MICHEL POON-ANGERON is back with AC Port of Spain as the 2024 T&T Premier Football League Tier One champions head off to compete in the 2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, along with the league’s runners-up Miscellaneous Police FC.
The national midfielder had left on an overseas contract recently.
Meanwhile, AC PoS also secured a pair of high-calibre goalkeeper acquisitions for the tournament in national team number one Denzil Smith, and Jabari Brice from Terminix La Horquetta Rangers.
“Poon is back in the team for the season. We were glad to see him go, but the fact that it maybe didn’t work out as planned and is back in the squad, we welcome him,” head-coach Gilbert Bateau declared.
“Poon was always a live wire on the team itself, in terms of the position which he holds, which is the number six.”
The ‘Capital Boyz’ will be participating in the Caribbean Cup for the second consecutive year after playing four matches in the 2023 edition.
Former CONCACAF runners-up Police FC will be the ninth Trinidad club to participate in the Caribbean Cup.
The ‘Lawmen’ have been boosted with the addition of veteran striker Kevon “Showtime” Woodley and Ezekiel Kesar, both having made their T&T senior national team debuts this year.
Also joining the Police outfit are national defender Ross Russell Jr from Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, midfielder Mark Ramdeen, and veteran goalkeeper Cleon John.
AC PoS are action on Thursday against Haiti’s Ouanaminthe FC at Estadio Moca in the Dominican Republic, the same day as the ‘Lawmen’ take on 2024 Haitian champions Real Hope FA, at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
AC PoS also will square off against Moca on August 27, in a return clash from 2023 when they were edged 1-0 by the home team.
Meanwhile, Police will take on Jamaican champions Cavalier FC in their second match, on August 29.
Along with Poon-Angeron, the ‘Capital Boyz’ has also boosted its squad with a few quality players.
There is also the possibility that Grenada national striker Jamal Charles might be back, having like Poon-Angeron departed to pick up a foreign contract at the end of the 2024 local season.
“We have been boosted with the likes of Marcus Joseph, Nathaniel “Spanish” Garcia, Denzil Smith, Shackiel Henry, Wesley John and Joshua Araujo-Wilson, a left-back from Caledonia,” Bateau revealed.
“Those are players we brought in to enhance the team for the tournament.”
AC Port of Spain also retain core players Duane Muckette, Che Benny, John-Paul Rochford, Jameel “Shooter” Neptune, Maurice Forde, Marc Burns and Sedale “Skem” McClean.
A notable omission is veteran defender Radanfah Abu Bakr.
Bateau anticipates better than their first Caribbean Cup season in 2023, when AC PoS played well, but won none of their matches.
“We were coming out of a pandemic,” Bateau noted.
With the T&T league in its off-season, apart from training, AC PoS has concentrated on playing three warm-up matches against a quality Police FC team, both readying themselves for competition.
“The preparation so far has been good so far,” Bateau said. “The intention is to try to come out the group, and try to advance to the second stage.”
Of the tournament itself, 10 teams have been confirmed.
The annual tournament crowns a champion of the Caribbean and will determine the participants from the region for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The first eight qualified automatically as champions as well as the runner-ups from Haiti, T&T, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica —all Caribbean countries with professional football leagues.
They were joined by the finalist of the 2024 CFU Club Shield, which concluded with Jamaica’s Arnett Gardens FC winning its first title, 1-0 against Grenades FC of Antigua/Barbuda, at the Stadion Rignaal Jean Francisca in Willemstad, Curaçao, earlier this month.
Also taking part are 2023 Dominican Republic champions Cibao and runners-up Moca; 2023–24 TT Premier Football League champions AC Port of Spain and runners-up Police FC; Real Hope, the 2024 Haitian Championship winners and runner-up Ouanaminthe; 2023–24 Jamaica Premier League champions Cavalier FC and runners-up Mount Pleasant; along with CFU Shield qualifiers Arnett Gardens and Grenades FC.
2024 CONCACAF CARIBBEAN CUP GROUPS
Group A
Mount Pleasant FA (JAM)
Cavalier FC (JAM)
Real Hope FA (HAI)
Miscellaneous Police FC (TRI)
Arnette Gardens (JAM)
Group B
Cibao FC (DOM)
Moca FC (DOM)
Ouanaminthe FC (HAI)
AC Port of Spain (TRI)
Grenades FC (Antigua & Barbuda)
SOURCE: T&T Express