Defence Force sign 'midfield maestro' Kevin Molino ahead of TTPFL season

VETERAN Soca Warriors playmaker Kevin Molino has signed with inaugural Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) winners Defence Force ahead of the 2024/25 season. Defence Force confirmed the signing of the 34-year-old Molino via an Instagram post on October 24.

"Defence Force Football Club (DFFC) is thrilled to announce the official signing of midfield maestro Kevin Molino," the post said.

"Molino, a seasoned footballer with an illustrious career both domestically and internationally...welcome home, Kevin!"

Defence Force copped the league and knockout titles in the first TTPFL season in 2023, and they followed up in the 2023/24 campaign by copping the First Citizens Knockout Cup. The Army/Coast Guard combination were unable to replicate their 2023 league win as they finished third in the TTPFL last season.

For Molino, it's a return to competitive club football after his Major League Soccer (MLS) contract with Columbus Crew was mutually terminated in February. Molino was a member of the Columbus Crew team which lifted the MLS Cup title in December 2023.

"It's an honour for me to be a part of the Defence Force family, and to return where it all started for me is just special. I am very excited for the upcoming season," said Molino, who will be returning to the local top flight for the first time after leaving for Orlando City in 2011.

On the international front, Molino had announced his retirement from Soca Warriors duty last September, mere months after the team made a group stage exit from the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Earlier this month, TT caretaker coach Derek King turned heads when he recalled Molino, fellow playmaker Joevin Jones and defender Sheldon Bateau for a pair of critical Concacaf Nations League A matches versus Cuba. Molino played 19 minutes in a substitute appearance away to Cuba in a 2-2 draw on October 10, but was an unused substitute in the reverse fixture four days later as the Soca Warriors earned a crucial 3-1 win to secure their Nations League A survival for another cycle.

A dynamic player in the "number-ten" role at his very best, Molino's career has been plagued with injuries as he has suffered three anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Molino has netted 23 times for TT in 60 appearances, and his club career has included stints with Jabloteh and Ma Pau Stars in the TT Pro League, as well as overseas spells with Orlando, Minnesota United and Columbus.

With over 100 MLS appearances to his name, Molino's most productive spells came with Orlando City and Minnesota. He also won two United Soccer League (USL) titles with Orlando in the 2010/11 and 2012/13 seasons.

On October 15, Defence Force announced former Soca Warriors captain Densill Theobald as their new head coach. Theobald inked a one-year deal, with the option of an extension contingent on the team's performances.

Local football fans may not have to wait too long before they see Molino in action, as TT Football Association president Kieron Edwards has indicated the 2024/25 TTPFL season has been given a tentative start date of November 22. On October 24, Edwards told Newsday a finalised schedule should be ironed out after meetings with TTPFL clubs in the coming week.