5 days ago
6
Twenty years ago this week, Trinidad and Tobago lived one of its most uplifting and unifying moments.
On November 16, 2005, in distant Bahrain, the Soca Warriors achieved what many thought impossible—qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, becoming, at that time, the smallest nation in history to do so.
It was a moment that went far beyond football and stood as a reminder of what we, as a people, could accomplish when belief, discipline, and unity came together.
The images from that day are still clear in our minds: Dwight Yorke, calm and commanding as captain; coach Leo Beenhakker, the picture of quiet authority; and towering above all, Dennis Lawrence, whose famous header sealed a 1–0 victory and sent Trinidad and Tobago to football’s grandest stage.
When the final whistle blew, the country exploded in joy.
Flags waved from car windows, schoolchildren ran through schoolyards cheering, people poured out of bars and other viewing events hugging and dancing, and total strangers became family for a day.
It was one of those rare occasions when every Trinbagonian felt the same level of pride and unity.
Two decades later, the country stands at a different kind of crossroads. The euphoria of 2005 has softened into nostalgia, amid a more sobering national reality of crime, economic strain, and social concerns.
Even the uncertainty of geopolitical affairs on our doorstep adds weight to our collective spirit.
Yet, as the national team prepares to face Jamaica tonight and Curacao on Tuesday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, football once again offers a reminder of something we’ve been missing: that shared belief that together we can rise to any challenge.
The task ahead, though challenging, is clear: six points are needed if we are to keep our dream of returning to the World Cup alive.
And in a beautiful twist of fate, the man leading the charge is once again Dwight Yorke—this time from the technical area as head coach.
Yorke’s mission now is not just tactical; it’s emotional.
His task is to help his players, and by extension all of us, to rediscover the resilience, discipline, and belief that carried us through 20 years ago.
No one knows better than him how much the crowd matters.
Back in 2005, the team drew strength from the packed stands, the rhythm sections, and the sea of red that filled every seat at our crucial home games.
The players need to feel that same energy again.
Tonight, the Hasely Crawford Stadium should rock with our voices, our faith, and our colours, exuding a show of unity.
We cannot expect football, or any sport, to fix our issues, but we can let it remind us of who we truly are: a people capable of standing together and lifting each other up.
Twenty years on, the question before us is whether we can find that spirit again in the stands, on the pitch, and collectively as one nation to see us over the mark.
We wish the boys the very best tonight as they carry the nation’s hopes on their shoulders in this decisive game.
English (US) ·