Dwight Yorke appointed Trinidad and Tobago manager 18 years after captaining the side to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Dwight Yorke, the former Manchester United striker, has been named the new manager for Trinidad and Tobago.
The hiring follows Yorke’s contentious dismissal from Macarthur, his only prior coaching position in Australia, where he guided the team to the 2022 national cup championship before departing last year. Later, Yorke prevailed in a settlement dispute against the club over the dismissal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Yorke led the Soca Warriors to their lone World Cup qualification in 2006, where they played in Germany, and scored 18 goals in 72 games. England, Sweden, and Paraguay were in the group from which Trinidad and Tobago did not proceed.
“I am proud and privileged to receive the honour of leading the Trinidad and Tobago national team,” Yorke said. “The opportunity to work with this talented, close-knit group of players is something I look forward to.”
In a five-team World Cup qualifying group, Trinidad and Tobago is currently ranked second, behind Costa Rica. By defeating Saint Kitts and Nevis on June 6, Trinidad and Tobago could guarantee their spot in the following round, which is reserved for the top two teams.
Yorke’s “experience, leadership, and commitment” can motivate the current generation of players to compete in the upcoming World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, according to Kieron Edwards, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.
During his tenure as Macarthur’s manager from July 2022 to January 2023, Yorke won the Australia Cup and won 10 of his 19 games while losing the other six and drawing three.
After being fired from Macarthur, the 52-year-old former Manchester United striker has discussed how hard it has been to find a coaching position. After seven months, Yorke’s two-year contract was terminated, and the A-League team was compelled by a CAS verdict to compensate their former manager AU$212,500 for breaching their contract by firing Yorke without cause.
Before joining Manchester United prior to their treble-winning 1998–1999 season, Yorke spent nearly ten years as a star at Aston Villa. Following a successful stint in the A-League with Sydney FC, the striker retired after playing for Sunderland, Birmingham City, and Blackburn Rovers.