Though faced with uphill tasks to overturn 0-2 and 0-3 deficits, Caribbean clubs Cavalier of Jamaica and Dominican Republic’s Moca FC, will be intent on leaving everything on the pitch when they challenge FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC in Round one return leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday.

Cavalier will be away to FC Cincinnati at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio t 7:00pm, while Moca FC are also away to Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Tennessee for the 9:15pm encounter.

Last week’s first leg was the first ever Champions Cup match for both Cavalier and FC Cincinnati, with the Major League Soccer (MLS) side proving too good for their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) counterpart, despite a gritty effort by the latter.

Sergio Santos and Malik Pinto did the damage for FC Cincinnati inside Jamaica’s National Stadium. But perhaps more impressive was the effort from FC Cincinnati’s defence to shutout the highest scoring team from the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, which comprises Golden Boot winner Shaniel Thomas.

With a two-goal cushion and a pair of away goals, FC Cincinnati, playing their first ever Champions Cup match at home, are in the driver’s seat to progress to the Round of 16, and only need a repeat of last week’s performance to confirm that much.

While MLS clubs hold a seven-win advantage in meetings with Jamaican clubs, that statistic will mean very little to Rudolph Speid and his Cavalier side, who will be hoping to summon their best all-round performance to not only shutout the menacing Luciano Acosta and company, but more importantly, score some goals of their own.

Cavalier twice scored five goals during last year’s Caribbean Cup, doing so in the group stage against Golden Lion of Martinique in a 5-2 win, followed by a 5-0 win at fellow Jamaican club Harbour View in the semifinals.

Cavalier will require that kind of output if they are to turn this series around in their favour. In addition to Thomas, Jalmaro Calvin and Orlando Russell, will need to fire on all cylinders.

Meanwhile, Nashville SC, who got their first-leg goals from Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Tyler Boyd, will be aiming to maintain their dominance to also confirm their spot in the Round of 16.

However, with Mukhtar and Surridge both carrying injuries, their absence could dampen Nashville’s attacking prowess and possibly present a window of opportunity on which Moca FC will be aiming to capitalise on.

A win on United States soil would see Moca FC being the first Dominican Republic team to do so. Though highly unlikely, it is by no means impossible and Gustavo Ascona, who was one of the stars of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup with four goals, along with Juan Angeles, will be integral to their chances.

Roshawn Clarke and Antonio Watson were among a number of Caribbean winners at Friday’s Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, Tennessee, a meet serving as a final tune-up for a number of athletes before the World Championships beginning August 19 in Budapest.

Clarke, the 19-year-old sensation fresh off a world junior record equaling 47.85 to claim his first national senior title last month, ran 48.52 to take the win at the Wolfe Track & Field Complex.

Nigerian Nathaniel Ezekiel, who took bronze at the NCAA Championships competing for Baylor University, was not far behind Clarke in second with 48.55 while American David Kendziera ran 48.77 for third.

Watson, the 21-year-old who will be competing at his first World Championships in Budapest, took a big scalp in the 400m with 44.69 to win ahead of Grenadian World and Olympic Champion Kirani James who produced 44.92 in second. American Justin Robinson ran 45.09 in third.

Watson finished second behind Sean Bailey at the Jamaican Championships last month in a personal best 44.54.

Moving over to the 100m where Oblique Seville, who finished third at the National Championships, ran 9.98 for second in the Invitational A-race on Friday.

The race was won by 2022 World Championship silver medallist, Marvin Bracy-Williams of the USA, in 9.96 while Christian Coleman, the 2019 World Champion, was third in 10.03.

BVI’s Rikkoi Brathwaite and Guyana’s Emmanuel Archibald were both top three finishers in the Invitational B-race. Brathwaite ran a personal best 10.09 for second while Archibald ran 10.14, also a personal best, in third. Liberia’s Emmanuel Matadi ran 10.00 to take the win.

Jamaica’s Ashanti Moore and Natalliah Whyte ran 11.18 and 11.26 for first and third, respectively, in the Women’s Invitational B-race. The USA’s Maia McCoy ran 11.24 for second.

Guyana’s Jasmine Abrams ran 11.41 for second in the Women’s Open 100m behind the USA’s Candace Hill (11.29). Kristina Knott of the Philippines was third in 11.47.

Racers Track Club’s Michael Stephens ran 10.28 for second in the Men’s equivalent won by the USA’s Ameer Webb in 10.17. Demarius Smith ran 10.31 in third.

Two-time national champion, Andrew Hudson, ran 20.51 for third in the Men’s Pro 200m. Olympic Champion, Andre DeGrasse, ran 20.19 for a comfortable win ahead of the USA’s Kyree King (20.45).

Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte ran 22.76 to win the Women’s Open 200m ahead of American Talitha Diggs (22.83) and Nigeria’s Favour Ofili (22.94).

In the Women’s Pro 800m, St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Shafiqua Maloney ran a personal best 1:59.94, her first time under two minutes, for second behind the USA’s Addy Wiley (1:59.00). Uganda’s Susan Aneno was third in 1:59.95.

The Men’s Pro 800m saw Jamaican national champion, Rajay Hamilton, run 1:46.72 for second behind Kenya’s Festus Lagat (1:46.72). American Abe Alvarado ran 1:46.82 in third.

Dejour Russell ran 13.47 for second in the Men’s Open 110m hurdles. The race was won by the USA’s Michael Dickson in 13.37 while his countryman Dylan Beard ran 13.60 in third.

In the field, Chanice Porter produced 6.67m to take the win in the Women’s long jump ahead of USA’s Tiffany Flynn (6.46m) and Nigeria’s Ruth Usoro (6.42m).

Newly crowned Jamaican champion and national record holder, Rajindra Campbell, threw 21.59m for third in the Men’s shot put behind the American pair of Joe Kovacs (21.72m) and Tripp Piperi (21.67m).

Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief produced 16.85m for second in the Men’s triple jump behind American Donald Scott (16.94m). Another American, Chris Bernard, jumped 16.77m for third.

Danielle Williams, the 2015 100m hurdles world champion, was in fine form on Saturday, winning the 100m dash and 100m hurdles double at the Tennessee Challenge at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium in Knoxville.

The 2019 world championships bronze medallist won the 100m in 11.57 ahead of the USA’s Eboni Coby (11.66) and Cote d’Ivoire’s Karel Ziteh (11.68) before returning to win the hurdles in 12.95, comfortably ahead of the only other competitor in the race, Lindsay Cooper of East Tennessee State who ran (14.27).

Williams ran a season’s best 12.61 at the South Carolina Open on April 23^rd, a time that currently puts her seventh on the world rankings for 2022.

Former STETHS sprinter Dashinelle Dyer, now competing for Clemson, was second in the Men’s 100m in 10.37 behind the USA’s Mario Heslop (10.33). Another Jamaican, Noxroy Wright, ran 10.70 for third.

TLamara Distin and Carey McLeod were among the winners at the 2022 SEC Indoor Championships held at College Station, Texas from February 25-26.

Texas A&M junior Distin won the Women’s High Jump in 1.91m. The former Hydel High star, who recently set a new Jamaican indoor record of 1.92m, finished ahead of South Carolina sophomore Rachel Glenn (1.88m) and LSU senior Abigail O’Donoghue (1.88m).

McLeod, the University of Mississippi junior, won the long jump with a leap of 8.07m to defeat Georgia's standout sophomore Matthew Boling (7.90m) and Alabama sophomore Emmanuel Ineh (7.87m).

The former Kingston College man also finished third in the triple jump in 16.33m behind LSU freshman Sean Dixon-Bodie (16.64m) and Missouri junior Georgi Nachev (16.48m).

Distin’s Texas A&M teammate, Charokee Young, was fourth in the Women’s 400m in 51.28. The event was won by Kentucky’s Alexis Holmes in 50.77 while Arkansas freshman Britton Wilson ran 50.88 for second and Florida freshman Talitha Diggs ran 51.25 for third.

Young was a member of Texas A&M's 4x400m relay team that ran 3:25.43 while finishing second Arkansas that ran 3:24.09 for victory.