T&T Premier Football League club, Central FC, will host Dominican Republic's Moca FC in a must-win Group A Concacaf Caribbean Cup match at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain Tuesday night (September 16) from 8 pm.
Central FC under the guidance of former assistant coach Julius Edwards, who takes over from Randolph Boyce, enters tonight's meeting with Moca FC, the first between both clubs, with a mere point from two matches, after a 2-0 loss to O&M FC also of the Dominican Republic, and a 2-2 draw with Suriname's SV Robinhood in their first two matches.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference at the match venue yesterday, Edwards said the game will be very crucial for his team, as they need to get to seven points to have a chance to get to the next round.
"Everybody knows that we have to be disciplined, we have to be focused and we have to look to each other. So, everybody knows what the role entails for each player," said Edwards
He added, "The spirit in the camp is at a high because everybody wants to be selected to represent their country. So, the spirit is high because everybody wants to be in the team."
Moca FC, the Caribbean Football Union Club Shield winner, has not feared any better as they sit bottom of the five-team round-robin table without a point from their lone match to date, a 2-0 home defeat to Jamaica's Mount Pleasant Football Academy.
Overall, this will be Central FC’s third game against a Dominican club in official competition after they previously lost to Cibao FC (1-0 in 2017) and defeated Atlántico FC (1-0) in 2018.
Central FC utility player, Ross Russell Jr said, "I think the guys are going to be able to go about the game more comfortable with confidence. As I said in previous interviews, this team here we have is names like Joevin Jones, Alvin Jones, Kadeem Corbin, Tyrone Charles. Those are guys who have been around and we are playing at home, so, no pressure."
Russell Jr said his teammates were also motivated by the fact that they are still looking at the national team as an option to try to get in there with the World Cup qualifiers ongoing.
He said, "If you look into the squad and the names in our team, most of the guys have a number of caps, so I think going to the next window, we don't want to be left out. So, we have to be ready for this game and come up with a good showing."
Moca FC, meanwhile, is undefeated against clubs from T&T, with three wins in as many matches but is on a five-game winless run in the Caribbean Cup – the longest for any Dominican club in tournament history (1 draw, 4 losses).
Central FC will next host Jamaica’s Wray & Nephew Premier League runner-up Mount Pleasant Football Academy (Mount Pleasant FA) at Mucurapo on September 23.
At the conclusion of the group stage round robin, the top two teams will qualify for the crossover home-and-away semifinals, with the two group winners hosting the return-leg matches.
For both the third-place match and the final, the return-leg matches will be hosted by the higher-ranked club in each pairing, determined by the total points accumulated throughout the competition.
At the end of the competition, three clubs, the two finalists and the third-place winner, will qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Additionally, the Caribbean champion will earn a direct bye to the round-of-16.
On Thursday, Group A continues with SV Robinhood hosting Universidad O&M FC at the Dr Franklin Essed Stadium in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Upcoming matches
Group A
Tuesday (September 16)
Central FC vs Moca FC, Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 8 pm
Thursday (September 18)
SV Robinhood (Sur) vs O&M FC (Domn Rep), Paramaribo, Suriname, 6 pm
Current standings
Group A:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Mount Pleasant 2 2 0 0 3 0 6
O&M FC 1 1 0 0 2 0 3
SV Robinhood 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
Central FC 2 0 1 1 2 4 1
Moca FC 1 0 0 1 0 2 0
