1 week ago
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In three weeks, World Cup qualifying (WCQ) resumes after the hiatus since a forgettable Concacaf Gold Cup campaign. Twelve countries survived WCQ Round 2 and are divided into three WCQ Round 3 qualifying groups. We are in Group B, up against Jamaica, Curacao, and Bermuda. The three group winners automatically qualify for USA 2026, while the two best runners-up advance to an inter-continental play-off in March 2026.
According to the common wisdom, this is supposed to be “our easiest chance to qualify for a World Cup”. The field is expanded to forty-eight teams, and hosts Canada, Mexico, and the USA are out of the running, and more Concacaf places are available. Right? Forgive me, but I advise extreme caution.
TTFA president Kieron Edwards has stated his confidence in our ability to qualify. So I was astonished when, speaking to local media immediately prior to the Gold Cup, he said, “We have a commitment of an additional US$1 million from the previous government with the Cabinet note, but at that time we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into … and relooking on that, we will have to go back to the government for some assistance.” He went on to add, “I truly believe anywhere between US$6 million to US$9 million should get us where we have coaches going. We’re talking about sending coaches to be personal trainers, getting our boys to peak performance …”
They didn’t know what they were doing? That confession was mind-boggling. But are TTFA coaches going to clubs, foreign and local, to be “personal trainers” for national team players? That’s not going to happen. No club will allow it.
There’s a shocking administrative naivete and imprecision in all of that, but on the field of play, the Gold Cup campaign also did not inspire much confidence with a 5:0 hammering from the USA and a scrambled 1:1 draw against ten-man Haiti, followed by an admittedly improved 1:1 draw with under-strength Saudi Arabia. That second draw did provide some measure of hope. Yorke’s match management was good, and we had a glimpse at the potential of our team, particularly in the young players like Cardines, Sealy, and James.
Patriotism is no substitute for analysis
Patriotism is no substitute for Analysis. A cold-eyed look at the objective and tasks at hand beats passionate flag-waving all day, every day. I will not analyse our team, the players, the coach’s tactics—the hardcore “technical” stuff. Nor will I discuss the reportedly imminent legislative amendments that will make foreign-born players with at least one Trini grandparent eligible for selection. This will expand the talent pool, and everyone else in Concacaf is doing it, but expect no miracles. Remember, both Curacao and Jamaica, with their hordes of foreign-born legionnaires, were sent packing after the group stage of the recent Gold Cup. But they aren’t sleeping on the ball. Since that time, Mason Greenwood (former Manchester United and current Marseille forward) has been cleared to represent Jamaica, and my information out of Curacao is that they are adding several more uncapped Dutchmen to their squad.
I supported Yorke’s appointment. Other players of his era —Lawrence and Eve—had their opportunity, so why not? He had clamoured for a coaching appointment for years and wet his feet in a short-lived but reasonably successful stint in Australia. So Yorke is an inexperienced coach compared to the veterans in charge of Curacao (Dick Advocaat) or Jamaica (Steve McClaren). Under his watch, we have played twelve matches, including seven outings in two official competitions (Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying), for a record of three wins, three draws, and six losses. Not stellar at all.
“We are trying to introduce the new era of Trinidad and Tobago football, and that is part of our job to get these guys,” said Yorke before the Gold Cup.
So will he introduce new players for WCQ Round 3? Like every coach, he is free to select whomever he wishes. But he will also live or die by his results.
Yorke has not presented the same starting team in any two consecutive matches. He will have his reasons, but I wonder if he knows his best eleven. I never concern myself with team formations. They are mere team skeletons on paper. Player roles and functions, movement and positional play, transitions and collective tactics in attack and defence, are the muscle and sinew of effective team performance in the field.
But I see Yorke’s regular changes of formation, and I ponder the questions: Does our team have an identity? What is our style of play? What are we to expect?
Hopefully, we get answers to these questions in the final campaign. My only hope is that Yorke decides to play on the front foot, all over the field.
No crystal Ball
One should never pre-judge any match based on the history between two teams. The record is hardly a crystal ball. But analysis also should not ignore the history.
So what is our record in World Cup qualifying against our opponents?
Against Jamaica: Played 6, won 2, lost 3 , drew 1. In WCQ Round 2, they won their group with two home wins, including a proper 3:0 defeat of Guatemala.
Against Curacao: Played 3, won 2, lost 1 (5:3 in Willemstad). They won their WCQ Round 2 group undefeated, hammering Haiti 5:1 along the way. Perhaps their biggest weapon is their artificial field.
Against Bermuda: Played 2, won 1, lost 1. Notably, they beat Cuba 2:1 in Cuba on the last day of WCQ Round 2 to get this far. They are the lowest-ranked of the final twelve teams, but do not underestimate them.
We cannot lose ONE match in this tournament. This is not the old-style Concacaf Hexagonal or Octagonal in which one played ten to fourteen matches, with time to rectify a poor start (like in 2005 when Leo Beenhakker was brought in after two defeats and a draw in our first three matches). This time we are playing only six matches for eighteen points, and to secure first or second place we need fourteen – four wins and two draws. This means we must win that opening match in Port-of-Spain, and get at least one point in the second in Kingston four days later. Unless we do this, our fate will be in other people’s hands (or feet), and we begin calculating permutations and combinations.
We need to hit the ground running on September 5. And I warrant that’s exactly what our opponents are thinking.
History is calling
Every country has its Pantheon of players and teams, immortalised by extraordinary feats, that have carved their niche in history. Our football lore is generally a story of “so near and yet so far,” but for one important exception.
We remember our 1967 Pan-American Games team (losing semi-finalist to Bermuda, yes, eventually finishing third); the 1973 team (which “scored” five times but lost 2:1 to Haiti, which represented Concacaf in West Germany 1974); the 1989 Strike Squad (November 19, say no more); the 2005 Soca Warriors who finally took us to the Promised Land by snatching a place in Germany 2006 from Bahrain; and the 2014 women’s team that fell to Ecuador in an inter-continental play-off for the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Now for the red jersey and flag. The 2025 Soca Warriors (or whatever they are called) stand at the brink of inclusion into our Pantheon. The final journey begins on September 5. So bring the flags and drums and help to push them into History. We win or we watch USA 2026 from home.
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