THE Soca Warriors lost their first competitive match under Dwight Yorke, falling 3-1 to Saudi Arabia at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 17.
Yorke, named Soca Warriors coach on November 1, got to see his players test their ability against a team that featured at the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Saudi Arabia opened the scoring in the 13th minute from the penalty spot through Saleh Alshehri.
The home team held that lead until halftime.
Saudi Arabia doubled the advantage in the 53rd minute as Abdullah Alhamddan found the back of the net before Nasser Aldosari made it 3-0 in the 88th minute. The TT players grabbed a consolation goal four minutes into stoppage time courtesy of substitute Jamal Jack, but the final whistle came shortly after.
Team
Trinidad and Tobago: 21.Adrian Foncette (GK) (1.Christopher Biggette GK 46); 16.Alvin Jones (11.Kaihim Thomas 46), 2.Aubrey David (captain) (23.Jesse Williams 60), 17.Justin Garcia (4.Jamal Jack 60), 5.Ross Russell Jr (14.Shannon Gomez 46); 9.Duane Muckette (13.Michel Poon-Angeron 60), 15.Neveal Hackshaw (19.Wayne Frederick II 60), 3.Joevin Jones (10.Kevin Molino 60); 12.Tyrese Bailey (7.Steffan Yeates 46), 13.Reon Moore (24.Jariel Arthur 46), 20.Real Gill (8.Isaiah Lee 54).
Unused substitute: 6.Isaiah Garcia.
Coach: Dwight Yorke.
Dwight Yorke 's Post Match Reactions following friendly with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh
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TTFA to sign MoU with Saudi Arabia Football Federation.
By Roneil Walcott (T&T Newsday).
As the Soca Warriors look to engage Saudi Arabia in friendly action at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh from 9.15 am Trinidad and Tobago time on December 17, TT Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards said the local football will be signing a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Arabia Football Federation.
Edwards is currently in Riyadh, along with coach Dwight Yorke and the Soca Warriors' 23-man squad, as they prepare for their first test under the new coach. And while Edwards acknowledged the importance for TT to continue to land friendlies outside of Fifa's international windows as they continue to build towards the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary playoff and the resumption of the Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, he believes their pending agreement with Saudi Arabia can also yield great benefits off the field.
"We would have started some discussions with the Saudi Arabia Football Federation since in Thailand in May. We've been working in terms of our partnership. And this game is really for us to really solidify that relationship between the Saudi Football (Federation) and the TTFA in terms of that MoU," Edwards said, in a video shared by TTFA media on Monday.
"We're just working out the details and before the game on Tuesday, we will have that MoU signed with the Saudi Football Federation in terms of how we move forward and the partnership," the TTFA president said.
Edwards said there "about 11 parts of the agreement in terms of sharing ideas and information," with assistance with the leagues, referees, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, women's football and youth football all set to be included in the agreement between the two associations.
Edwards believes the MoU will be a "game-changer" for the TTFA.
"With that partnership, we will strengthen what we do at the TTFA in terms of building capacity and whatnot...TT fans can look forward to the partnership between Saudi and TT in the near future."
With Saudi Arabia being announced as host nation for the Fifa 2034 World Cup last week, Edwards said the Soca Warriors' visit to Riyadh is a big moment for TT football and shows the progress of the national team.
Edwards said the TTFA are currently working on the finer details for a friendly with Jamaica in February, as it strives to get more opportunities for players in the TT Premier Football League to showcase themselves to Yorke and the footballing public.