TORONTO FC’s Tyrese Spicer, the number one pick in the 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft, has been included in the Soca Warriors’ 26-man provisional squad for their 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary playoffs against Cuba on March 21 and 25. The squad was announced on March 13 and also features the second overall pick from the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Wayne Frederick II. The team features regulars such as new Spartak Moscow striker Levi Garcia, skipper Aubrey David, goalkeepers Marvin Phillip and Denzil Smith, as well as playmakers Joevin Jones and Kevin Molino. Coach Dwight Yorke’s team also includes as many as 13 players who were selected for two friendlies away to Jamaica last month. Defenders Darnell Hosepdales and Josiah Trimmingham, who ply their trade with Montego Bay United in the Jamaican Premier League, have also been included. Attacker Nathaniel James, who recently transferred from Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant Football Academy to United Soccer League club Portland Hearts of Pine, has also been included. There was no room in the squad for Grimsby Town attacker Justin Obikwu and the Defence Force pair of defender Justin Garcia and forward Reon Moore, who were all sidelined by injury. The 28-year-old Moore recently rejoined the Defence Force ranks after a stint in Canada with Pacific FC. Another Defence Force forward, Isaiah Leacock, who leads the 2024/25 TT Premier Football League scoring charts with 11 goals, was reportedly overlooked due to visa issues. The upcoming meetings with Cuba present a rematch of the Soca Warriors’ final two matches from their 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League A campaign. Against the Cubans at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago last October, the Soca Warriors got a deserved 3-1 win to maintain their spot in Nations League A. Jones and fellow attacking midfielders Dantaye Gilbert and Real Gill were on target when TT last played Cuba, and they’ll be hopeful of making the final 23-man squad for the Gold Cup playoffs. Yorke is expected to name that final squad by March 20. With a spot in the June 14-July 6 Gold Cup on the line, Yorke’s charges will get their first crack at the Cubans when the teams meet from 4 pm at the Antonio Maceo Stadium, Santiago in the first leg on March 21. Four days later, the attention will switch to the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva where the teams will kick off the second leg from 7 pm. With Yorke yet to taste victory in three matches after tussles with Saudi Arabia and Jamaica, TT will be expected to step up to the plate against the Cuban test. Soca Warriors provisional squad for Concacaf Gold Cup qualifiers vs Cuba: Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip, Denzil Smith, Jabari St Hillaire. Defenders: Aubrey David, Isaiah Garcia, Shannon Gomez, Darnell Hosepdales, Jamal Jack, Alvin Jones, Andre Raymond, Josiah Trimmingham. Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Wayne Frederick II, Dantaye Gilbert, Real Gill, Joevin Jones, Kevin Molino, Daniel Phillips, Andre Rampersad, Kaihim Thomas, Steffen Yeates. Forwards: Levi Garcia, Nathaniel James, Isaiah Lee, Brent Sam, Tyrese Spicer. Other Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary matches: Costa Rica vs Belize Jamaica vs St Vincent and the Grenadines Honduras vs Bermuda Guatemala vs Guyana Martinique vs Suriname Nicaragua vs Guadeloupe