1 week Ago
There is power in sharing the same space with someone you look up to and whose achievements you are keen to replicate. When that someone is tasked with steering you along the path to success, that power is multiplied. In hiring Dwight Yorke as the Trinidad and Tobago national men’s senior team head coach, the TTFA may be on to something.
Yes, Yorke’s experience as a football manager is limited. And yes, success with a club in Australia does not carry much weight in the football world. The name “Dwight Yorke”, though, carries great significance for any football fan, especially those on the red side of Manchester.
Yorke, of course, was a source of great joy—not only for Manchester United fans, but for citizens of T&T as well, leading the country to its first, and to date only, World Cup Finals appearance. It is unfortunate that the Soca Warriors have been unable to repeat that 2006 feat, falling short in qualifying campaigns for the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions of the World Cup. It’s up to Yorkie to put an end to the drought, and steer T&T to the 2026 Finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
This time, the Tobagonian will have to find the magic from the sidelines, as coach of the latest group of Soca Warriors. We will soon see what Yorke has to offer. With the Americans, Canadians and Mexicans qualifying automatically as World Cup hosts, T&T gets something of a head start in this particular World Cup race.
Yorke’s coaching acumen, however, will be tested against the likes of Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras and Panama. He would need to be tactically sound to steer his team past those opponents. But what if the opposing coach is similarly skilled? Something different would be needed to give T&T the edge.
Yorke could be the “X” factor. For any young Soca Warrior, the idea of being coached by the country’s most successful footballer must be a source of inspiration. Greece-based striker Levi Garcia understands the potential power of having Yorke on the sidelines.
“Hopefully, he will be able to bring out the best not only in the team but in some of the youngsters to secure their future,” he said. Real Gill is one of those youngsters. “I grew up hearing about Dwight Yorke and watching his videos as a player with all the fabulous things he did at Manchester United and for the national team.
And as a young forward myself, I believe I can learn a lot from him. I’m really looking forward to his sessions and working under his guidance,” said Gill. The value of being guided by someone who has “been there, done that” cannot be underplayed.
In the same way Keshorn Walcott, Cleopatra Borel, Nicholas Paul and Teniel Campbell have the power to inspire the next generation of throwers and cyclists, Yorke could well be the impetus required for this country to secure a berth at the World Cup Finals for a second time..
