Dwight Yorke’s tenure as Head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago national senior football team began on a losing note, as the Soca Warriors fell 3-1 to Saudi Arabia in a closed-door friendly in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The Soca Warriors struggled defensively for most of the match played outside of the official FIFA international window, and they conceded an early penalty inside 15 minutes.

Saleh Alshehri confidently converted from the 12-yard spot to put Saudi Arabia up 1-0 in the 13th minute.

Despite a determined effort, Trinidad and Tobago failed to find the elusive equaliser as they continued to trail 0-1 at the break.

The hosts continued to dominate after the restart and doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute through Abdullah Alhamddan, who capitalized on a defensive lapse.

Saudi Arabia then sealed the victory in the 88th minute when Nasser Aldosari found the back of the net to make it 3-0.

Trinidad and Tobago managed a consolation goal deep into added time, with substitute Jamal Jack getting on the scoresheet in the 90+4, to give the Twin Island Republic something to take heart from.

While Yorke’s debut result wasn’t ideal, the match served as an opportunity for the team to adjust to his style and build chemistry ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary playoffs against Cuba in March 2025 and the resumption of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.