Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards stands firmly behind head coach Dwight Yorke, as he expressed full confidence in the former Manchester United star’s ability to steer the Soca Warriors to next year’s FIFA World Cup

Despite the team’s demoralising 5-0 loss to the United States in their opening Concacaf Gold Cup match on Sunday, Edwards said the defeat has not shaken the TTFA’s belief in Yorke or his coaching staff, especially with the global showpiece, to be hosted  in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, being their main objective.

"This is the coach’s team until he qualifies us for the World Cup. I truly believe we will qualify out of the group, and Dwight Yorke, I truly believe, has the right mindset and the right approach with this group of players," Edwards declared on the ISports programme on I95FM.

Trinidad and Tobago now face a must-win situation in their next two games to progress beyond the group stages of the Gold Cup. They are scheduled to face Haiti on Thursday and Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and Edwards remains optimistic that the team will recover and build momentum heading into the final round of World Cup qualifying.

Looking beyond the Gold Cup, Trinidad and Tobago’s final-round qualifying campaign begins with two tough fixtures against Curacao at home and Jamaica away. Still, Edwards dismissed any notion of a poor start to that phase.

“Since the draw, I’ve never thought of the possibility of getting no points, even in the first two matches. I’ve been here with the team, and the team has been progressing. I’m totally 100% behind coach Dwight Yorke and his staff to get us to the World Cup," Edwards stated.

In addition to the on-field campaign, the TTFA is also actively pursuing changes to the law governing player eligibility in hopes of broadening the pool of available talent.

"We’re talking about having discussions with the government, having discussions about the grandparent law. Just two days after the draw for the final round, I got a call from the Minister of Sport in terms of what the next step is and how we move forward, and that was part of the discussion," Edwards shared.

He confirmed that a bill has been approved by the Cabinet and now awaits presentation in Parliament. Once passed, it would allow players with Trinidad and Tobago lineage through grandparents to be eligible for national team selection.

"Even if that happens, coach Dwight Yorke will have to look at new players that he would have to bring into the squad,” he explained.