DWIGHT Yorke and Steve McClaren, who worked together at Manchester United, will return to England to tackle their 2025 Unity Cup semi-final showdown on May 28.
Trinidad & Tobago head coach Yorke and Jamaica manager McClaren will face-off in the four-nation tournament at Brentford’s G Tech Community Stdaium, with the winning team to play Ghana or Nigeria in the final on May 31.
Both Yorke and McClaren recently steered their respective sides to the CONCACAF Gold Cup finals, which kicks off in mid-June, with thumping victories.
Yorke’s Soca Warriors were helped by the fact that Cuba were reduced to ten-men after just under three minutes, so reeled off a comfortable 4-0 success. Victory made it four appearances at the Gold Cup finals on the bounce for T&T.
McClaren’s troops made heavy weather of beating spirited minnows St. Vincent & Grenadines, but two late strikes earned Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz a flattering 3-0 result in Kingston.
With the Unity Cup offering the opportunity for all four teams to finetune their squads, Jamaica could unleash the exciting talent of Bradford-born striker Mason Greenwood.
The former Manchester United ace has applied to switch allegiance from England, although the documentation required by the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) has yet still to be received.
If the paperwork can be sorted in time for the Unity Cup, then the 23-year-old hot-shot could become a regular for the Boyz.
Jamaica have back-to-back FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the British Virgin Islands and Guatemala in June, before they compete in the coveted Gold Cup in Canada and the United States.
Since the Soca Warriors faced hosts Jamaica in February, with a creditable 1-1 stalemate and a narrow 1-0 defeat, they have beaten Cuba twice and are looking sharp under Yorke and purring with a new-found confidence.
Yorke seems to have improved T&T’s style of play and prowess in front of goal since he replaced Angus Eve as head coach. No doubt Yorke will feel that he has something to prove when his side tackle the Boyz, because he was overlooked for the Jamaica manager role that McClaren landed last July. Yorke was not even offered an interview by the JFF.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are the highest ranked team in the Unity Cup and stand at world no.44, ahead of Jamaica (no.62), Ghana (no.77) and T&T (no.102).
Former Mali manager Eric Chelle has been the Nigeria boss since January. His World Cup qualifiers haven’t gone to plan this month. Chelle guided the side to a 2-0 triumph over Kigali, but could only manage a 1-1 home draw against unfancied Zimbabwe.
In contrast, Nigeria’s West African rivals Ghana are in red-hot form with impressive back-to-back World Cup qualifying victories. Chad were thrashed 5-0, with Madagascar mauled 3-0.
thenff.com
2025 UNITY CUP (Venues TBC)
May 28 | Jamaica v Trinidad & Tobago
May 28 | Ghana v Nigeria
May 31 | 3rd/4th play-off
May 31 | Final