Digicel Pro League club Defence Force is fancying its chances of lifting the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship title this week but will need to get past Haitian club Tempête FC in the semi-final round on Wednesday afternoon in Guyana from 6pm.
Defence Force will take on the Haitians in the first of two semi-finals, with defending CFU champion Puerto Rico Islanders against Alpha United from 8pm in the second clash.
And on Friday 27 May, the third place playoff and Final will be played with both finalists and third place winner advancing into next season’s CONCACAF Champions’ League.
“We aim on winning the tournament, not just partake for qualifying into CONCACAF Champions’ League,” said Defence Force head coach Ross Russell.
“Although our main goal is qualifying for the Champions’ League, we want to go a step further and win the CFU Club Championship because we are the only team representing Trinidad and Tobago …so we must represent it proud.”
Defence Force reached the semi-final round in commanding fashion after a less than fashionable start which saw the Soldiers battle to a 1-1 draw on the road to Burmudan side Dandy Town Hornets before they cruised to a 3-0 win at home to complete a 4-1 aggregate triumph in the First Round.
In the Second Round, Guyana’s Milerock proved no match for the Pro League club suffering crushing defeats 4-0 and 3-0 in the home and away aggregate series.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final meeting against the Haitians, Russell said that preparations are been smooth. He also said that his players are sharper and ready for semi-final and Final stage of the tournament in Guyana.
“The guys have been playing together for the past three seasons and they now have the ‘know how’ to go out and win trophies, so I think they are really excited to go out and win the title,” added the Defence Force coach.
“We got a chance to see Tempête play, when they won 1-0 against Caledonia. So we have a fair idea of how they play. I have also done some research by talking to the Caledonia staff and they have been really helpful in telling us certain strategies they used in Haiti to defeat Tempête 1-0. We are working with the advice but we are a team that likes to play our brand of football which we will.
“We will be mindful that the Haitian team is a team to be reckon with because I thought Caledonia would have gone all the way with us. And seeing Caledonia slip out was a loss to us in the CFU tournament because we them to partner us going into the Champions’ League. However we will do our best for Trinidad and Tobago.”
The Pro League club is no stranger to the CFU Club Championship having won the title in 2001, by far a stranger in the CONCACAF Champions’ League having won the title in 1978 and 1985.