It was a heartbreaking start for Caribbean teams Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago as they both fell in penalty shootouts to Panama and the United States, respectively, in their opening Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Group B encounters at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Facility in Nassau, Bahamas, on Tuesday evening.
Both matches ended in 2-2 stalemates after regulation and extra time, and so it took the dreaded penalties to decide the outcome, where the Caribbean sides came up short. The United States claimed a point after they bettered Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 on penalties, while Panama edged Bahamas 4-3 on penalties to also secure a point.
In the curtain raiser, the United States struck first when Alessandro Canale opened the scoring in the sixth minute of the first period. The Soca Warriors responded quickly as Akinola Gregory equalized three minutes later to make it 1-1.
However, in the second period, a penalty from Gabe Silveira restored the United States' lead in the seventh minute, but Gregory wasn't done—he bagged his second goal with four minutes left in the third period to level things up once again.
Extra time failed to produce a winner, pushing the match to a penalty shootout, where United States goalkeeper Chris Toth was the hero, as he produced two crucial saves to give the Americans victory.
Meanwhile, in the feature contest, the Bahamians took early control, with Creven Ferguson opening the scoring at the seventh minute of the first period. Wood Julmis doubled the lead at the 10th minute of the second period, giving the home side a 2-0 advantage.
However, Panama fought back as Alfonso Maquensi pulled one back in the ninth minute of the second period, and Alberto Kelly completed the comeback with an equalizer in the fourth minute of the third period.
The Bahamas had a golden chance to win it in extra time, but Lesly St. Fleur missed a penalty with just 10 seconds remaining, forcing a shootout.
In the penalties, both teams converted their first three kicks and missed their fourth. But when St. Fleur missed the Bahamas' fifth attempt, Maquensi stepped up to bury his shot and give Los Canaleros the win.
With these results, Panama and the United States both claimed one point in the Group B standings, but Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas will be hoping to bounce back in their next matches on Wednesday.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals, with the two finalists earning spots in the prestigious 2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Photos: Concacaf Media.