Jones wants Panama present

Yorke travelled from Perth to Sydney and then to Miami and arrived here shortly after 1 pm and settled in, saying he felt fine as ever before going over to the training field with Leo Beenhakker’s team for training at 4 pm (5pm TT time).

The Warriors trained yesterday morning also at the same venue under sweltering heat but conditions were cooler in the evening which suited Yorke and the rest of the team.

The day was spent resting up at the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel in between sessions but there was still time at lunch for Wrexham defender Dennis Lawrence to lead his teammates in singing "Happy Birthday" to Southampton striker Kenwyne Jones who turned 21 years old.

"It’s a great day to be here with the guys preparing for such a big game in my short career so far," Jones said.

"I am just happy to be back with the team and to be able to see another year. Being welcomed back after the injury is also a big boost personally for me. I think too that once we can all put our minds to it as we should then it can turn out to be an ever bigger celebration on Saturday and then next week when we play at home," Jones added.

The former National Under-23, Under-20 and Under-17 player said he intends to establish himself as a starting striker for Southampton and feels he should be playing more since returning from injury which kept him out for two weeks.

But he sees himself in a different role with the national team which faces Mexico in Port-of- Spain next Wednesday.

"Today I’m only 21, and I think I have a lot more years to play football and a lot more to learn and while I’ll push for a starting role and then definitely I will take my chance when it comes.

"For the moment it’s going to take a total team effort to get where we really want to be and that is in Germany next year," Jones said.

The former St Anthony’s College player recalled scoring a double in his final season against St Mary’s College and another double, once given play time, will be the birthday present of a lifetime on Saturday.

But Panama, despite missing a few regulars in their team, have no intentions of making it easy for Jones and company.

Their Colombian-born coach Jose "Checho" Hernandez indicated this when he spoke on Tuesday after conducting a session at the National Stadium.

"We will play our normal game as if we have something to play for," Hernandez said. "While there is maybe more for Trinidad in this competition now I don’t expect we will give them an easy time and they will have to earn a good result if they want it.

"We do have some new players but at the same time we are very keen to do well in this match," he said.