Terry Fenwick, coach of newly crowned Caribbean Football Union Club champion, Central FC says his team's 2-1 triumph over three-time winner and fellow Digicel T&T Pro League club, DirecTV W Connection on Sunday in final proves they are the best team in the region at present.
Making its tournament debut, the Couva-based Central FC got a goal each from midfielder Jean-Luc Rochford, in a rare start, and makeshift forward Jamal Jack to lead 2-0 before second-half W Connection substitute Neil Benjamin Jr pulled back a goal in the 90th minute at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
Two days earlier, Central FC got the better of Haitian club champion Don Bosco 3-1 on penalty kicks in their semifinal after a 0-0 deadlock while W Connection, tournament winner in 2002, 2006 and 2009 as well as five-time runner-up edged Jamaica Red Stripe Premier League champion Montego Bay United 1-0.
In the previous round, Central FC won Group One which was contested in Guyana by defeating Suriname's Inter Moengotapoe 2-0 and home side Alpha United 3-1 and now looks ahead to the 2015/2016 Concacaf Champions League Group stage draw which is scheduled to begin in August and features the confederation's top clubs out of the USA, Mexico and Central America.
It will be joined by CFU runner-up W Connection and Montego Bay which defeated Don Bosco 1-0 in the third place playoff.
Both T&T clubs have also qualified for next year's CFU Club Championship as winner and runner-up respectively in the just concluded 2014/2015 Digicel T&T Pro League.
Commenting on club's rise to the top of the CFU Club Championship, Fenwick said, "It's a wonderful achievement for Central FC in just its third season, that's incredible, but I think we were always the best team in the region.
"It's a wonderful feeling to be where we are right now. We've had quite a run, this being our eighth or ninth straight win. The boys have been tremendous and they have worked their socks off.
"We've worked diligently behind the scenes to make sure we did our homework on the oppositions, whoever we played and we are the best team around and we've proved it again against W Connection."
The CFU Club crown was the third major trophy won for the season by Central FC after also lifting its maiden Digicel Pro League title and retaining the First Citizens Cup.
The club also topped the league at the end of each of the three rounds to take home $35,000 each for the Rawle Fletcher, Akeem Adams and Kevon Carter competitions.