MIAMI, Florida – A pair of teams from Trinidad and Tobago will meet on Thursday night in Group A of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup as Defence Force take on Port of Spain at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
It is a crucial encounter for a Defence Force side that currently sits in second place in the group with four points and can take a big step toward the semifinals with a victory.
Meanwhile, Port of Spain will be in spoiler mode after narrowly falling in their first three matches, making them eliminated from advancing.
Defence Force opened with a 1-1 draw against Cavalier of Jamaica, followed by a 1-0 away win in Martinique against Golden Lion to put themselves in this position after two games.
While this will be the first ever Concacaf meeting between the two clubs, there have been 35 previous encounters in Trinidad and Tobago’s domestic league since 2006, with Defence Force holding a 16W-7D-12L advantage in the series.
Reon Moore has been one of the best players in the entire tournament and has both of Defence Force’s goals from six shots.
Jamali Garcia has completed the most passes with 111 and also has the most ball recoveries with six. Rivaldo Coryat has chipped in with an assist and has made three ball recoveries on top of 53 completed passes.
Despite being eliminated, Port of Spain have shown a ton of fight throughout this Caribbean Cup, losing all three matches by a single goal.
John Paul Rochford has served as the main playmaker with two assists, while DF Robert Primus has been indispensable in the back with five ball recoveries and 93 percent passing accuracy.
Match Officials AC Port of Spain (TRI) vs Defence Force FC (TRI)
REF: KIMBELL WARD (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
AR1: MARIO PARRY (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
AR2: CLIDE CADETTE (Dominica)
4TH: KAREEM BENJAMIN (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
