Digicel Pro League champions, Defence Force and runners-up Caledonia AIA players may have to skip the Carnival festivities after both clubs were drawn to kick off the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship first round series between March 9 to 11. This was determined on Thursday when the draw for the tournament was made at CFU’s headquarters in Port-of-Spain. In the First Round first-leg matches to be played March 9 (Ash Wednesday) to March 11, the Ross Russell-coached Defence Force will won its 20th national title and first in 11 years last month will be at home to Bermuda's Western Stars while Newtown United of St Kitts/Nevis host Caledonia AIA.
In the other First Round, matches, River Plate FC of Puerto Rico tangles with Cayman Islands' Bodden Town, Bathestate FC of Dominica opposes Haiti's Tempete FC, Milerock of Guyana meets Intermoengotapoe of Suriname, Guyana's Alpha United plays Bassa Sports Club of Antigua and barbuda and Northern United of St Lucia tackles Suriname’s Walking Boyz. The second legs will be played March 18-20, with the second round schedule for the weeks of April 12-14 and April 22-24. The semifinals will take place in T&T from May 25 with the final and third-place game set for four days later.
Defending CFU Club champions Puerto Rico Islanders will play the winner between St Lucia's Northern United and Suriname's Walking Boyz in the second round of the tournament. The other six first-round winners will advance to a second round eight teams tournament with the winners qualifying for the semifinals and a chance to claim one of three region's berths in the 2011-2012 CONCACAF Champions League. Puerto Rico has qualified each season the Champions League's three-year existence. Defence Force is the only club from the English-speaking Caribbean and any Caribbean nation to have won the Concacaf Champions League crown, in 1985, 2-1 on home-and-away aggregate over Honduran club, CD Olimpia.
CFU CHAMPIONS CUP
(Home teams listed first)
First Round
First Leg (March 9-11):
Defence Force (T&T) vs. Western Stars (Bermuda)
Newtown United (St Kitts/Nevis) vs. Caledonia AIA (T&T)
River Plate (PUR) vs. Bodden Town (Cayman Islands)
Bathestate (Dominica) vs. Tempete (Haiti)
Northern United (St Lucia) vs. Walking Boyz (Suriname)
Milerock FC (Guyana) vs. Intermoengotapoe SV (Suriname)
Alpha United FC (Guyana) vs. Bassa Sports Club (Antigua)
Second Leg (March 18-20)
Western Stars (BER) vs. Defence Force (TRI)
Caledonia AIA (TRI) vs. Newtown United (SKN)
Bodden Town (CAY) vs. River Plate FC (PUR)
Tempete FC (HAI) vs. Bathestate FC (DMA)
Walking Boyz Co. (SUR) vs. Northern United All Stars (SLU)
Intermoengotapoe SV (SUR) vs. Milerock FC (GUY)
Bassa Sports Club (ATG) vs. Alpha United FC (GUY)
Second Round
First Leg
April 12-14
P/Rico Islanders (PUR) vs. Northern United/Walking Boyz winner
Milerock-Intermoengotapoe winner vs. D/Force-Western Stars winner
Newtown Utd-Caledonia winner vs. Bathestate-Tempete winner
Alpha Utd-Bassa winner vs. River Plate-Bodden Town
Second Leg
April 22-24
Northern Utd-Walking Boyz winner vs. P/Rico Islanders (PUR)
D/Force-Western Stars winner vs. Milerock-Intermoengotapoe winner
Bathestate-Tempete winner vs. Newtown Utd-Caledonia winner
River Plate-Bodden Town vs. Alpha Utd-Bassa winner
FINAL ROUND
TBA, Trinidad
Wednesday, May 25
Semifinals
Second-round winners
Sunday, May 29
Third Place
Semifinal losers
CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinal winners