Kellar, Molino in Caribbean Cup Best XI for first round

DEFENCE Force captain Kevin Molino and central midfielder Cassim Kellar were both named to the Best XI for the group stage matches of the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, which concluded on October 1.

Representing the Army/Coast Guard combination in a tricky group B, which included outgoing Caribbean Cup champs Cavalier FC and 2024 runners-up Cibao FC, both Kellar and Molino were instrumental in getting their team to the semifinals as they registered a second-placed finish behind group winners Cibao. In a must-win encounter against Cibao at the Estadio Cibao in the Dominican Republic on October 1, both Molino and Kellar scored to lead their team to a crucial 2-0 win.

The 35-year-old Molino scored with a speculative shot from outside the area in the second minute, with the 29-year-old Kellar finding the net via a second-half free kick which took a wicked deflection off a Cibao player. Molino also scored his team’s opening goal of the group phase as he netted their solitary item in a 1-0 victory over Haiti’s Juventus des Cayes at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo in August.

An October 14 Concacaf release said Molino completed 220 passes in the four group matches, while registering six shots. Four of those shots were on target. Meanwhile, the combative Kellar tallied 190 passes in the four games, made seven interceptions and had six successful tackles.

Defence Force will play Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant Football Academy in the first leg of their Caribbean Cup semi at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 6 pm on October 22. Mount Pleasant finished top of group A with four consecutive victories.

Three Mount Pleasant players made it into the Best XI for the Caribbean Cup group stage, to go along with three players from Cibao. Defence Force and group A runners-up Universidad O&M FC got two selections respectively.