Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC produced a gritty performance to better Trinidad and Tobago’s AC Port of Spain in a come-from-behind 3-2 win that secured their spot in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals.

A brace from Rivaldo Correa (75th and 89th) and the other from Jean Lopez (63rd) handed Cibao FC the crucial win after Shackiel Smek Henry (38th) and Jameel Neptune (40th) put AC Port of Spain in front at Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Meanwhile, Joseph Willinx (45th and 69th) got a brace for Ouanaminthe and Quinton Griffith (20th) and Malcolm Stewart (89th) scored for Grenades FC as both teams played out a 2-2 stalemate in Dominican Republic also on Tuesday.

The win propelled Cibao to seven points, same as their compatriots Moca FC, who are also through to the semi-finals, while Antigua’s Grenades FC (two points), AC Port of Spain (two points), and Haiti’s Ouanaminthe (two points) complete Group B.

It was an aggressive start by AC Port of Spain, who wasted little time to make their intentions known and eventually took the lead in the 38th when Henry headed home from Neptune’s weighted cross to take his tournament tally to three goals.

Neptune added his name to the score sheet two minutes later with an acrobatic finish from deep inside the 18-yard box to put AC Port of Spain 2-0 up at the break.

However, the second half belonged to Cibao as Herold Charles entered the contest in the 53rd and injected tempo into their attack to inspire the comeback. His first served up a weighted cross for Lopez to lash home in the 63rd.

Charles provided another weighted cross in the 75th, this time for Correa to finish and pull Cibao level.

Correa and Charles also connected on the winning goal as the former got on the end of a decent through pass and slotted home on the stroke of full time.

With AC Port of Spain and the others now out of contention, Cibao’s and Moca’s final group fixtures against Ouanaminthe and Grenades, respectively, will be of academic interest on October 1.

Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors bowed out of the 2024 Concacaf Futsal Championship, after another disappointing loss in a dismal campaign that never really got going in Managua, Nicaragua.

Following 4-7 and 3-5 defeats to United States and Guatemala in their first two encounters, Paul Decle's Soca Warriors required a victory in their final group encounter against Dominican Republic to keep their hopes of progressing to the quarterfinals as one of the best third-placed teams, alive.

However, it was not to be, as their Spanish-speaking Caribbean counterparts showed no mercy in a lopsided 11-1 romp at the Polideportivo Alexis Arguello, on Monday. The win by Dominican Republic saw them join United States, Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico and Panama in the knockout stage, which kicks off on Wednesday.

Trinidad and Tobago had no response to the onslaught of Dominican Republic in their final Group C contest. David Rondon opened the scoring in the 10th, Jose Belliard struck in the 13th, and Marco Gomez added a third in the 14th to put Dominican Republic 3-0 up at half-time.

In the second half, Rondon secured his brace in the 23rd, and Belliard followed suit in the 25th. Hector Perez penned his name on the scoresheet in the 29th, before Jameel Neptune got the twin island republic's consolation in the 30th. Rondon completed his hat-trick in the 31st and then added a fourth in the 39th, while Guillermo Lopez (33rd), Ricardo Alvarez (35th), and Christian Gardelli (40th), also got on the scoresheet for Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, the feature contest was a more mouthwatering affair, as Guatemala rallied for a 3-3 stalemate with United States.

United States scored three unanswered goals courtesy of Luciano Gonzalez (14th), Nilton de Andrade (20th), and Franck Tayou (21st), before Guatemala got into their rhythm and responded through Marvin Sandoval (31st and 33rd), and Patrick Ruiz (38th).

With the draw, Guatemala topped Group C, ahead of Dominican Republic, with United States securing one of the best third-place spots.

The four quarterfinal winners will not only progress to the semi-finals, but also secure qualification to the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Futsal Head coach Paul Decle has selected a fairly strong 14-man squad to challenge for Concacaf Futsal Championship honours, as they brace for tough competition in Managua, Nicaragua.

Decle’s team includes Soca Warriors midfielder Michel Poon-Angeron and his AC Port of Spain teammates Sedale McLean, playmaker Che Benny, and flanker Jameel Neptune, for the April 13-20 tournament. Neptune has been on the rebound from a fractured leg which he suffered in a Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) match against 1976 FC Phoenix last December.

Poon-Angeron, 22, who made his debut with the senior Soca Warriors in 2021, has over 10 caps for the Angus Eve-coached team, three of which he earned during their quarterfinal run in a fairly successful 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League A campaign. He also featured in their recent friendly against Jamaica, but failed to make the final squad that lost the Copa America play-in to Canada.

The squad also includes four players from reigning TTPFL tier one champions Defence Force, as the quartet of Jelani Felix, Dylon King, Darius Ollivierra, and Matthew Woo Ling have all found favour with Decle and his assitant Clayton Morris. Veteran player and former Defence Force captain, Jerwyn Balthazar, 41, is also a member of the squad.

The twin island republic will square off against the likes of Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and the United States in group C of the 12-team tournament that features three groups of four. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-place teams.

The competition’s semi-finalists will represent Concacaf at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan, scheduled for September 14 to October 6, 2024.
In the previous Concacaf Futsal Championship in 2021, Costa Rica captured their fourth title after defeating United States in the final, while the hosts Guatemala bettered Panama to third spot.

The delegation is scheduled to depart Trinidad and Tobago for Managua next Thursday.

T&T Futsal Squad: Kelvin Henry (goalkeeper), Andre Marchan (goalkeeper), Jerwyn Balthazar, Che Benny, Jelani Felix, Shane Hospedales, Dylon King, Sedale McLean, Jameel Neptune, Darius Ollivierra, Kareem Perry, Michel Poon-Angeron, Adrian Welch, Matthew Woo Ling.