Wales in CONCACAF tourney

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) recently announced that Curacao will host the 2019 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield.

The competition for amateur Caribbean clubs is scheduled to take place April 5-15 at the Ergilio Hato Stadium and Dr. Antoine Maduro Stadium, in Willemstad, Curacao.

The tournament, which was announced last year and is part of the expanded CONCACAF Club Competition Platform, will feature the participation of clubs from 13 different Caribbean Associations, all of whom are working with CONCACAF towards a long-term vision to professionalize the club game across the region.

Members of the champion Weymouth Wales team will take part in the club turnament in Curacao. (FP)

“We are thrilled to celebrate the second edition of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield, a tournament which plays a crucial role in the continued growth of our expanded Club Competition Platform,” said CONCACAF general secretary Philippe Moggio. “This tournament, along with the Flow CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship embodies the best of club football in this region and provides Caribbean Associations a direct pathway to the Confederation’s top regional club championships.”

The participating clubs for the 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield are (in alphabetical order by Association):

Hoppers FC (Antigua & Barbuda)

Dakota FC (Aruba)

Weymouth Wales (Barbados)

SV Real Rincon (Bonaire)

Scholars International Sports Club (Cayman Islands)

Santiago de Cuba (Cuba)

Jong Holland (Curacao)

Fruta Conquerors Football (Guyana)

Club Sportif Moulien (Guadeloupe)

Club Franciscain (Martinique)

Platinum Football Club (Saint Lucia)

Rams Village Superstars (Saint Kitts & Nevis)

SV Robinhood (Suriname)

An official draw to sort the participating teams into four groups will take place next Friday at Concacaf Headquarters in Miami. Fans will be able to follow all the action through Concacaf GO.

The winner of the 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Shield, provided it fulfills the Concacaf Regional Club Licensing criteria, will have the opportunity to face the fourth-place finisher of the 2019 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship in a playoff match to determine the fourth Caribbean representative in the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf League.

In the inaugural edition of the Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield, Club Franciscain of Martinique was crowned champion with a 2-1 victory over Suriname’s Inter Moengotapoe. The Martinique club continued its outstanding 2018 international season by edging Trinidad and Tobago’s Central FC 2-1 in the playoff to secure a spot in its first-ever Scotiabank Concacaf League, where it eventually fell to Nicaraguan side Walter Ferretti in penalties.