Warriors eye rebound
Warriors Seek Strong Home Response Against Dominican Republic
Trinidad and Tobago will look to bounce back quickly when they host the Dominican Republic tonight in their first home match of the 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Kick-off is set for 9:00 p.m., with Head Coach Derek King calling for a strong response from his players following Thursday night’s narrow 3-2 defeat to Haiti at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
“The game is very important to us, our first game in the Nations League at home,” King said at Saturday’s pre-match media conference. “Three points is very important.”
T&T came close to taking something from their opening match after recovering from an early deficit and moving 2-1 ahead in the second half. However, two late goals in added time allowed Haiti to snatch victory.
King said the squad had reviewed the performance and was focused on building on the positive aspects while correcting the areas that proved costly.
“The guys are eager to go. The last game we saw the mistakes that we made,” King said.
“We saw some positive things as well, so we continue working on the positive and start to tighten up on the little stuff that we need to tighten up on as well.”
He added that the team had shown encouraging signs in possession and in the attacking third.
“We saw some good ball movement. First half, the team was really connecting good in the attacking third. So, I think we will continue to work on all the positives from the last game into this game.”
The Warriors will, however, be without winger Tyrese Spicer, who has been ruled out with a fracture and is being monitored by his club.
Club Sando captain Shervohnez Hamilton and USA-based midfielder Michel Poon Angeron and Neveal Hackshaw have both been added to the squad.
King is also expecting captain Levi Garcia to be in better condition after a demanding travel schedule ahead of the Haiti match. Garcia arrived in Jamaica less than 48 hours before kick-off and was substituted in the closing stages after scoring T&T’s second goal.
The Head Coach also highlighted the importance of managing the latter stages of matches more effectively.
“In international football the margin of error is very slim,” King said. “I think we went too deep and I think some of the guys got a bit fatigued.”
Attention now turns to a Dominican Republic side that opened its League A campaign with a 3-2 victory over Nicaragua.
King said T&T are fully aware of the threat posed by Sunday’s opponents.
“We analysed their game. They are a very technical, sound team. Good ball movement, some experienced players as well. If we give them room to play, they will play,” he said.
“It’s a very good team. We respect them as well, but if we go out and play to our game plan, we will be victorious.”
The Dominican Republic have continued to make strides in recent years and enter the contest with confidence following their opening victory.
For T&T, the focus is firmly on producing a disciplined, energetic performance in front of the home support and getting their Nations League campaign moving in a positive direction.
Despite the later-than-usual start time, the TTFA is encouraging supporters to come out and get behind the Warriors.
Kick-off times for Concacaf Nations League matches are determined by Concacaf, with broadcast requirements among the factors taken into consideration.
Tonight’s match provides the Warriors with an immediate opportunity to respond, regroup and secure an important three points on home soil.
