PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):
Former champions Portmore United began their 2007 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship bid with a 2-0 win over Helenites FC of the US Virgin Islands on Sunday.
Under hot and humid weather conditions at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, the 2005 CFU champions Portmore United took the match to their opponents and deservedly went 1-0 ahead in the 38th minute via a strike from Grenadian Anthony Modeste.
The Jamaicans kept the 1-0 advantage to the break. Any hope Helenites had of getting back into the match were further dented when Rudolph Austin fired in a second goal for his team, one minute into the second half of the Group D fixture.
The Jamaicans then seemed to take their foot off the gas and, despite enjoying the better of the exchanges, failed to add to their tally before the final whistle.
Equaliser
However, fellow Jamaican club, Harbour View, also previous winners of the top regional club football competition, needed a last gasp equaliser from Fabian Taylor to salvage a draw with American A-League club Puerto Rico Islanders, in their Group C clash at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium.
The Islanders went ahead as early as the seventh minute when Noah Delgado unleashed a powerful shot from outside the area, which left goalkeeper Dwayne Miller with little chance.
Seven minutes later, Delgado doubled his team's lead when he collected a well-worked short corner from David Johnson before beating Miller again from some distance.
Kavin Bryan pulled one back for Harbour View in the 20th minute when he volleyed in a right-sided cross past goalkeeper Gustavo Avila of Panama.
The Jamaicans continued to press in the second half for the equaliser and with the seconds counting down, Taylor proved to be the hero for his team to earn a share of the points.
The first match at Marabella between Antigua & Barbuda's Hitachi Centre Sap FC and Suriname's Inter Moengotapoe also ended in a draw, 3-3 to leave the group wide open.
Biggest winners
The biggest winners of the day were Cuba's Pinar del Rio, who hammered Jong Colombia of Netherland Antilles 5-1 led by a double from Yisel Gutierez in the first half.
Also in winners row were Haitian club Baltimore de St. Marc, 2-1 winners over Bassa SC of Antigua & Barbuda.
The two other matches involving Aruba's SV Deportivo Nacional and Deportivo Barber of Netherland Antilles, and SV Racing Club of Aruba and Dominica's South East United both ended in 1-1 draws.
Meanwhile, following the last-minute withdrawals of St. Kitts & Nevis' Newtown United FC and Positive Vibes SC of US Virgin Islands, CONCACAF changed the fixtures for the Caribbean Qualification (2007 CFU Club Championship) to the 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Seventeen teams are now competing in the first round of the 2007 CFU Club Championship until November 16 at six venues across T&T - Couva, Macoya, Malabar, Marabella, Point-a-Pierre, Port of Spain.
