Leo Beenhakker’s Trinidad and Tobago, also known as the Soca Warriors, have qualified for their first ever World Cup Finals after coming fourth in the CONCACAF Zone qualifiers, and overcoming Bahrain in the play-off’s.

The Warriors had a terrible start to the final qualifying stage, which saw Trinidad and Tobago pick up just one point from their first three matches, but the arrival Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker, replacing Bertille St Clair, breathed new life into T&T's qualifying campaign.

Beenhakker started well, with a 2-0 win over Panama before seeing his side put in a great performance against local powerhouses Mexico. The game may have ended in a 2-0 defeat for the Warriors, but the commitment shown by the players was admirable.

A narrow 1-0 defeat in the USA was followed by a nail-biting 3-2 win over direct fourth-place rivals Guatemala.

The Warriors kept alive their previously slim hopes of reaching the World Cup finals through the play-offs, after Coventry City’s Stern John’s 62nd-minute strike gave Trinidad and Tobago a 1-0 victory in Panama City.

Their rivals for fourth spot, Guatemala, who were leading Trinidad and Tobago by one point before the matches, lost their match to Mexico in a thrilling 5-2 score-fest, which saw T & T leapfrog Guatemala into fourth place.

With the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica already assured of the three direct qualifying berths from the region, Trinidad went into the final match lying in fourth place, two points ahead of Guatemala, knowing that a win over Mexico would be enough for them to earn the play-off spot.

Against all the odds, they took three priceless points securing a 2-1 triumph in Port of Spain to book their place in a play-offs with Bahrain.

Sixteen years earlier, in 1989, Trinidad and Tobago had been in an almost identical situation - being just one win away from World Cup qualification only to lose 1-0 at home to the USA, and so failing to make it, and Beenhakker’s team were not prepared to let it happen again.

Even so, the two games against their Asian rivals could not have been more dramatic. In Port of Spain, Bahrain stunned the home crowd by taking the lead through Husein Salman in the 72nd minute, only for Chris Birchall's wonder strike to level the game five minutes later and keep the locals in the running.

In the return match in Bahrain, with the odds once again stacked against them, the Warriors refused to lie down, grabbing a magnificent 1-0 win to spark scenes of joyous celebration in Port of Spain, and across the islands.

T&T may have been the last team to book their place in Germany through their play-off with Bahrain, but Beenhakker’s side are more than capable of ruffling a few feathers at next summer's showpiece tournament.

Qualification means that coach Beenhakker has attained mythical status among the fans, who are among the best in the world, and whose colour and vitality will be a welcome addition to the World Cup Finals in Germany.

This will also give their inspirational captain Dwight Yorke the chance to play in the World Cup Finals before he retires. The former Manchester United striker Yorke, now with Sydney FC, epitomises the fighting spirit of the Soca Warriors.

The same can be said of powerful forward Stern John from Coventry City, Port Vale's midfielder Chris Birchall and Falkirk’s hugely experienced Russell Latapy, who coincidentally appeared alongside Yorke in the Italia ’90 qualifiers, and whose return to the side at the age of 37 coincided with the team's upturn in form to help their qualification.

Given the abundance of talent at their disposal, any team that considers underestimating the Warriors could be in for a rather rude awakening.

---

Trinidad & Tobago Match Fixtures in the World Cup 2006 Finals

10-Jun-06	Trinidad & Tobago v Sweden	18:00 BST
15-Jun-06	England v Trinidad & Tobago	18:00 BST
20-Jun-06	Paraguay v Trinidad & Tobago	21:00 BST

---

Historic Facts

First International appearance: Trinidad and Tobago 3 - 3 Dutch Guiana (Trinidad and Tobago; August 6, 1934)

Largest win: Trinidad and Tobago 11 - 0 Aruba (Port-of-Spain, T&T; June 1989)

Worst defeat: Mexico 7 - 0 Trinidad and Tobago (Mexico City, Mexico; October 8, 2000)

World Cup Finals Appearances: Debut in the World Cup 2006

---

Trinidad & Tobago Match Results - CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers

Date	Match	Result
12-Oct-2005	Trinidad and Tobago - Mexico	2:1 (1:1)
08-Oct-2005	Panama - Trinidad and Tobago	0:1 (0:0)
07-Sep-2005	Costa Rica - Trinidad and Tobago	2:0 (1:0)
03-Sep-2005	Trinidad and Tobago - Guatemala	3:2 (0:1)
17-Aug-2005	USA - Trinidad and Tobago	1:0 (1:0)
08-Jun-2005	Mexico - Trinidad and Tobago	2:0 (0:0)
04-Jun-2005	Trinidad and Tobago - Panama	2:0 (1:0)
30-Mar-2005	Trinidad and Tobago - Costa Rica	0:0
26-Mar-2005	Guatemala - Trinidad and Tobago	5:1 (3:1)
09-Feb-2005	Trinidad and Tobago - USA	1:2 (0:1)

---