Dominant Army held 1-1 by Cavalier in Caribbean Cup

AFTER controlling possession for the majority of the match, Defence Force failed to capitalise as the Army men were held 1-1 by Jamaican club Cavalier FC in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Thursday.

A crowd of over 5,000 people almost filled the covered section, but they were left unsatisfied. Head coach of Defence Force Lloyd Andrews was also hoping for the victory. He said, "It is a disappointment not to come away with three points, but I think the way we played tells the story - too many backward and square passes."

Lloyd added, "At home you always want to come away with three points, so it is a bit disappointing. However, the game plan was not executed consistently."

Lloyd explained that the plan was to attack Cavalier on the flanks because the Jamaican club also likes to play that way. In the early stages of the match, Defence Force had space but Cavalier pushed more players into the defence which reduced the space for the Army wingers.

Cavalier head coach Rudolph Speid said it was a challenging match. "It was a difficult game for us playing away from home. We are grateful for the point, but it was just a really difficult game for us. As I said we are rebuilding and going down early it was always a struggle to get back." Cavalier lost six players this year to transfers including prolific goal scorer Collin Anderson.

As early as the fifth minute, Shaniel Thomas had half a chance to give Cavalier the lead when his shot from just outside the box went just wide of the post.

Almost immediately, Reon Moore continued his prolific form giving Defence Force the lead in the sixth minute. Jelani Felix played a ball to Moore on the left side and he skipped over a challenge from a Cavalier defender before slotting home past Vino Barclett who came out of his goal to narrow the angle.

In the 14th minute, Cavalier had a golden opportunity to equalise. Ronaldo Robinson received a through ball Thomas and with only Christopher Biggette to beat could not convert as the Defence Force goal-keeper made the save.

Moore continued to show energy, but his shot from a tight angle in the 32nd minute was comfortably saved by Barclett.

Cavalier levelled the contest before half-time. Thomas was fouled by Biggette and he picked himself up to convert the penalty in the 39th minute.

It was a dominant performance by Defence Force in the second half as all the Cavalier players were behind the ball for long periods. In the 60th minute after Cavalier got a rare chance to attack, Kaihim Thomas led an Army counter attack but his pass to Moore did not have enough weight on it and the opportunity was eventually lost.

In the 65th minute after a corner kick was initially cleared, Defence Force midfielder Justin Sadoo whipped a ball back into the box. Justin Garcia got his head on the ball, but a Cavalier defender also made contact with the ball to spoil the chance.

Defence Force continued to press for a second goal, but the Cavalier defence held firm to hold on for the draw.

On Friday, TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) runners-up AC Port of Spain suffered a 1-0 loss in their Caribbean Cup opener versus Dominican Republic's Moca FC.

Playing hours after the fixture was postponed due to a waterlogged field on Thursday night, AC created quite a few chances in the first half but were unable to capitalise against their hosts in Cibao, Dominican Republic. The visitors would have counted themselves unlucky though, as they struck the woodwork twice within the space of a minute in the first half. First, John-Paul Rochford hit the post with a curling free kick from about 25 yards in the 16th minute, while new AC PoS signing Tyrone Charles hit the bar with a free kick of his own just seconds later.

AC PoS had penalty appeals waved away by referee Steffon Dewar in the 50th minute as captain Duane Muckette took a tumble in the area. Moca would soon rub salt in the AC PoS wounds, as defender Manuel Vidal beat Radanfah Abu Bakr in an aerial duel to head past goal-keeper Marvin Phillip following a 55th-minute corner.

Vidal's contribution to the Moca cause didn't end there though, as he made a pair of dramatic goal-line clearances in the 75th minute to stop efforts by Charles and substitute Che Benny as AC PoS desperately searched for an equaliser.

The equalising goal never came for the TT team though, as Moca jump to the top of Group A with three points following Defence Force's goalless draw with Cavalier on Thursday. AC PoS will look to redeem themselves quickly, as they travel to Jamaica to contest Cavalier at the National Stadium in Kingston on August 31.