You wouldn't doubt that his number one sport is football and you certainly would not question that Dwight Yorke is his favourite player.
After all, he's been named after the former Manchester United treble winner.
Fourteen-year-old Dwight Yorke has a hell of a shot with both feet but favours his left. He's currently a student at Trinity East and these days he's improving his skills at the T&T Football 7 Academy. Yorke attends training sessions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings as well as Saturday mornings at the Academy base, located a stone throw away from his school, at the Henry Street Recreation Ground in Trincity. And there he gets to rub shoulder with his other favourite player, Stern John.
"Well Dwight is my favourite player, just like Cristiano Ronaldo. He (Yorke) was the player I grew up hearing about and seeing videos. My father used to tell me a lot about him. But I like Stern John as well. He could score a lot of goals. I remember him scoring plenty goals in the 2006 World Cup (campaign)," said Yorke, a former standout for Arima Boys RC in the Atlantic LNG National Primary Schools League.
"Now to have this opportunity to work with Stern almost every day is a great thing for me. He encourages me and tells me I have to work harder. I think I have to keep on improving and my fitness needs to get better. Stern is helping me with this.
"My dad was a big fan of Dwight and he gave me that name because he wanted me to be like Dwight. I grew up playing the game in Cleaver, every morning and evening. I really kept trying to become better. I won the MVP awards in the Primary Schools League for three years. But I want to win more things so I am working towards that.
"I remember last year I went to Tobago to play a tournament and Dwight's house was near to the ground and he came over to meet me. It was an honour. I will never forget that. I hope someday I could become something in the game so everytime I come to training I want to learn something new and I want to make my game better," the young Yorke added.
Hinds joins Mutiny in Women's Premier League
T&T women's team midfielder Liana Hinds joined United States Women's professional football club New England Mutiny.
Hinds was among eight players added to the club's roster this week ahead of the season opener against New York AC on Saturday. The Mutiny is a pro club that campaigns in the Women's Premier Soccer League Elite, the highest level of women's football in the US.
Hinds joined defender Breanne Moreau, forward Brittany Moreau, midfielder Kristen McAdams, forward Elise Galipo, midfielder Julia Cipriano, midfielder Jessica Miller and midfielder Alexa Kenney as the new comers in the Mutiny which will compete in the newly-established Power 5 division this year.
Hinds is a student at the University of Connecticut (UCONN). She scored the game winner for T&T's Under-17s in a 2-1 victory over Chile at the 2010 Fifa U-17 Women's World Cup encounter at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.
She played 20 games for UCONN last year. She is pursuing a molecular and cell biology major at the University. Hinds was part of the T&T women's senior team that just missed out on qualifying for the 2015 Women's World Cup with a 1-0 defeat to Ecuador in December
Besiktas player tells Turkey about Bunji and Soca
Canadian international football player Atiba Hutchinson has two things in common with all Trinbagonians. He was born to Trinidadian parents and he is a big fan of Soca music
Hutchinson, born in Ontario, plays for Turkish top team Besiktas and at one point during his career, played under current T&T head coach Stephen Hart, who was then head coach of Canada.
Hutchinson has played for FC Copenhagen, at one time winning Danish Super Liga Player of the Year, as well as Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. He lined up for Besiktas in a victory against Liverpool which eliminated them from the Europa League.
The 32-year-old midfielder/right back has been a hit in Turkey and has been featured heavily in the press over there. He was highlighted by Cihan Press this week and made it no secret that Soca is his first choice of pump up music and perhaps his favourite artiste is the Viking, Bunji Garlin.
And though it took some time for Hutchinson to adjust to the number of cameras he faced as his professional career took off, in a recent interview his ease and sense of humour comes through as he lists his favorite songs in 2015. With playoffs around the corner, one of the five –"Our Time" by Bunji Garlin–seems on point: "365 days, we've been preparin' for 365 days/ Everyone is ready for the streets and highways/ Rollin with them color scheme on the face/... Now put your hands in the air/... Tell them this is our time," the report in the Cihan concluded.
Hoyte stays positiveafter Millwall exit
Mere days after being announced as one of the 18players released from Millwall Football club, national team defender Justin Hoyte says he's already put the club behind him and is looking ahead to another chapter in his professional career.
Millwall was relegated from the English Championship Division. Also being released by the club was Carlos Edwards and Jamaican Ricardo Fuller.
Hoyte said yesterday that he was already considering a couple options before him as he hopes to find a new club soon.
"I can only see my career going in one direction and that is back on track and getting back to my best," Hoyte said.
"I want to be back playing week in, week out like I had been before I went to Millwall, whether that be still in England, the MLS or somewhere else.
"It wasn't a shock that I wasn't going to re-sign at Millwall but my time there has been a learning experience for me and one I'll take in a positive way. It's been a hard, rough time back but I'll take it and move on now," said the former Arsenal defender.
Hoyte said he was thankful for being considered by T&T head coach Stephen Hart and is looking forward to the upcoming 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and 2018 World Cup campaign. Hart noted that Hoyte was one of T&T's most consistent performer during the recent friendly with Panama.
"I'm looking to get to that club when I can then enjoy my football again and gain some form of consistency and be treated in the right with respect. I would like to thank my family and close friends for helping me through a rough time at Millwall and thanks to the Trinidad national team coach who has kept his faith with me and is one coach I really enjoy playing under. I think T&T has a good way to go with him at the helm," Hoyte said.
n Shaun Fuentes is the Director of Communications for the T&T Football Association. shaunfuentes@yahoo.com
