Defending champions Cavalier and last season’s beaten Jamaica Premier League finalists Mount Pleasant experienced mixed results on the opening day of the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup on Tuesday evening.
At the National Stadium, Mount Pleasant battled to a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Suriname’s SV Robinhood to take early control of Group ‘A’. Captain Sulae McCalla proved the difference-maker, powering home a header in the 35th minute from a well-placed corner kick by Gadail Irving.
The victory came despite Mount Pleasant being reduced to ten men early on. Warner Brown, making his debut for the club, was shown a red card by referee Shavin Greene in just the 10th minute. McCalla’s goal—his second in Caribbean Cup play—ensured Mount Pleasant secured their second win in the competition’s history.
Mount Pleasant will next face Moca FC away next Wednesday, while SV Robinhood will look to rebound when they host Central FC on Tuesday.
Over in Group ‘B’, however, Cavalier’s title defense got off to a rocky start as they fell 2–0 away to Cibao FC at Estadio Cibao FC in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.
In a rematch of last season’s final, Omar de la Cruz opened the scoring for Cibao in the 20th minute, before Carlos Ventura sealed the result with a 73rd-minute strike. The win puts the Dominican side on top of Group ‘B’ after the first round of matches.
Cibao will continue its group stage campaign with a trip to Weymouth Wales FC next Tuesday, while Cavalier will look to bounce back when they host Haiti’s Juventus des Cayes next Thursday.
