Teams from six countries remain in contention for three spots in first round of CCL

MIAMI (Thursday, April 25, 2013) – The 2013-14 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League kicks off this weekend in the Caribbean, as two groups of clubs from across the region gather at venues in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago for the final series of Caribbean Football Union (CFU) qualifying matches.

The two groups will play round robin series on three match days scheduled for Friday, April 26, Sunday, April 28 and Tuesday, April 30 at Ato Bolton Stadium in Couva, Trinidad and the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex in Kingston.

Three of last year’s CFU semifinalists have been grouped together in Trinidad, including defending champion Caledonia A1A, as well as last year’s runner-up W Connection. Both Trinidad & Tobago sides participated in the group stages of the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League. Fellow 2012 CFU semifinalists Antigua Barracudas round out the three team field.

In Jamaica, local sides Portmore United and Boys Town FC will contest an automatic CCL berth with Puerto Rico’s Bayamon FC and Haiti’s Valencia FC.

The winners of each round robin will advance directly to the group stage of the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League, while the second place teams from each group will contest a home-and-away series to determine the Caribbean’s third entrant to CONCACAF’s annual club championship.

The match schedule and groups are as follows (all hours are local time):

Trinidad & Tobago

(Ato Bolton Stadium in Tobago)

Friday, April 26     6:00 PM     W Connection (TRI) vs. Caledonia AIA (TRI)

Sunday, April 28   5:00 PM     Caledonia AIA (TRI) vs. Antigua Barracudas (ANT)

Tuesday, April 30  6:00 PM     W Connection (TRI) vs. Antigua Barracudas (ANT)

Jamaica

(Tony Spaulding Sports Complex in Kingston)

Friday, April 26    6:00 PM     Bayamon FC (PUR) vs. Valencia FC (HAI)

8:00 PM     Portmore United (JAM) vs. Boys Town FC (JAM)

Sunday, April 28  6:00 PM     Portmore United (JAM) vs. Valencia FC (HAI)

8:00 PM     Boys Town FC (JAM) VS. Bayamon FC (PUR)

Tuesday, April 30 6:00 PM     Portmore United (JAM) vs. Bayamon FC (PUR)

8:00 PM     Boys Town FC (JAM) vs. Valencia FC (HAI)

ABOUT CONCACAF

CONCACAF “The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football” is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French Guyana in the south.

ABOUT CFU

CFU “Caribbean Football Union” is one of three Unions in CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) and serves as the governing body of football in the Caribbean. It is composed of 31 national associations, from Bahamas in the north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana in the south.  It spans 4 languages and composed of republics, independent countries and overseas territories of the UK, USA and Holland.