Robinhood’s double headlines top Caribbean Cup moments

MIAMI, Florida – The 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup wrapped up on Wednesday night with many great moments from over the course of the last three-and-a-half months. Here are the moments that stood out the most.

Robinhood complete Caribbean double

2023 will go down as a year to remember for Robinhood of Suriname. The five-time Concacaf Champions Cup finalists defeated Cavalier of Jamaica 3-0 on aggregate in the Final to win the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, qualifying for the Round of 16 of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.

This all of course came on the heels of winning the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield in early August, giving Robinhood the unique achievement of winning the Caribbean double in Concacaf.

Adipi, Fonkel lead awards for Robinhood

It was no surprise to see champions Robinhood take home the majority of the individual awards handed out after the tournament. Midfielder Renske Adipi was named the Best Player for his strong performance throughout. In eight games, he had a goal, an assist, eight steals, three clearances and completed more than 83 percent of his passes.

Meanwhile, GK Jonathan Fonkel pocketed two awards. Not only did he secure the Best Goalkeeper honor for his 33 saves, 27 clearances and five clean sheets, including in Robinhood’s final decisive three games, but he also earned the Best Young Player award.

Thomas goals power Cavalier to Final

Jamaica side Cavalier reached the Final and qualified for Round One of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup in style with Shaniel Thomas standing tall. The Cavalier striker scored eight goals to win the Top Scorer award, including a whopping seven goals in the group stage during which he had back-to-back hat-tricks.

He also scored what ended up being the winning goal in Cavalier’s 5-0 aggregate victory over domestic rivals Harbour View in the semifinals.

Moca reach Champions Cup

Playing in Concacaf is uncharted waters for Moca of the Dominican Republic, but they never looked out of their element. Needing a win on the final matchday of the group stage to reach the knockout round, Moca came through with a crucial 2-0 victory at Defence Force of Trinidad and Tobago.

And while they suffered disappointment in the semifinals in losing in a penalty shootout to eventual champions Robinhood, Moca rebounded nicely in the Third-Round series, defeating Harbour View of Jamaica 3-2 on aggregate to qualify for Round One of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Gustavo Ascona, with four goals, was one of the many standout performers for Moca during the tournament.

Three different Caribbean nations qualify for Champions Cup

The Caribbean will be well-represented in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup with its three teams. In a sign of the strength of football across the region, three different nations from the Caribbean will have teams participating in the Champions Cup: Suriname (Robinhood), Jamaica (Cavalier) and Dominican Republic (Moca).

No doubt that those three teams will not only be playing for their club fans, but also fans of football in their countries.