Yorke delighted with Soca Warriors’ Gold Cup qualification

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

TRINIDAD AND Tobago Soca Warriors registered their first win in Cuba in 17 years to book their spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Tuesday.

Needing just a draw to advance after a 2-1 advantage in the first leg, the Soca Warriors trounced Cuba 4-0 thanks to a brace from Isaiah Lee and goals from Kevin Molino and Nathaniel James.

Head coach Dwight Yorke said he was delighted with the outcome.

“It’s cause for a bit of celebration. We haven’t done the double over Cuba for quite some time.

“Going forward now, we have qualified for a major tournament like the Gold Cup. We have a small matter to deal with St Kitts (and Nevis) on June 6 and Costa Rica on the 10th, so we have some work to do,” Yorke said after the victory.

“From a tactical point of view, we felt that if we became resilient and hard to beat, these players would become desperate.

“We are a work in progress. Some of these players have only been here 10 days. It’s not going to be perfect, but we continue to build,” he added further.

Cuba found themselves on the backfoot in the third minute when Romario Torres received a red card.

The hosts then opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a goal by Lee, who struck with a right-footed shot from inside the penalty area.

Lee scored again in the 37th minute before Molino increased the lead in the 51st and James put a bow on the win in the 84th with a left-footed shot to the bottom right corner.