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... Request goes out to Yorke.

By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).

Trinidad and Tobago's Senior footballers will warm up for this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup international with two international matches at the Hasely Crawford Stadium later this month as Digicel announced their staging of the inaugural Digicel Shield.

Three international teams, the senior teams of fellow Gold Cup participants Cuba and Haiti and the National Olympic team of Mexico and T&T will contest the semi-finals at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on May 28. This contest is also being hosted by Digicel as part of their one-year anniversary in T&T, as announced at the launch on Monday at the Crowne Plaza, Port of Spain.

In the opening game the Mexicans will tackle Cuba from 5pm and then the "Soca Warriors" will battle Haiti in a repeat of the Digicel Cup final. The losers will meet in the third place playoff at 5pm on May 30 at the same venue with the other two teams contesting the final from 7pm.

CONCACAF President Jack Warner also announced that at the weekend CONCACAF Congress in Toronto it was agreed that T&T's World Cup captain Dwight Yorke will be honoured at the upcoming Gold Cup and as such he is expected to join the senior team for the tournament. Warner added that an invitation went out from him to Yorke on Sunday, requesting his services for the Digicel Shield and the Gold Cup.

Warner added that the Digicel Shield gives competing countries some much needed international experience.

"I want to compliment Digicel because once again that have responded to the call. They are going the distance in furthering the development of football and the support they have shown throughout the last two years have been countless. Digicel have funded the development of youth football throughout the Caribbean and have always been in there whenever I have had to make a request for support to ensure football is progressed in the Caribbean," Warner added.

Digicel CEO Kevin White also agreed to assist Warner in the payment of salaries to the National coaches for the past two months.

"After the successful series of Digicel International matches held during the FIFA window in March, the Digicel shield offers further opportunity for national teams for both regions to ensure they are successfully prepared to represent their region as well as possible," White stated.

T&T head coach Wim Rijsbergen, while listening to Warner's assurance that the T&T team will be best supported as possible, even if without some of its World Cup players, did extend gratitude for the upcoming matches which includes a friendly international away to Honduras prior to the team's arrival in the USA for the Gold Cup. But he made it known that he still would be happier man if he has the best players at his disposal.

"The Digicel shield is the perfect warm up for us before the hugely important Gold Cup in June and the whole team is looking forward to putting in a first class performance on home turf. Digicel's support of the Soca Warriors has been phenomenal over the last year with the Digicel Caribbean Cup and now the Digicel Shield," Rijsbergen added.

Admission for both days of action will be $100 (covered), $50 (uncovered) and $20 in uncovered for kids. Digicel will have further promotional events over the coming days leading up to the matches.

Source: Soca Warriors Online - Trinidad & Tobago Football.