Central FC kicks off Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign

NIGEL SIMON

Senior Multimedia Reporter

[email protected]

T&T’s Central FC will kick off their Group A campaign in the third edition of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign away to O&M FC at the Estadio Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, tonight from 8 pm.

For Central FC, twice winners of the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship title in 2015 and 2016, the match against the Dominican Republic outfit will be their first official fixture since a 7-3 beating of La Horquetta Terminix Rangers in the final match of the 2024/2025 T&T Premier Football League Tier I season back on May 31.

However, the T&T PFL Tier I runners-up recently played two pre-season matches against fellow Concacaf Caribbean Cup participants and Tier I champions, T&T Defence Force Elite, losing the first 3-1 before a reversal of fortunes in the last encounter prior to their departure for Santo Domingo.

In an effort to make a big impact in the competition, coach Randolph Boyce has brought in a number of new faces, inclusive of former AC Port-of-Spain players Liam Burns and Sedale Mc Clean, as well as the national duo of brothers, Joevin Jones and Alvin Jones, who have made the move from Miscellaneous Police FC and Honduran outfit CD Real Sociedad, respectively, as well as Jamal Jack, previously of Club Sando, and Rhondel Gibson of Prison Service FC, to name a few.

Meanwhile, the host O&M FC enter the match on a three-game unbeaten streak domestically in the Liga Dominicana De Futbol to start the season, following wins over Jarabacoa FC (2-1) and Delfines De Ester (2-0) and a 5-5 draw with Salcedo last time out on Sunday, August 16, after leading 3-0 inside the first 20 minutes.

Following today’s match, Central FC will again be in action on Tuesday, August 26, away to Suriname’s SV Robinhood at the Frank Essed Stadion, Paramaribo, from 7 pm.

They will then host the Dominican Republic’s Moca FC, the CFU Club Shield winners, in Week Three on September 16 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, from 8 pm before hosting Jamaica’s Wray & Nephew Premier League runner-up Mount Pleasant Football Academy (Mount Pleasant FA) at Mucurapo on September 23.

Tomorrow, T&T Tier I champions Defence Force welcomes Haiti’s Juventus De Cayes to the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on Thursday, August 21.

Defence Force, who lifted the Caribbean Concacaf Club title back in 2001, will also face last year’s tournament runner-up, Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC; Jamaica Wray & Nephew Premier League two-time reigning champion Cavalier FC, who are also the two-time Concacaf Caribbean Cup winners; and the Caribbean Football Union Club Shield runner-up, Barbadians Weymouth Wales, in their round-robin group.

For Defence Force, which captured its record 24th T&T national league title earlier this month by going unbeaten in 22 matches, with 20 wins and two draws, while scoring 81 goals with 19 against, it marks a return to the Caribbean Cup competition for the first time since 2023.

Last year they contested the CFU Club Shield competition, a qualifier to the Caribbean Cup, but bowed out at the round-of-16 hurdle.

At the conclusion of the group stage round robin, the top two teams will qualify for the crossover home-and-away semifinals, with the two group winners hosting the return-leg matches.

For both the third-place match and the final, the return-leg matches will be hosted by the higher-ranked club in each pairing, determined by the total points accumulated throughout the competition.

At the end of the competition, three clubs, the two finalists and the third-place winner, will qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. Additionally, the Caribbean champion will earn a direct bye to the round of 16.

Last night the tournament kicked off with Mount Pleasant FA hosting SV Robinhood in Kingston, Jamaica, while Cibao FC entertained Cavalier FC in the Dominican Republic.

Remaining 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup schedule:

Group Stage Week 1

Today (August 20):

• O&M FC vs Central FC – Estadio Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 8 pm

Tomorrow (August 21)

•Defence Force FC vs Juventus de Cayes – Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 8 pm