Final-four bound

Mount Pleasant Football Academy and Portmore United booked places in the final four of the 2026 Concacaf Caribbean Cup after securing victories over Cavalier and Cibao FC, respectively, in the final round of Group B matches.

Mount Pleasant secured a crucial 1-0 win over Cavalier at the National Stadium, while Portmore United defeated Cibao 2-1 at Estadio Cibao in the Dominican Republic.

Nickalia Fuller scored the decisive goal for Mount Pleasant, striking in the 38th minute.

For Portmore United, veteran striker Cory Burke was the hero, bagging a brace with goals in the 31st and 69th minutes.

Jean Lopez’s penalty deep into added time proved only a consolation for Cibao.

With the results, Mount Pleasant finished atop Group B with seven points, ahead of Portmore United, who ended second with six.

Salcedo of the Dominican Republic also finished on six points, but Portmore advanced courtesy of a superior goal difference.

Cibao ended fourth on five points, while Cavalier, the only team to finish the competition without a goal or a win, remained rooted to the foot of the table on two points.

Fuller was elated after the match, proud to have scored the winner that secured his team’s place in the semi-finals.

Special feeling

He said it was a special feeling as it was his first time competing in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

The winger joined Mount Pleasant from Tivoli Gardens during the summer and has been enjoying life at the St Ann-based club.

“It’s a wonderful performance leading my team to victory and to the semi-finals. It’s a wonderful feeling,” Fuller said.

“This is my first time in Concacaf [Caribbean Cup], and leading my team to the semi-finals is a wonderful feeling,” he continued.

“We just have to stick together. It’s a big game coming up, so we just have to stick together and go again.”

Fuller was a menace from the opening whistle, and with less than a minute played, showed his attacking intent with a long-range effort that was deflected behind for a corner.

He came close to opening the scoring again around the half-hour mark when he was sent through on goal, but goalkeeper Taywane Lynch was quick off his line to clear the danger.

Fuller’s pressure eventually paid off a few minutes later, albeit with a slice of misfortune for Cavalier.

Lynch raced off his line to clear the ball, but his effort struck a defender and fell kindly to Fuller.

With the goal at his mercy, Fuller lofted the ball into the empty net.

Despite sustained pressure from Cavalier, particularly in the second half, Mount Pleasant held firm to secure all three points.

Cavalier captain Jeovanni Laing said the defeat again came down to a lack of goals.

“It’s been the same throughout the competition. We were solid defensively, made one error leading to a goal, but as you can see, four games without a goal. If you don’t score goals, then you can’t win matches,” Laing said in his post-match interview.

As Group B winners, Mount Pleasant will face Trinidad and Tobago’s Club Sando in the semi-finals, while Portmore United will take on Haitian outfit Violette FC.

The two semi-final winners, along with the third-place finisher, will qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com