T&T’s Lack of Rhythm Will Be Music to Jamaica’s Ears
Dwight Yorke’s troops failed to fire on all cylinders, humiliated in their CONCACAF Gold Cup opener
Jamaica’s hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals were given a boost, after Caribbean rivals Trinidad & Tobago were thumped 5-0 by the United States yesterday.
T&T head coach Dwight Yorke had to watch in dismay as his side were brushed aside in their first CONCACAF Group D inside the San Jose Earthquakes Stadium.
Yet the US crushed the Soca Warriors 6-0 in their previous Gold Cup group meeting two years ago, so this latest result was a slight improvement.
Yorke will be aiming for his team to bounce back from this hefty defeat to the seven-time Gold Cup champions when they face Haiti at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston on Thursday.
The Soca Warriors’ defensive shortcomings were exposed by US, who entered the interval with a brace from Malik Tillman and a goal from Patrick Agyemang. Late strikes from Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright sealed success.
Yorke urgently needs to tweak his tactical approach against Haiti.
T&T will complete their group games next Sunday against Saudi Arabia, who have been invited to the tournament.
Following the Gold Cup campaign, Yorke will be fully focused on the final leg of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers with T&T and Jamaica set to lock horns in September and November.
The long-term Caribbean rivals have been drawn in Group B, which includes relative minnows Bermuda and Curacao. The winner of the round-robin phase automatically qualifies for the cash-rich World Cup finals that will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US.
There are a dozen CONCACAF teams through to the final World Cup qualifiers. Group A comprises El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Suriname. Group C will be fiercely contested by Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua.
The two best second-placed teams will advance to a FIFA play-off tournament in March 2026, which offers both Jamaica and the Soca Warriors a second shot should they fail to top their group.
Yorke was optimistic at a recent press conference about the World Cup qualifying challenge, and said: “It’s a great group for us, one we embrace and look forward to competing in.
“Whoever qualifies will need to be at their best, because it’s not a group you can take lightly. We know what Jamaica brings to the party.
“Curacao is also a very good team, led by Dick Advocaat who’s a manager highly respected around the world. He still has plenty to offer, and we’ll be paying close attention to them. And of course, Bermuda. We’ve had some run-ins with them over the years.
“It’s an exciting time in T&T football, and we want to keep it that way. We want to entertain, but more importantly, we want to win football matches.”
Yorke can utilise the Gold Cup as an audition for the World Cup qualifiers, eager to find a solution to get the team back on track to winning ways.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz are on a seven-match unbeaten run against CONCACAF opponents, and will be expecting to navigate their way out of the Gold Cup group stages for the sixth time on the bounce.
The Boyz kick-off their Gold Cup campaign tonight against Guatemala at the Dignity Health Tennis Center in Carson, California. Head coach Steve McClaren recently masterminded a comfortable 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Guatemala at Kingston’s National Stadium.
Jamaica have been drawn into Group C where they will also face Guadeloupe 2023 Gold Cup runner-up Panama.
McClaren has got the Boyz buzzing, and confidence is high after only losing the Unity Cup in London on the lottery of a penalty shootout to Nigeria last month. Jamaica beat T&T 3-2 in their tense Unity Cup semi-final showdown.
With Trinidad & Tobago being so easily dismantled by the US, Bermuda not exactly a powerhouse and Curacao more successful at home than on their travels, Jamaica will surely fancy their chances of reaching a World Cup finals for only the second time, having made their debut in 1998.
Although it is back to the drawing board for Yorke who skippered T&T at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
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