Portmore have foot in, but Valencia safe
HAITI’S Valencia FC saw off the Jamaican teams of Portmore United and Boys’ Town to top Group Two and to earn qualification for the 2013/14 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Valencia drew 0-0 with Boys’ Town on Tuesday night and finished with seven points, one ahead of Portmore United who thrashed Bayamon of Puerto Rico 5-0 with Boys’ Town third on four points.
Valencia join Group One winner W Connection of Trinidad and Tobago as the qualifiers, while Portmore United and another T&T team Caledona AIA will play-off for the third Caribbean spot.
After a five-year hiatus, the Jamaican clubs made a return to Caribbean Club Championship and had to play second fiddle to the slick-moving Haitians but had the measure of the Puerto Ricans.
Valencia opened their campaign with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Bayamon before stunning Portmore United 4-3, then seeing off Boys’ Town 0-0 to top the group.
Portmore edged Boys’ Town 1-0 then whipped Bayamon 5-0 in their closing games, while Boy’s Town blanked Bayamon 2-0 in their second game.
On Tuesday, both Portmore United and Boys’ Town were on three points and needed to win to have any chances of advancing. Portmore got things running with a 5-0 demolition of the weakest team in the group, Bayamon.
National Under-20 midfielder Paul Wilson, who came on in the 69th minute, grabbed a brace in the 81st and 90th minutes. Sue-Lae McCalla had opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before Ricardo Morris doubled the advantage in the 50th minute.
Ewan Grandison also got on the scoresheet in the 84th minute.
Portmore improved their goal difference to plus five and the pressure was now on both Valencia (plus-three) and Boys’ Town (plus-one) to better that.
Valencia needed only a draw and Boys’ Town needed to win by six clear goals to top the group and two clear goals to finish second, but the pressure was too much and they failed to deliver.