Sports
Jonathan Ramnanansingh
Trinidad and Tobago senior men’s football team head coach Dwight Yorke believes his squad must quickly learn to handle pressure after a sluggish first-half showing saw them battle to a 0-0 draw against Curacao in the opening match of the final round of Concacaf FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, on September 5.
Playing in front of an almost sold-out home crowd, TT struggled to impose themselves early on but showed attacking promise in the second half – a performance Yorke believes they must replicate from the opening whistle going forward.
“It was a game of two halves,” Yorke said in the post-match press conference. “For whatever reason, we weren’t at the races in the first half and we had to get hold of it as quickly as possible.”
Curacao dominated the opening 45 minutes by controlling the tempo and keeping TT pinned in their own half. Yorke hinted that nerves might have played a part, but the squad must swiftly recover ahead of their September 9 away test to Jamaica.
“I’m not sure if there were some nerves that kicked in earlier on. The expectation, with the country and the crowd. But it’s not an excuse. They’ve got to live with that.”
While the “grandparents law” – a legal pathway that could expand player eligibility – remains on hold, Yorke is content with the talent at his disposal. However, he remains vigilant in improving the team’s chemistry and proactive approach.
“I continue to say we’re more reactive than proactive, but I’m working behind the scenes to turn that around. It showed again tonight.”
One notable spark came from the stands, as young ring-winger Rio Cardines was seen urging the crowd to get involved, contributing to the electric atmosphere during the latter stages of the game.
“We were a bit subdued in the first half. We needed the fans to get involved. Players feed off the energy of the people. In the second half, you could see the whole energy and place shifted.
“This is the first step. There’s no easy path to qualify. Tonight was another example of that. But we take the point, dust ourselves off, and go again. It’s all about concentration and execution now.”
Looking ahead to the Reggae Boyz test, Yorke said the squad needs to be brave, ready and fully focused on churning out a positive result.
“We had a conversation about being more on the front foot and aggressive. That’s something we need to do from the start – not wait until we’re a goal down or under pressure. The difference between the two teams is very minute. They won’t be looking forward to playing us if we show what we did in the second half tonight. We’ve had some good games against Jamaica recently. This is another step and we’re ready to take it.”
The visitors came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first 45 minutes, winning second balls, controlling possession, and forcing TT’s defensive unit into several scrambling clearances, Yorke said.
But the mood shifted after the break.
“Second half showed once they got a foot into the game, it shows we have quality going forward. It’s unfortunate we were unable to get maximum points, but we have to take the positives – we didn’t concede.”
Yorke defended his tactical choices having made a decision to delay substitutions until late in the match. With less than ten minutes to go, he made four substitutions, two of which saw debutant Jerrin Jackie (defender) and Justin Obikwu (forward) introduced, alongside Steffen Yeates (midfielder) and Ryan Telfer (right wing).
“There was no need to change the structure. At that period of the game, we were on top of Curacao. You really don’t want to disrupt that too much. I know people probably called for a substitution, but sometimes you’re reluctant to change because you feel like you might just nick that goal.”
Despite mounting pressure and a few close calls, the breakthrough never came. Yorke said he was content with the intensity shown in the second period and believed his troops were unfortunate not to be rewarded with a goal.
The result left TT with a point in Group A, a pool that also includes regional heavyweight Jamaica and Bermuda.
“Everybody expected us to get three points. When you’re playing in a competition like this you want to take home advantage as much as possible. We weren’t at our best in the first half but in the second half, we played in the manner that we can. So we build from that.”
And despite goalkeeper Denzil Smith conceding an unnecessary yellow card in the opening period, Yorke credited his defensive back-line for keeping a clean sheet. He viewed their heroics in the back as a silver lining.
“It’s something to build on, not conceding and playing the way we did in the second half gives us a lot of energy and confidence going into Jamaica.”
Two players – Kobi Henry (defender) and Jackie – made their senior team debuts, and Yorke praised their integration and impact. Henry, in particular, drew commendation for his composure in defence. He was also a starter for TT.
“Kobi had an excellent debut. He’s only been with us for three days. There’s a lot of positives in there. This is probably the closest and strongest team I’ve inherited.”
Despite the tight turnaround, Yorke insisted the squad’s mindset remains focused ahead of the high-stakes clash in Kingston.
“We’ve probably got the most difficult challenge now, going to Jamaica. They are the number one seeded team in the group. We respect Jamaica, we don’t fear them. The mindset is good. If we perform like we did in the second half, they’ll be in for a tough game.”
