Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant FA and Trinidad and Tobago’s AC Port of Spain and Police FC are among teams that will be hoping to position themselves for a semi-final berth as the Concacaf Caribbean Cup continues on Tuesday.

Two Group B encounters will get the week’s action under way, with Haiti’s Ouanaminthe set to host Antigua’s Grenades in the Dominican Republic, while AC Port of Spain welcomes the other Dominican Republic outfit, Cibao FC.

Meanwhile, the Group A contests between another Haitian club Real Hope and Arnett Gardens are set for Wednesday, with Police FC and Mount Pleasant set to rub shoulders on Thursday.

Ouanaminthe FC vs. Grenades FC

With both teams having only secured a point from their first two games, this contest represents an opportunity for either to move closer to the leaders, provided they execute efficiently to snare all three points.

Grenades FC and Ouanaminthe FC currently sit fourth and fifth with a point each, as Dominican Republic’s Moca FC comfortably occupies pole position on seven points ahead of Cibao (four points) and Port of Spain (two points).

Fredelin Philistin, who scored in Ouanaminthe’s 1-3 loss to Moca last Wednesday, will be key to their chances of securing their first win on this occasion.

The same is true about Sean Tomlinson, who notched a late equaliser for Grenades FC against Port of Spain on last.

Anything but a win for either team will bury their chances of progressing any further in the tournament.

AC Port of Spain vs. Cibao FC

With two points from three games, AC Port of Spain will enter this, their final group stage fixture against Cibao FC, also knowing that anything but a win will see them falling short of the semi-final.

Still, a win at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, doesn’t necessarily guarantee AC Port of Spain a semi-final spot, but it would provisionally push them into second above Cibao. From there, the Twin Island Republic’s representatives would then have to hope a result between Ouanaminthe and Cibao, on October 1 falls in their favour.

Shackiel Smek and John Paul Rochford will be the point men for AC Port of Spain.

Meanwhile, for Cibao FC, a win or a draw would not only extend their unbeaten run but also ensure they remain in a favourable position for a semi-final appearance.

Jean Lopez and Eddipo Rodriguez are expected to cause trouble for AC Port of Spain’s backline.

Real Hope FA vs. Arnett Gardens FC

Group A also remains in the balance, as Cavalier remain tops on six points ahead of Real Hope FA and Police FC on four points each. Mount Pleasant is also in striking distance on three points, while Arnett Gardens is without a point, but can turn their chances around with a win at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

Real Hope will enter the contest with their tails high having clipped Cavalier 2-1 last week, and knowing that another win would propel them to the top of the standing with one game still to come against Mount Pleasant on October 3.

The Haitian club will look to Rikanel Chery and Steeve Mondestin to lead their charge.

Despite their current situation, Arnett Gardens, the reigning Caribbean Shield champions, are no pushovers and head coach Xavier Gilbert will be hoping they can stamp their class in this contest to gradually revive their chances of progressing further.

Shai Smith, Warner Brown and others will be hoping to get some goals under their belts should goal-difference come into play, as the game will serve as Real Hope’s home fixture.

Miscellaneous Police FC vs. Mount Pleasant FA

Police FC will welcome the fact that their final group stage fixture will be at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on Thursday. However, the fact that they will be up against a highly-motivated Mount Pleasant team doesn’t allow much room for comfort.

But having edged one Jamaican club in Arnett Gardens 2-1 last week, Police will be backing their quality to down another, which would keep them in contention for a semi-final berth while slightly a draw or a loss could spell trouble for their chances.

Ezekiel Kesar will be their point man in attack.

A win for Mount Pleasant would also keep them in the running for a semi-final berth with a game in hand, but unlike their previous games, they will need to be at their best and capitalise on their chances to stay alive.

Jashaun Anglin and Kimoni Bailey are just two players to look out for in a deep squad that possesses immense quality.

Antiguan outfit Grenades FC secured their first point of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup as they came from behind to hold AC Port of Spain to a 1-1 stalemate in a lukewarm Group B contest at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain on Tuesday.

Shackiel Smek Henry (21st) put AC Port of Spain in front, but that strike was cancelled out by Sean Tomlinson (90+5), who ensured Grenades FC registered their first point of the campaign.

AC Port of Spain remain third on two points behind the Dominican Republic duo of Moca FC and Cibao FC, both on four points each. Haiti’s Ouanaminthe sit fourth on a point, while Grenades remain at the foot of the five-team standings.

With both teams coming of losses in their previous encounters, it was anybody’s guess where the points would go. However, AC Port of Spain being the more illustrious of the two, coupled with the fact that they were at home, was slightly favoured to notch their first win of the campaign.

They seemed well on their way to achieving that feat when Henry pounced on a loose ball and fired home from close range.

Though they were forced into substituting goalkeeper Denzil Smith, who was replaced by Marvin Phillip, AC Port of Spain were still in safe hands. This, as Phillip immediately impacted the contest when he denied Quinton Griffith from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute.

Duane Muckette should have doubled AC Port of Spain’s lead from the penalty spot on the hour mark, but his tame kick was kept out by Zaieem Scott in goal for Grenades FC.

That missed opportunity would later haunt them as Tomlinson injected tempo in the latter staged of the contest for Grenades. He should have pulled them level in the 85th, but muffed his effort in a one-on-one situation with Phillip, who left his line well.

However, Tomlinson made amends on the final play of the encounter as he expertly headed home Keanu Barrett’s weighted cross, giving Phillip no chance at a save in time added.

With the point set to serve as a morale booster, Grenades will be hoping to convert it to a win when they square off against Ouanaminthe FC in Dominican Republic next Tuesday, while AC Port of Spain will host Cibao FC on the same day.

FC Aston Villa now stand alone at the top of the Antigua & Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) Premier League table thanks to a mammoth 8-0 win over Cedar Grove Blue Jays at the ABFA Technical Centre in Pynter on Friday.

Yasnay Torres ripped through the Blue Jays defense to finish with five goals on the day. His goals came in the 22nd, 37th, 38th, 55th and 68th minutes while the other three goals came from Shahoi Dorsett in the 42nd, Sean Tomlinson in the 53rd and Joshua Ferdinand in the 91st.

FC Aston Villa now have 37 points from 15 games to lead the table while the Blue Jays are 14th with 10 points from 14 games.

Grenades are only a point behind FC Aston Villa after a 3-0 win over Ottos Rangers on Sunday. Vashami Allen opened the scoring for Grenades in the 10th minute before the points were secured late in the second half through goals from Carl Osbourne in the 83rd minute and Donovan Baptiste in the 92nd minute. Ottos Rangers are ninth in the table with 19 points from 13 games.

Sunday’s other games saw Swetes and Greenbay Hoppers play out a 1-1 draw while the game between Pigott’s Bullets and Empire ended in a similar score-line.

In the first game, Rodney Lawrence opened the scoring for the Hoppers in the second minute before Shalon Knight got Swetes’ equalizer in the 65th minute. The Hoppers are sixth in the table with 22 points from 14 games while Swetes are one spot below them with the same number of points and one more game played.

In the second game, the Bullets took the lead in the 19th minute through Tyrique Thwaites before Rakeewm Joseph equalized for Empire in the 67th minute. Empire are tenth in the standings with 18 points from 14 games while Pigott’s Bullets are 13th with 15 points from their 14 matches.

The first of three games on Saturday saw Old Road get a 5-0 win over Five Islands to move to fourth in the table with 27 points from 15 outings.

Christhian Hereira and Raheem Deterville each got doubles for Old Road while Jonathan Shoy was also on the scoresheet. Hereira’s strikes came in the seventh and 68th minutes, Deterville’s in the 31st and 38th minutes and Shoy scored in the eighth minute. Five Islands are 15th in the table with three points from 15 games.

Game two on Saturday saw Parham secure a 3-1 win over Willikies. Parham took the lead in the 21st minute through Malcolm Stewart before doubling their advantage four minutes before the half through Stewart again. James Simon gave Willikies hope of a comeback in the 57th minute before Kenja Benjamin sealed the points for Parham 10 minutes later.

Parham are now 11th in the table with 18 points from 15 games while Willikies remain eighth 20 points from 14 games.

Tryum secured a 2-1 win over Liberta Blackhawks in Saturday’s final game. After a goalless first half, Tryum took the lead in the 51st minute through Chevel Cunningham before Curlon Joseph doubled their lead 20 minutes later. Liberta got a consolation goal in the 86th minute through Abraham Barry.

Tryum are fifth in the standings with 25 points from 15 games while Liberta Blackhawks remain at the foot of the 16-team table with two points from their 12 games.

The game week will end with third-placed All Saints United taking on 12th-placed SAP on Monday.

 

 

 

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