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- READ MORE: How Steve McClaren took Jamaica to the brink of the World Cup
Steve McClaren knocked his former Man United colleague Dwight Yorke out of World Cup contention after Jamaica drew 1-1 with Trinidad and Tobago.
McClaren’s progress with the Reggae Boyz has been one of the stories of World Cup qualifying, with the Caribbean island having only qualified for the showpiece event on one previous occasion in 1998.
Their squad possesses several UK-based players, including the likes of Birmingham City’s Demarai Gray, QPR midfielder Isaac Hayden, Leicester City forward Bobby De Cordova-Reid, and Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock.
They faced Trinidad, who are managed by Yorke, in a crunch tie on Thursday night in Port of Spain.
Renaldo Cephas put Jamaica ahead early in the second half, but they were pegged back by an 85th minute equalizer from Kevin Molino to draw 1-1.
The result proved to be damaging for both sides. Not only does it mean Trinidad can no longer reach next summer’s World Cup, but Jamaica were overtaken at the top of their qualifying group by Curacao.
Steve McClaren knocked Dwight Yorke out of World Cup contention after Jamaica drew 1-1 with Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday
McClaren (centre in 1999) was an assistant coach at Man United when Dwight Yorke was a player
Only the winners of the three CONCACAF groups will qualify automatically, while the best two of three runners-up will join four other nations from different confederations to contest two more World Cup places via FIFA’s newfangled play-off tournament to be held in Mexico in March.
Jamaica will take on Curacao on Tuesday, meaning a victory will take them top of their group and secure a place in Canada, Mexico and the US.
Yorke was a fan favorite at Old Trafford after scoring 65 goals in 152 games for the club over a four-year period between 1998 and 2002.
During that time, he won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, Champions League and Intercontinental Cup.
McClaren joined United as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant in early 1999. He spent just over two years with the Red Devils before taking the Middlesbrough job ahead of the 2001-02 season, meaning the pair crossed over for a fair period of time.
Speaking to The Times earlier this week, Yorke revealed his admiration for McClaren.
‘He was one of the people I reached out to when I was doing my Pro License and he helped me go to the Asia Cup in Qatar as a technical observer for Fifa alongside himself, Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klinsmann, which was great learning,’ he said.
‘Our relationship is more than just an ex-player and coach. And here we are, with the rivalry between these countries, fighting to qualify for the World Cup. You couldn’t predict that 15, 20 years ago.’
McClaren, 64, left his role at Manchester United to take the Jamaica job in July 2024
Meanwhile, when announcing his squad for this month’s internationals, McClaren expressed his excitement at potentially securing World Cup qualification.
He said: ‘Jamaicans on this island and all over the world would be so proud if we can achieve this. Everybody’s goal was World Cup qualification and we’re on the brink.
We’ve had our ups and downs. Successes and failures. Highs and lows. And it all boils down to this.
‘Bedding down our principles and what we have been trying to do. What we want and expect from each other. These games are all about attitude, fight and will to win.’
