Trinidad and Tobago will be missing two of their key players when they tackle Puerto Rico in their return-leg Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifier on Tuesday evening.

Maria-Frances Serrant and Chrissy Mitchell, both failed to make the trip to Puerto Rico due to visa issues. This serves as another major blue to twin island republic's chances, as the Richard Hood-coached team is intent on overturning the 1-2 loss they suffered, to the same opponents at Hasely Crawford Stadium, last Friday.

A second half strike from Jillienne Aguilera handed Puerto Rico a 2-1 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Group A of League A of the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Friday.

It is Puerto Rico’s first victory of the campaign, moving them into second place in the group with three points through two games, while Trinidad and Tobago remain without a point after two matches.

It was a fairly even first half-hour before Puerto Rico broke the deadlock in the 30th with Juelle Love making a run to the end line and cutting back to Skylynn Rodriguez, who fired in a right-footed shot for a 1-0 Puerto Rico lead.

Trinidad and Tobago would have a response, though, and the home side pulled level in the 49th through Alexcia Ali, who gathered a pass on the right wing and fired in from the narrowest of angles to make it a 1-1 affair.

Puerto Rico were unfazed and quickly regained the lead in the 54th thanks to Aguilera, who pounced on a loose ball, made a move past a defender and blasted a left-footed shot into net for a 2-1 advantage.

From there, the Puerto Rico defense did the job the rest of the way in keeping Trinidad and Tobago from getting an equalizer to secure the full three points.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Victoria Swift says the team’s build-up to their Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico has been intense and purposeful, as they target a positive result on Friday.

With this being the first on home soil for the senior women’s team since April last year, Swift is eagerly anticipating the encounter which represents an opportunity to put points on the board, following a 0-6 loss to Mexico last month.

The experienced defender is one a few veterans expected to be named in Head coach Richard Hood’s side which is set to be announced on Wednesday.

Kick off for Friday’s game is 7:00pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

“Preparations have been very intense since we got back from playing Mexico. Thus far I’m extremely proud of the players for all their efforts in each and every session,” Swift told TTFA Media.

“Words can’t explain how excited I am to be playing in Port of Spain before the home fans. This is going to give us the opportunity to bring back joy and passion of women’s football to Trinidad and Tobago. I know there are a lot of players hungry to get opportunities and do well in women’s football here and a positive showing by us can only boost the local women’s game,” she added.

Swift knows the importance of seeing Trinidad and Tobago advance to the next Women’s Gold Cup, especially as they harbour hopes of possibly making the cut for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027.

“Getting a positive result on Friday is of utmost importance. This would keep our dream alive of qualifying for the first ever Women’s Gold Cup. It’s an opportunity to create history.

“A lot of the focus has been on how we want to play as a unit. We plan to go out there as a team and play with heart and soul… laying it all on the line,” Swift shared.

Following Friday’s match, the Soca ladies will travel to play Puerto Rico on October 31st.

The Road to the Women’s Gold Cup involves 34 participating teams split into the three leagues – League A, League B and League C.

Trinidad and Tobago are in League A which has the nine top-ranked teams divided into three groups of three. League B consist of 12 teams split into three groups of four teams, while League C has 13 teams in total. In League C, Group A will have three teams, while Group B, Group C and Group D will have three teams each.

In all three leagues, the teams will play each other home and away.

The three group winners from League A will qualify for the 2024 Women’s Gold Cup, while the three second-placed teams from League A, will advance to the playoffs, which will include the three group winners from League B. The League A second-placed teams will play a single-leg playoff match against the League B group winners to determine the final three places in the Gold Cup.

Guyana defeated Puerto Rico to take a stronger hold of first place in Group D of League B as the 2023–24 Concacaf Nations League continued on Saturday.

Omari Glasgow obtained his fifth goal this season to become the sole leader atop the scoring chart in League B. Guyana’s victory gives it a three-point gap over second-place Puerto Rico with a repeat encounter coming on Tuesday.

Javorn Stevens earned a brace to give Antigua and Barbuda its first three points. The Bahamas continues searching for its first point as it moves down to last place in the group.

Guyana came back to win 3-1 against Puerto Rico at the SKNFA Training Centre in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Both teams entered this match undefeated in the group and it was Puerto Rico who took the lead in the 11^th minute on a goal from Leandro Antonetti. Darren Rios supplied the cross past the right post to find Antonetti for his first goal of the tournament.

Antonetti nearly extended the lead in the 47th but his attempt inside the box curled just past the top post.

Quillan Roberts came up with a big stop on Rios in the 56th to keep the score line within reach for Guyana. Glasgow tied the match in the 60th from the penalty spot after Kelsey Benjamin was brought down inside the box on the previous play.

Benjamin then gave Guyana the lead in the 63rd after capitalizing on a drive into the box by Liam Gordon.

Deon Moore put Guyana up by another in the 85th after stripping goalkeeper Joel Serrano and slotting home the goal that would secure the victory for the away side.

Bahamas vs. Antigua and Barbuda

Meanwhile, Antigua and Barbuda earned their first win of its campaign with a 4-1 result against the Bahamas at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas.

Javorn Stevens opened the scoring in the third minute with a header inside the box. Raheem Deterville was key in winning an aerial ball to set up the assist from Joshua Parker.

Stevens didn’t have to wait long to get his brace after striking again in the ninth on a counterattack. Dion Pereira intercepted the ball to set up Stevens on the breakaway.

Thomas James Bramble increased the lead in the 43rd after stripping a defender and proceeding to strike from inside the penalty arc.

A thrown-in provided the opportunity for the Bahamas to get on the board in the 62nd as Wood Julmis converted off the service inside the box.

Antigua and Barbuda kept pressing for another goal and earned a penalty past the midway point of the second half. Quinton Griffith converted from the spot in the 77’ to regain the three-goal lead.

Jamaica's young cyclists Cajur Chue, Khalil Francis and Melaika Russell all registered credible performances during the recently-concluded two-day Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships in the Dominican Republic.

The three were among 56 athletes across 13 countries that participated in the championships, where Jamaica finished second on the medal table with three medals behind host nation which had nine medals. Puerto Rico completed the top three with two medals.

Chue, National Juvenile Time Trial champion, competed in the Juvenile Men 10km Individual Time Trial on the first day of action and claimed silver in 13 minutes and 29 seconds. He just missed out on top spot by 10 seconds, as he finished behind Puerto Rico’s Amauri Santiago (13min 19 sec), while Dominican Republic’s Emir David Nina Garcia (13mins 25sec) was third.

Jamaica's National women's Time Trial champion Russell was also in action on day one, as she competed in the Juvenile Women 10km individual Time Trial, where she also placed second in 16 minutes and 47 seconds. The event was won by Bermuda’s Charlotte Millington, with Barbadian Arielle Greaves taking third in a time of 17 minutes and 40 seconds.

Russell returned on the second day and won gold in the 60km Road Race for Juvenile Women, becoming the first Caribbean Road champion from Jamaica since Marloe
Rodman in 2015.

In the juvenile male 70km road race, Chue took an early solo breakaway and opened a 150 metres gap with 15km to go, but was unable to maintain that tempo and got
caught. Both Chue and Francis missed out on the podium, as they placed sixth and 10th respectively.

Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent and Danielle Williams, as well as Bahamian Devynne Charlton secured their spot in the women’s 100 metres hurdles final, after safely navigating their respective semi-finals on Wednesday’s fifth day of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

While it was unbridled joy for those three, it was heartbreak for another Jamaican Megan Tapper, as the Olympic medallist placed fourth and her time was not good enough to see her through to tomorrow’s final scheduled for 2:25pm Jamaica time.

Charlton and Tapper both ran from semi-final one, where they placed second and fourth respectively. Charlton, 27, secured the second automatic qualifying spot in 12.49s, behind American Kendra Harrison, who won in 12.33s.

Despite running her heart out, Tapper (12.55s) was out dipped by Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji (12.50s), who progressed to tomorrow’s final as one of the two fastest qualifiers on time ahead of the Jamaican.

The second semi-final was just an exciting with Ackera Nugent leading for most of the way but was pipped on the line by Nigeria’s World Record holder Tobi Amusan. Nugent stopped the clock in 12.60s, behind Amusan’s 12.56s.

The last of the three semi-finals saw Jamaica’s former World Champion Danielle Williams off to a blistering start, but she lost her composure close to the end and had to settle for third in a season’s best 12.50s. Fortunately, for her the time was good enough to progress to the final.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn produced a late burst to win in 21.41s, with American Nia Ali (12.49s), just bettering Williams on the line.

You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.

Alana Reid claimed 100m gold on day one of the Pan-Am Junior Championships on Friday at the Jose A. Figueroa Freire Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Reid, 18, ran 11.33 to comfortably win gold ahead of the American pair of Kaila Jackson (11.41) and Camryn Dickson (11.48).

This is the third major 100m title of the season for Reid. She won the Class One final at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in March in 10.92, a national junior record, before running 11.17 ten days later to win Under-20 gold at the 50^th Carifta Games in Nassau.

Reid, now a professional athlete, reached the final at the Jamaican Championships in July, running 11.10 for seventh.

The Men’s final saw Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, who also set a national junior record at Champs when he ran 9.99 to win Class One gold, run 10.31 for silver behind the USA’s Tyler Azcano who won in 10.26.

Puerto Rico’s Adrian Canales Correa ran 10.35 for bronze.

Moving to the 400m hurdles where USVI’s Michelle Smith ran 57.99 for silver behind the USA’s Sanaa Hebron (56.90). Another American, Allyria McBride ran 58.32 for bronze.

In the mixed relay, Jamaica’s team of Enrique Webster, Sabrina Dockery, Tariq Dacres and Oneika Brissett ran 3:25.03 for third behind Brazil (3:24.23) and the USA (3:18.07).

In the field, Bahamian Brenden Vanderpool was third in the men’s pole vault with 4.75m. The event was won by the USA’s Jack Mann with 5.00m while Brazil’s Aurelio de Souza Leite was second with 4.90m.

Bouwahjgie Nkrumie and Jeevan Newby are both into the final of the Men’s 100m as the 2023 Pan-Am Junior Championships got underway on Friday at the Jose A. Figueroa Freire Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Newby, who was runner-up at Jamaica’s National Junior Championships in July, narrowly won heat two of three in 10.75 into a -2.7 m/s headwind to advance to the final. The USA’s Cameron Tarver finished just one hundredth of a second behind to also progress.

Nkrumie, who became the first Jamaican junior to run under 10 seconds when he ran 9.99 for gold at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in March, ran a comfortable 10.60 into a -2.6 m/s headwind to win his heat and advance. Puerto Rico’s Adrian Canales Correa also made it through with 10.67 while Antigua and Barbuda’s Shaviqua Bascus ran 10.76 to advance as well.

The fastest qualifier to the final was the USA’s Tyler Azcano who ran 10.58 to win the first heat ahead of Canada’s Storm Zablocki (10.72) and Antigua and Barbuda’s Ajani Daley (10.74). Both Zablocki and Daley made it through to the final.

On the Women’s side, Jamaica’s Alana Reid and Asharria Ulett as well as Barbados’ Khristel Martindale all made it through to the final.

Reid, Jamaica’s national junior record holder with 10.92 done at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in March, ran 11.96 into a -2.6 m/s headwind to win heat three. Ulett ran 12.14 to finish fourth in heat two and progress while Martindale ran 12.19 to finish second in heat one.

The American pair of Kaila Jackson and Camryn Dickson were the fastest qualifiers with times of 11.47 and 11.75, respectively.

Both finals are set for Friday night.

Guyana produced a massive upset win over The Dominican Republic to advance to the semi-finals of the men’s team category at the 2023 Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation Championships in Georgetown on Saturday.

The team of Shemar Britton, Elishaba Johnson, Paul David and Jonathan Van Lange combined to defeat Dom Rep 3-2 and guarantee the hosts at least a bronze medal.

Earlier, the hosts finished second in their group behind Cuba, who will take on Barbados in semi-final two after Guyana battle Puerto Rico on Saturday.

Guyana also advanced to the Women’s semi-finals after Chelsea Edgehill, Natalie Cummings, Thuraia Thomas and Jasmin Billingy combined to beat Barbados 3-0 on Friday. Cummings and Billingy won the doubles before Edgehill and Cummings both secured 3-0 singles wins. They will face Trinidad & Tobago in the semis while Barbados and Dominican Republic will contest the other semi-final.

New York Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz is expected to miss the entire MLB season after suffering a serious knee injury while celebrating a Puerto Rico win in the World Baseball Classic.

Diaz left the field in a wheelchair after injuring his right knee while celebrating Wednesday's win over the Dominican Republic, with his team-mates visibly upset by the incident.

On Thursday, the Mets revealed Diaz – who penned a five-year, $102million contract with the team in the offseason – had undergone surgery after sustaining a complete patellar tendon tear.

"Edwin Diaz underwent successful repair of the patellar tendon in his right knee today," read an update from the team. "He is expected to begin a formal rehab program in about a week."

Earlier on Thursday, Mets general manager Billy Eppler suggested the closer – widely considered to be the best in the game – could be sidelined for around eight months, a timeline which would rule him out for the entire 2023 season.

Eppler noted some athletes have returned from similar injuries within a six-month timeframe, but added such cases were "more the exception than the rule".

Diaz took to social media to update his fans after the surgery, writing on Twitter: "To all my beloved fans, especially the Mets fans, I want to let you know that I am doing well and healing. 

"I feel blessed and grateful for your support with messages and prayers, thank you very much!  I can't wait to see you guys in NY again and play those trumpets."

Celebrations for Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic turned sour when pitcher Edwin Diaz hurt his knee after their victory against the Dominican Republic.

The New York Mets closer – widely considered to be the best in the game – eliminated the favourites for the competition as he struck out Teoscar Hernandez to complete a 5-2 victory.

In the ensuing celebrations, the players were jumping in a huddle before stopping once it became apparent that Diaz was injured.

His brother, Cincinnati Reds reliever Alexis Diaz, was in tears as medics attended to him, helping the 28-year-old from the field.

According to ESPN, the 28-year-old will undergo an MRI on Thursday, with sources fearing "the injury could keep Díaz out for a significant period".

"I didn't see it right away," Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina said. "I was hugging our coaches in the dugout, and when we looked up, Edwin was on the ground.

"I didn't know. I didn't know how to act, I didn't know what to say. It caught me by surprise. It sucks. When you see a guy that works so hard like Edwin, when you see him on the ground like that, it's just sad."

Center fielder Enrique Hernandez added: "It wasn't pretty much until we got to the infield dirt that we realised something had gone wrong.

"At the moment we didn't know who it was. When we got there, that's when we realised who it was. Obviously, aside from being the best closer in the game right now, and being a huge part of this team, [Diaz] is one of the glue guys in that clubhouse."

Jamaica's William Knibbs made the cut at the 8th Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) (golf) on Friday at the Grand Reserve Golf Course in Puerto Rico.  The island's other representative, Justin Burrowes missed the cut.

Knibbs' first round one over par 73 at the end of the first day, had him poised to make the cut if he could maintain that score or do better. At that point he was tied for 47th place along with several other golfers. He posted a solid two over par 74 during Friday's second round for a two-day total of three over par 147 and tied for 49th place with five others, and importantly made the cut.

"I just made the cut which is amazing. That was my goal coming into this event.  Its my third LAAC and I had never made a cut so that was my big goal heading into this week, just to make the cut. Now that I have made the cut I won't settle on that. I am gonna try to play as well as I can moving forward but it feels great accomplishing a major milestone. It was kinda nerve wracking for the whole day seeing my name hovering on the leaderboard in or just out by one and eventually it got kinda discouraging towards end because my name was the first name after the projected cut, so yea I am looking to tomorrow and Sunday" said Knibbs.

The cut line was set at three over par or the top 50 golfers at the end of the second round.  The golfers who made the cut will compete for another two rounds to determine the overall winner.

Burrowes who is competing in the LAAC for the fourth time posted five over par 77 for the first round and placed 84th. He posted another five over par 77 on the second day for a two-day total of 10 over par 154 meant that he missed the cut line for the first time.

He said "disappointing last couple of days. Its unfortunate to miss the cut, unfortunate not to play well but its part of the game. One thing for sure about this week is that it exposed my weaknesses, the weak areas of my game. More than anything else I am just excited to get back to work. I think today was certainly more positive overall. I felt like I managed myself better even though the score didn't quite reflect it.  There were some small wins out there."

Louis Carrera of Mexico topped the leaderboard at the end of the second round after posting 10 under par 134 with scores of five under par 67 on each of the first two days. The first day leader, Mateo Fuenmayor of Colombia ended the second round tied for 25th place with five others after posting five over par 77, with a two-day total of one under par 143 (66, 77).

Defending champion Aaron Jarvis of the Cayman Islands is currently tied in the 14th position with 9 others with a score of two under par 142. He shot par 72 and two under par 70 on the first and second day respectively.

Jamaica's William Knibbs and Justin Burrows battled the elements in the first round of the 8th Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) (golf) on Thursday at the par 72 Grand Reserve Golf Course in Puerto Rico for contrasting results on the day.

Knibbs' one over par 73 is his best ever single round score in the LAAC on this his third time competing in the championship.  His first round score puts him at 48 along with seven other golfers. 

According to Knibbs, "today I shot 73 which I think is the best score I have shot in all of my rounds in LAAC so far. The conditions weren't overly tough but they weren't super easy at the same time. I gave myself a lot of good opportunities today, didn't capitalize on all of them (but) didn't really make many mistakes. I put a decent score together today so hopefully I am out a little earlier tomorrow so hopefully there won't be too much breeze and I can take it low."

He is on track to make the cut for the first time.  The cut will be mad at number 50 at the end of the second round on Friday. 

Burrowes who is competing in the LAAC for the fourth time and made the cut on his three previous appearances closed the first round in the 84th position along with eight other golfers.  He posted five over par 77 for the round after a very good front nine one under pa 35.

"Today was bit interesting.  (I) started off really well which I usually start off a little slow and then flow into the round but it was the opposite today, I started really hot I had two birdies to start on my first two holes. I kinda had something going on the front nine and just kinda hit a wall on the back nine mentally. I feel like I still have a game there even though on the leaderboard I am way down at the moment, there is nothing that a really good score tomorrow can't fix" said Burrowes.

Defending champion, nineteen year old Aaron Jarvis of the Cayman Islands shot even par 72 and is currently tied on 30th position with 17 others.

The sole leader is Mateo Fuenmayor of Colombia after shooting six under par 66.

The championships features one hundred eight golfers from the Latin American and the Caribbean. Host country Puerto Rico will have nine golfers on the course, as per the tournament rules. There is a cut line of the top fifty golfers at the end of the second day. Some of the competing countries are Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Barbados, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Haiti, , Trinidad & Tobago, Panama, Venezuela and Jamaica. Jamaica has been participating in the championships since it started in 2015.

The opening round of the 2022 Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships unfolded in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday with all of the expected competitiveness and somewhat unexpected weather conditions, leaving both the team and Individual leaderboards intriguingly poised.

Players from nine CGA member countries battled both high winds and - during the closing sessions - heavy downpours in an eventful first day.

Puerto Rico and Cayman are tied for the lead in the men's Hoerman Cup Team standings, with the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago rounding out the top five.

In the Ladies' Team competition for the George Teale trophy, Jamaica sat atop the leaderboard, by a two-stroke margin over Puerto Rico, followed by the Dominican Republic, Barbados and the Bahamas respectively.

Vying for individual honours, Gustavo Rangel from Puerto Rico is the individual leader with 2 under par for 70.

The Cayman Islands' Justin Hastings and the Dominican Republic's Rhadames Peña carded an identical 71 (1 under) to lead the chasing pack comprising Payten Wight of the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico's Kelvin Hernandez.

Caymanian Holly McLean, with 75, was a stroke ahead of Puerto Rico's Darianys Guzman in a similarly close contest for the women's individual honors. Also in the mix are the Dominican Republic's Yae Yun Kim, with 77, and the "two Emilys" - Mayne of Jamaica and Odwin of Barbados, who carded identical 78s.

The Arthur Ziadie trophy for the best overall team also remains virtually anyone's game, with Puerto Rico in the lead at 14 points and Jamaica 2 points behind followed by Dominican Republic with 10 points

Jamaica’s Stephenie-Ann McPherson led the cadre of Caribbean women advancing to the semi-finals of the Women’s 400m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday.