Walt Noriega, coach of two-time T&T Premier Football League (TTPFL) champions Defence Force, said he was glad to see his team get the “monkey off their back” following their come-from-behind 2-1 win over Suriname champions SV Broki in Group A of the 2026 Concacaf Caribbean Cup at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain on Thursday night (August 20).
The win for Defence Force came after they were blanked 3-0 in their tournament opener by Haitian side Violette AC earlier this month in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.
However, Thursday was all about substitute Nicholas Dillon. Coming off the bench in the second half, Dillon scored both goals for Defence Force FC, handing the Surinamese club their second 2-1 loss at Mucurapo after falling to T&T’s Club Sando earlier in the month.
SV Broki took the lead in the 34th minute when a left-footed blast from Alan Da Costa sneaked into the top left corner of the goal, despite Defence Force goalkeeper Christopher Bigette getting his left palm to the ball.
In the second half, Dillon was introduced for the ineffective Shaquille Holder in the 65th minute, while Reon Moore replaced Darius Olliviera in the 71st.
Dillon made an immediate impact in the 74th minute, reacting first to a shot from Moore that was parried into his path by goalkeeper Felipe Viotti and firing into the unguarded net.
Eight minutes later, Moore slipped a pass to Dillon behind the SV Broki backline, and the latter made no mistake from inside the box to record a brace just 17 minutes after coming off the bench.
With the win, their first in two matches, Defence Force moved up to third spot in Group A. They sit on three points, level with Club Sando, who has played only one match, and three points behind unbeaten Violette AC.
Speaking after the victory, an elated Noriega said: “I’m glad we got the monkey off our back after coming off the heavy defeat in the first game. The boys needed some kind of lift and I think the effort that they gave in the second half showed that they really wanted to give ourselves a chance in the group and for us to have a chance still in the competition, so it was a victory that was really needed.”
Noriega also credited his substitutes, namely Moore and Dillon, for sparking the turnaround.
”The boys who were on the bench were always impact players,” he added. “The reason being is that they bring energy, they bring experience and they bring that composure in the final third.”
Reflecting on his team’s overall performance, Noriega said: “I think the first half, we were moving the ball a bit too slow, and I think we showed a little too much respect; it wasn’t brave enough in the first half from us.
“At the half-time talk I told them I wanted them to be a little more brave on the ball and add a little more energy into the final third because it was just too lackadaisical and we needed to go up a next gear, which I know because I see them every day in training and that’s what they do, they executed, they went up a next gear and it showed.”
Looking ahead to their September 1 match against fellow TTPFL Tier I outfit Club Sando at the same Mucurapo venue, Noriega said the mindset has already shifted.
“It’s a team that we constantly play in the Premier League, so we know a lot of the players on the team. So, now we’re just going to the tactical work now to see where we could get some joy, and where we could isolate them and capitalise on the chances that we create and then defensively shut them out.”
Defence Force continue their campaign on September 1 against Club Sando FC, while SV Broki face Delfines del Este FC in their next encounter on September 2.
On Wednesday, Violette AC earned a 1-0 victory over Delfines del Este FC at Estadio Cibao in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, with Elyvens Déjean breaking the deadlock in the 51st minute. Violette AC will continue their campaign with a visit to SV Broki on September 9.
In Thursday’s other match, former winners Cavalier FC of Jamaica and Salcedo FC played to a 0-0 draw in Group B at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.
With the result, Salcedo FC remain unbeaten with four points in their debut tournament, while Cavalier FC have two points following a second straight scoreless draw.
Salcedo FC will continue its Caribbean Cup campaign against Mount Pleasant FA on September 2. Cavalier FC face Portmore United on September 3, while Cibao FC’s next match will also be against Salcedo FC on September 10.
Last year, Defence Force, under previous coach Devorn Jorsling, contested the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, securing a third-place finish following a 4-2 aggregate triumph over the Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC. Defence Force won the home leg 3-0 before falling 2-1 away. They finished second in their five-team Group B round-robin series with seven points from four matches, edging out Barbadian side Weymouth Wales on goal difference (plus 2 to plus 1).
In the home-and-away semifinals, eventual champion Mount Pleasant FA defeated Defence Force 5-2 on aggregate (5-1 and 0-1), while O&M FC edged local rivals Cibao 2-1 over two legs (1-1 and 1-0).
In the final, Mount Pleasant defeated O&M FC 3-2 on aggregate (1-0 and 2-2) to lift the crown, while Defence Force bested Cibao 4-2 (3-0 and 1-2) for third place.
In the team’s subsequent step up to the Concacaf Champions Cup, Defence Force, twice former champions of the prestigious competition, were thrashed 7-0 and 5-0 by US Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, resulting in a 12-0 aggregate defeat.
Current standings
Group A
Team*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
Violette AC*2*2*0*0*4*0*6
Club Sando*1*1*0*0*2*1*3
Defence Force*2*1*0*1*2*4*3
Delfines Del Este*1*0*0*1*0*1*0
SV Broki*2*0*0*2*2*4*0
Group B
Cibao*2*1*1*0*2*1*4
Salcedo*2*1*1*0*2*1*4
Cavalier*2*0*2*0*0*2
Mount Pleasant*1*0*0*1*1*2*0
Portmore Utd*1*0*0*1*1*2*0
