CFU unveils Club Championship fixtures, Connection to host Group 2 in Trinidad but Central must travel to Guyana for Group 1
Reigning Digicel Pro League champions W Connection and current league leaders Central FC will head separate routes in the group stage of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship 2015, which serves as the qualifier tournament for the CONCACAF Champions League.
Fifteen (15) amateur and professional clubs from the CFU are separated into four (4) groups but the two Pro League rivals could cross paths in the semi-final stage if they advance out of the group stage.
The Group stage will be contested between April 15 – 19, while the semi-final and final round will be contested between April 22-24 to decide the Caribbean Club champions and to determine three Caribbean berths at the 2015-2016 CONCACAF Champions League.
Connection, three-time Caribbean Club Champions (2001, 2002 & 2009) and seven-time finalists, will host Antigua and Barbuda champions SAP FC, Jamaica’s Waterhouse FC and Guyana Defence Force to make up Group 2 in Trinidad.
While Central, last season's DPL second place finishers, will debut at the CCL in Group 1, hosted in Guyana, and includes home team and Guyana National Super League champions Alpha United and Suriname’s powerhouse Inter Moengotapoe.
Inter Moengotapoe have won the Surinamese Voetbal Bond's Hoofdklasse – the country's top league – 6 times in the last eight seasons, while Alpha United have won five GFF NSL titles in recent years.
In 2011 Alpha defeated Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force in the third place play-off of the Caribbean Club Championship to create history as the first ever Guyanese club to earn a CCL berth.
Alpha United, Jamaica’s Waterhouse FC and Puerto Rico’s Bayamon FC represented the CFU in the Group stage of the current CCL after progressing out of last season’s Caribbean Club Championship ahead of Trinidad and Tobago clubs Defence Force and Caledonia AIA.
Trinidad and Tobago was last represented by W Connection and Caledonia in the 2013-2014 CCL.
Haiti meanwhile will host Group 3 and 4 of this season’s Caribbean Club Championship.
Haiti league (opening stage) champions America FC, Jamaica champions Montego Bay United, SV Excelsior of Suriname, and Club Sportif Moulien of Guadeloupe are pooled in Group 3.
While Haiti league (second stage) champions Don Bosco FC, Helenites Sporting Club of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Unite Sainte Rose of Guadeloupe and Lyford Cay FC of Bahamas make up Group 4.
The winning team from each group will advance to the semi-final round with the winners of Group 1 and 2 to contest semi-final one, and the winners of Group 3 and 4 to contest semi-final two.
Both head coaches of W Connection and Central FC expressed their confidence of winning a place in the 2015-2016 CONCACAF Champions League while attempting to capture the Caribbean crown.
“I am confident that we will play well,” said Central FC head coach Zoran Vranes. “I am satisfied [with the draw]. I think we have good chance. We expect to advance of course. We are strong enough to get past the group stage but it is definitely a challenge with the [domestic] league and competitions. We have guys who we can rotate so others can get rest because it's really tough to play three games in one week without rest. But it's the same for everybody so the team that are better prepared, and who are better, will succeed.”
Connection longstanding and very successful coach Stuart Charles Fevrier, who is no stranger to the Caribbean Club Championship and the CONCACAF Champions League, said the main goal is to qualify for the CCL for the club and by extension Trinidad and Tobago.
“To qualify you must play the best teams in the Caribbean,” the Connection coach said. “So whoever we play isn't really important to me. It's just that we need to really prepare well for the CFU because we want to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.
“I think we are capable. We have a good squad although it's a young squad. We have confidence in our squad and our objective is to qualify for CONCACAF not only for our club but for Trinidad and Tobago also.
“We would like to win the [CFU crown] but our main objective is to qualify for CONCACAF because the last time around no team from Trinidad (and Tobago) were able to qualify. We definitely want to get back to where we were as a country and as a league. We always had teams playing in the CONCACAF Champions League and we want to represent the country and by extension the league,” ended Fevrier.
Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship 2015
GROUP 1 (GUYANA)
April 15, 2015
Alpha United (GUY) vs Inter Moengotapoe (SUR)
April 17, 2015
Inter Moengotapoe (SUR) vs Central FC (T&T)
April 19, 2015
Alpha United (GUY) vs Central FC (T&T)
GROUP 2 (TRINIDAD)
April 15, 2015
SAP FC (ATG) vs Waterhouse FC (JAM)
W Connection (T&T) vs Guyana Defence Force (GUY)
April 17, 2015
Waterhouse FC (JAM) vs Guyana Defence Force (GUY)
W Connection (T&T) vs SAP FC (ATG)
April 19, 2015
Guyana Defence Force (GUY) vs SAP FC (ATG)
W Connection (T&T) vs Waterhouse FC (JAM)
GROUP 3 (HAITI)
April 15, 2015
Montego Bay United (JAM) vs Club Sportif Moulien (GLP)
America FC (HAI) vs SV Excelsior (SUR)
April 17, 2015
Club Sportif Moulien (GLP) vs SV Excelsior (SUR)
America FC (HAI) vs Montego Bay United (JAM)
April 19, 2015
SV Excelsior (SUR) vs Montego Bay United (JAM)
America FC (HAI) vs Club Sportif Moulien (GLP)
GROUP 4 (HAITI)
April 15, 2015
Helenites Sporting Club (VIR) vs Unite Sainte Rose (GLP)
Don Bosco FC (HAI) vs Lyford Cay FC (BAH)
April 17, 2015
Unite Sainte Rose (GLP) vs Lyford Cay FC (BAH)
Don Bosco FC (HAI) vs Helenites Sporting Club (VIR)
April 19, 2015
Lyford Cay FC (BAH) vs Helenites Sporting Club (VIR)
Don Bosco FC (HAI) vs Unite Sainte Rose (GLP)
Semi Final Round
March 22
Winner Group 1 vs Winner Group 2 (Semi Final 1)
Winner Group 3 vs Winner Group 4 (Semi Final 2)
Final
March 24
Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2 (championship match)
Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2 (third place play off)