Yorke optimistic after Unity Cup opener
Yorke optimistic after Unity Cup opener
It wasn’t the result he wanted, but Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dwight Yorke is not dwelling on the loss. Instead, the former Manchester United striker is focused on the bigger picture of building resilience, gaining experience, and using the Unity Cup as a launchpad into next month’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Yorke watched T&T Warriors rally twice, through Isaiah Leacock (54th) and Kevin Molino (69th), against Jamaica on Tuesday, only to be undone by a last-gasp penalty in a thrilling 3-2 contest at the Gtech Community Stadium. The spirited performance may not have earned them a place in Saturday’s final, but for Yorke, the lessons learned outweigh the sting of defeat. T&T will face Ghana in the third place playoff from 12:30pm UK time.
“I thought we did well to get back into the game, and we showed what Trinidad and Tobago can do. When we played at a certain intensity, we became a better team to look at. Unfortunately for us, we conceded at the end, but it’s one of those games that we will learn from and build on going forward,” Yorke said in a post-match conference.
T&T will now turn their attention to Saturday’s third-place playoff vs Ghana— one of two African powerhouses whose presence adds continental flair to the Unity Cup, which Yorke views as a timely dress rehearsal for tougher battles ahead.
“It’s a good concept. I don’t think we would have the opportunity to meet an African nation at this point if it weren’t for this Unity Cup. This kind of tournament is not something we are familiar with, so we will continue to grow. As much as we are disappointed with the result, it gives them a good understanding of the level required and that we can’t afford to give good teams a head start if we are going to perform against them. So that’s why this tournament is important so some of these young players can get the experience to go forward,” Yorke reasoned.
That learning curve, Yorke insists, is central to his long-term vision. Appointed just six months ago, he has been quietly rebuilding the team’s identity, blending raw talent with tactical structure, and instilling a mindset that’s focused on progress.
“I am delighted in what I have accomplished so far; I think you can see that the team is progressing nicely, but there is still a lot of hard work to be done. But I feel confident that the team is buying into my whole philosophy, and we continue to build. I feel like when we come together and we get the pieces together and compete well at the highest level, it shows that we are now assembling a team that can compete against any team that we come up against,” Yorke declared.
Still, Yorke was critical of the way his team allowed Jamaica to control the early stages of the match and admitted that their slow openings have become a recurring issue.
“We tend to be reactive instead of proactive. I told them we can’t afford to give good teams a head start and then decide to chase them down, and that’s what we did here. So even though it is encouraging, we have to be able to manage our starts in a more sensible way where we start on the front foot instead of playing catch-up.
With the more important World Cup qualifiers to come, followed by the Concacaf Gold Cup, Yorke believes Saturday’s third-place game represents a critical opportunity for his team to reset the tone and head into June with momentum.
Trinidad and Tobago are scheduled to face St Kitts and Nevis on June 6 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and Costa Rica on June 10 in World Cup qualifying action.
“There are a lot of positives despite the defeat to Jamaica. So we want to build on those and make sure we finish the Unity Cup on a high. So we will be preparing for Ghana/Nigeria like we do for any other team, because we want to gather some momentum going into the World Cup qualifiers. We don’t want to have another defeat. So we just have to pick ourselves up and come again for the game on Saturday,” Yorke ended.
