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Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) runners-up MIC Central FC Reboot will aim to start their 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign on a positive note when they take on Dominican Republic's O&M FC in what is expected to be a challenging encounter on August 20.
The group A match will be played at the Estadio Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 8 pm. Central finished well behind runaway winners Defence Force in the 2024/25 TTPFL season and will be looking to reverse TT's recent form in the Caribbean Cup, which has seen the country's clubs struggling to make it past the group stage.
In a tough group which also features Jamaica's Mount Pleasant FC, Suriname's SV Robinhood and 2025 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield champions Moca FC (Dominican Republic), the "Couva Sharks" have prepared for the regional tournament by bringing in a handful of experienced players to help their cause.
Veteran TT men's football team custodian Marvin Phillip is one of those additions, alongside brothers Alvin and Joevin Jones. All three players represented TT at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup and are expected to play a role when the national team resumes Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifying action in a couple of weeks. Joevin scored 16 goals to help Miscellaneous Police FC to a third-place finish in the recent TTPFL season and also featured for the lawmen as they exited at the group stage phase of the CFU Club Shield in Trinidad last month.
Meanwhile, Alvin was last attached to Honduras' Club Deportivo Real Sociedad and it's unclear if he has moved to Central on a permanent or temporary basis.
Full-back Ross Russell Jr said the team's experience should put them in a good place as they hunt crucial points away from home.
"We have confidence in the staff and the squad, as you could see, is a pretty experienced squad. Most of us have a certain amount of caps with international experience so we're going into the game with full confidence," Russell Jr said.
"(The younger players) are very hearty and willing to learn and go out and get the experience. All in all, we're here to get the win. Two wins on the road will do us very good."
Phillip and the Jones brothers apart, Central have also added depth in attacking areas with centre forward Isaiah Lee and flanker Sedale McLean. Also joining the Central ranks is the more defensive-minded pair of Liam Burns and Rhondel Gibson.
These new additions will join experienced players such as Kadeem Corbin, Jamal Jack, Jameel Neptune, John-Paul Rochford, Russell Jr and 36-year-old flanker Tyrone Charles who secured the TTPFL golden boot last season with a tally of 17 goals.
After their tussle away to O&M, Central will make the journey to Suriname where they will face Robinhood at the Frank Essed Stadion, Paramaribo, on August 26. On the road, Central will hope to pick up key points before their home matches against Moca (September 16) and Mount Pleasant (September 23). Central's two home matches will be played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
The round-robin phase will see each team playing four group matches, with the top two teams in the group progressing to the semifinals. The competition's top three finishers will advance to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, with the winner receiving a bye to the round of 16 of the latter tournament.

Central FC squad for Caribbean Cup:

Goalkeepers: Jabari Brice, Christopher Byng, Levi Fernandez, Marvin Phillip.
Defenders: Liam Burns, Jamal Jack, Alvin Jones, Malik Mieres, Tariq Mulraine, Stefon Pierre, Joshua Ragoo, Ross Russell Jr, Seon Thomas.
Midfielders: Jameel Antoine, Daniel David, Dominic Douglas, Rhondel Gibson, Gary Griffith III, Joevin Jones, Sedale McLean, Jameel Neptune, John-Paul Rochford, Emmanuel Thomas.
Forwards: Tyrone Charles, Kadeem Corbin, Kenton James, Isaiah Lee, Miquel Williams.
Coach: Randolph Boyce
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