-placed teams progressing to a Fifa intercontinental playoff to try and secure World Cup spots.

For this October window, Yorke made four changes to the 26-man squad that contested the team's first two matches in the final round against Curacao and the Reggae Boyz last month. Among those changes are the inclusion of in-form Slovakia-based midfielder Molik Jesse Khan and Dutch-born right back Deron Payne, who plies his trade with FC Volendam in the Dutch top flight. The 23-year-old Payne is in line to make his TT debut.

"We've been monitoring these guys for quite some time now and it's absolutely fantastic to add them to the squad. What that means is that we've added more value and much more quality," Yorke said of Payne and the 21-year-old Khan, who made his last appearance in TT colours at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup under former coach Angus Eve.

Yorke's 26-man squad also includes regulars such as captain and playmaker Kevin Molino, goalkeeper Denzil Smith, defender Justin Garcia, central midfielders Daniel Phillips and Andre Rampersad, Crystal Palace full back Rio Cardines, Spartak Moscow forward Levi Garcia and the Major League Soccer trio of Kobi Henry, Dante Sealy and Tyrese Spicer, all of whom have made bright starts to their TT career after debuting this year.

And though TT are expected to face a tricky trip away to Curacao in Willemstad on October 14, Yorke said the current mission and focus is about getting three points versus Bermuda.

"We're not getting carried away by any opposition. We know that we have to be at our very best to get results. Coming into this game, we respect Bermuda," he said. "But ultimately, we need three points, which is very clear. We need to be absolutely 100 per cent in terms of our performance, our attitude and our mindset.

"I'm really excited and energised by (this challenge). I'm also very encouraged. And although results may not have gone our way, it's behind us now and what we can control is what is in front of us. At the moment, Bermuda is our first encounter and we look forward to that...we can get the job done and get the three points to get us back in the thick of things in our group."

The team arrived in Bermuda on October 8 after a training camp in Miami, which Yorke described as intense. The TT coach reckons he and his staff have done everything necessary to prepare the team for the battle ahead as they hunt two positive results on the road.

"It's been a fantastic couple of days...there's no two ways about it. The message is very clear that we're at a critical and very vital stage of the campaign," he said.

"It's wonderful to get all the players together and get everybody on the same page and working in the same direction to achieve the same common goal, which is to win three points and then we go from there.

"Now, we need to go and execute...I could say now that I've had ten months in the job, I've seen what I've tried to build and I'm very happy with where we are. Now is the time for us to kick on."

Group B standings, final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying:

Team*GP*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts

Jamaica*2*2*0*0*6*0*6*6

Curacao*2*1*1*0*3*2*1*4

TT*2*0*1*1*0*2*-2*1

Bermuda*2*0*0*2*2*7*-5*0