Joe Public keeps T&T flag flying in CCL

It was the second time in three years that Joe Public has advanced out of the Preliminary Round, winning 6-4 on aggregate to enter Group B along with the Columbus Crew, Municipal and Santos Laguna.

Baptiste scored with a 25-meter effort in the eighth minute to inspire Joe Public, who stunned the New England Revolution 6-1 on aggregate in 2008 to reach the league phase.

Brujas had the better of play and chances early, limiting Joe Public to only a moment of possession in the offensive third in the first seven minutes. But less than a minute later, Baptiste took a ball from Hayden Tinto 30 meters from goal, turned and took one touch before launching a right-footed shot that streaked into the upper right corner.

Carlyle Mitchell and Micah Lewis added goals in the 39th and fourth minute of first-half injury time to all but end Brujas' hopes.

Joe Public will try to avenge its last trip to the Group Stage, where it lost five of six games and was outscored 15-3.

Brujas, which lost both its opening games in the Costa Rican Apertura - including Sunday's 5-2 defeat to Puntarenas, has not won in 12 competitive matches, dating back to a 4-2 league victory over Herediano on March 6.

It took the initiative from the opening kickoff, sending a cross through the goal box in the second minute, testing Joe Public keeper Glenroy Samuel with a cross into the area by Andres Nunez in the fourth minute and creating two corner kicks in the first six minutes.

But Baptiste's goal with Joe Public's first foray at goal changed the momentum. Despite a header off the crossbar by Bryan Vega in the 30th, Joe Public doubled its lead eight minutes laster.

Trent Noel - whose goal in injury time last week gave Joe Public a 2-2 draw in Costa Rica - lofted a free kick into the area, where Mitchell leaped unmarked to knock it down past keeper Danny Carvajal, who had come off his line but failed to reach the ball.

Lewis appeared to put Joe Public comfortably ahead just before halftime, taking a couple of touches of a ball served to him by Jevon Morris, getting a fortunate bounce into the area and getting one final touch under Carvajal.

Yosimar Arias converted from a deflected free kick on the edge of the arc to pull Brujas within 3-1 in the 63rd, and Nunez added a penalty 72nd after Keion Goodridge was called for shoving Christian Lagos as the Brujas substitute raced to get on to the end of a cross by Yendrik Ruiz.

But Andre Toussaint ended Brujas' last hopes four minutes later, easily knocking in a ball slowly rolled across the area by Lewis. Joe Public will open the Group Stage at home on August 18 against Santos Laguna.

Brujas 2 v. 4 Joe Public.
Josimar Arias 63, Andrés Nunez 72 (Pen) ; Kerry Baptiste 8, Carlyle Mitchell 39, Micah Lewis 45, Andre Toussaint 76.

Teams

Joe Public: - 22.Glenroy Samuel, 8.Trent Noel, 19.Carlyle Mitchell, 20.Makan Hislop, 3.Keion Goodridge (Yellow 71), 4.Kerry Baptiste (capt) (28.Marcus Joseph 75th), 7.Hayden Tinto (11.Andre Toussaint 76th), 14.Kareem Young, 10.Yu Hoshide, 34.Jevon Morris (Yellow 57), 27.Micah Lewis (17.Nigel Daniel 79th - Yellow 90).

Coach: Derek King (Trinidad & Tobago).

Brujas: - 12.Danny Carvajal, 14.Andrés Nunez, 15.Heiner Mora (23.Yendrick Ruiz 46th), 2.Roy Smith, 13.Brandon Poltronieri, 21.Keylor Soto, 10.Josimar Arias (capt), 26.Fabricio Chavarría, 9.Pablo Brenes, 32.William Sunsing, 22.Bryan Vega (27.Cristian Lagos 59th - Yellow 82).

Coach: Jose Torres (Costa Rica).

VIDEO Highlights: | Joe Public v. Brujas |

Officials:

Referee: Valdrin Ledgister (Jamaica).
Assistants: Stephen Brown (Jamaica).
Assistants: Mark Sullivan (Jamaica).
Fourth Official: Neil Brizan (Trinidad & Tobago).

General Game Stats

Joe Public  v  Brujas
Shots on goal 5 - 6
Shots wide 4 - 5
Fouls 11 - 8
Corner Kicks 3 - 6
Offsides 1 - 1
Possession 51% - 49%

Next up for Joe Public (Full fixtures to follow).

Wednesday
18:08:10, 8:00pm, Joe Public (TRI) v Santos Laguna (MEX), Marvin Lee Stadium

Thursday
26:08:10, 10:00pm, C.S.D. Municipal (GUA) v Joe Public (TRI),  Estadio Mateo Flores

Group A

GP W D L F A D PTS
Cruz Azul  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Real Salt Lake  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Toronto  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Arabe Unido  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0

Group B

GP W D L F A D PTS
Columbus Crew  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Joe Public  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Municipal  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Santos  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0

Group C

GP W D L F A D PTS  
Saprissa  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Marathón  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Monterrey  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Seattle Sounders  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0

Group D

GP W D L F A D PTS
FAS  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Olimpia  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Puerto Rico Islanders  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0   
Toluca  0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0

Eastern Lions advance.
By: Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian).

Soca Warriors Under-23 winger, Micah Lewis inspirational performance led bmobile Joe Public to a 4-2 victory over Brujas at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya on Thursday night to send the T&T club into the Group Stage of the 2010/2011 Concacaf Champions League.

It was the second time in three years that Joe Public has advanced out of the Preliminary Round, winning 6-4 on aggregate to enter Group B along with the Columbus Crew, Municipal and Santos Laguna, which defeated the other T&T club, San Juan Jabloteh 6-0 on aggregate.

Coming off a 2-2 away draw in the first-leg, Joe Public only needed a 0-0 or 1-1 draw to reach the group stages, however it went ahead after only eight minutes with a gem of a strike from captain, Kerry Baptiste.

Baptiste collected a pass from Hayden Tinto outside the penalty-area and with time and space he curled a right footed shot from 25-yards into the top left hand corner of the goal past the desperate lunge of goalkeeper Danny Carvajal.

The “Eastern Lions” who stunned the New England Revolution 6-1 on aggregate in 2008 to reach the league phase. On the half-hour mark, Bryan Vega almost drew Brujas level when his glancing header from a floated free-kick beat goalkeeper Glenroy Samuel and came back into play off the cross-bar.

Nine minutes later, Carlyle Mitchell connected with a Trent Noel free-kick for a 2-0 cushion and on the stroke of hal-time, the lively Lewis fired in the third item from close range after battling his way through three tackles following a surging run by team-mate Jevon Morris.

The match seemed all over at the half, with the host ahead 5-2 on aggregate, but Brujas, which lost both its opening games in the Costa Rican Apertura and has not won in 12 competitive matches, dating back to March 6 clawed their way back into the contest.

The visitors took the initiative from the re-start and pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute when a deflected free-kick from Yosimar Arias went in off the right post and nine minutes later, Adrian Nunez added a penalty after Joe Public left back, Keion Goodridge was called for shoving Christian Lagos as the Brujas substitute raced to get on to the end of a cross by Yendrik Ruiz.

That was as close as the visitors would get as substitute Andre Toussaint, who minutes earlier replaced a not to happy Baptiste ended Brujas’ last hopes four minutes later, easily knocking in a ball slowly rolled across the area by Lewis, who was injured in the same play after colliding with Carvajal.

With the win, the Derek King-coached Eastern Lions, Caribbean Football Union Club Championship, runner-up advances to the Group B Second Stage where it will host Santos Laguna on August 18.

In 2008, Joe Public also reached the group stages with a 6-1 series win over New England Revolution before losing five of six matches, this time around King will be looking for better fortunes.

The Eastern Lions will be one of two CFU teams still in the competition after CFU champions, Puerto Rico Islanders, the club of T&T quintet, Nigel Henry, Osei Telesford, Kevin Villaroel, Keon Daniel and Kendall Jagdeosingh defeated Christopher Birchall’s LA Galaxy 5-3 over two-legs.

Islanders will play in Group D with Toluca (Mexico), Olimpia (Honduras) and CD FAS (El Salvador). The Group Stage will open August 17 and finish October 21, with two teams from each of the four, four-team groups advancing to the quarterfinals in February and March.

The two-leg knockout round will be followed by the semifinals in later March and April with the finals set for the final two weeks of April.

Joe Public whip Brugas 4-2.
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express).

Trinidad and Tobago's Joe Public are into the 16-team group stage of the high-profile CONCACAF Champions League for the second time in three years, following an exciting 4-2 victory over Costa Rican club Brugas on Thursday night at Marvin Lee Stadium (MLS) in Macoya.

Joe Public won the tie 6-4 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in Costa Rica last week.

They now move onto the group stage where they are drawn in Group B with Colombus Crew (USA), Municipal (Guatemala) and Mexican team Santos Laguna, against whom they kick off the series with a home match on August 18.

When last in the Champions League in 2008, Joe Public created two noted upsets, beating New England Revolution 4-0 in the United States on the way to a 6-1 aggregate victory and also defeated 2009 CONCACAF Club champions Atlante 1-0 in Mexico.

On Thursday, Joe Public dominated the first half against Brugas, building an impressive 3-0 lead through goals from striker Kerry Baptiste (8th minute), central defender Carlyle Mitchell (39th) and right-side midfielder Micah Lewis (45th).

However, the Eastern Lions had a nervous second half when they surrendered the midfield to the Costa Rican team, resulting in Brugas scoring twice from dead ball situations.

First, Josimar Aris scored from a deflected free kick (63rd) and following a 72nd minute Andres Nunez penalty, there were many nervous moments for Joe Public.

Had they scored again, Brugas would have qualified via the away goals rule.

However, the 2009 T&T Pro League champions killed off the Costa Ricans when substitute Andre Toussaint hit into an open net in the 76th minute.

Brugas looked the better team at the start of the match and threatened to score in just the second minute when striker Nunez flashed a low ball across the face of goal and just past the outstretched leg of left winger William Sunsing at the back post.

But after scoring in their first attack, Joe Public went on to dominate the opening session.

First, Baptiste put his team ahead with a curling shot from 25 metres. Lively Hayden Tinto won the ball in midfield and found Baptiste, who bent the ball into the top right corner from outside the penalty area.

Joe Public took over and created several chances.

Japanese midfielder Yu Hoshide, who took issue with a couple fans calling him "Chinee" recently, almost tricked keeper Danny Carvajal with a low shot from the narrowest of angles in the 20th minute and Tinto's powerful first-time shot just cleared the upright, after Lewis set him up following a powerful right flank run.

Mitchell, a former Caledonia AIA and national under-23 striker converted to a central defender by Joe Public, came up for a Trent Noel free-kick and netted a downward header at the back post to put the Lions ahead 2-0.

And Lewis showed real determination to bore his way past a few tackles and score from close up, after being set up by right back Jevon Morris, who produced an equally powerful run up the flank.

Brugas's best first half chances came through Nunez, whose shot from distance on the quarter-hour found the side netting, and when slack marking from Aria's free-kick saw striker Bryan Vega put a header onto the Joe Public crossbar in the 30th.

The Costa Ricans faced little midfield pressure early in the second half and took the game to the home team. Aris hit a free-kick which seemed to have caught Joe Public's 20-year-old keeper Glenroy Samuel marking the wrong side of his goal.

At the other end, goalie Carvajal was fully stretched in the 66th to turn away Hoshide's low shot following a Lewis pass to the edge of the penalty area.

And Brugas benefitted from that save when Joe Public defender Keion Goodridge conceded a penalty after accidentally clipping the legs of striker Christian Lagos, as both raced to get onto a cross to the back post from substitute Yendrik Ruiz.

Nunez converted the penalty with aplomb. It was then certainly a nervous time for Joe Public until Lewis sacrificed his body and was injured when getting the ball wide to Toussaint, who got the fourth goal.

Lewis was later stretchered off and replaced by Nigel Daniel, who boosted the middle.

Overall, it was a good team performance for Joe Public.

However they did not play the full 90 minutes and looked vulnerable once playmaker Noel started to "walk"in the second half.

They will have to do better in the group stages.