Connection triumph in final

Connection, who have been in a transition mode this season, showed their experience in local knockout finals by disposing of their opponents in ruthless fashion, in front of a crowd nearing 10,000.

Both teams made two changes each from their semi-final contests.

For Connection, national defender Nickolson Thomas replaced Kern Cupid at right-back while Kerron Smith was partnered by Trinidad and Tobago striker Andre Toussaint, and not Dwight Scott.

Caledonia’s captain Sheldon Emmanuel did not recover in time from his thigh injury to make the starting eleven, with his place taken by ex-TT defensive midfielder Uz Taylor, while Sterling Arjoon replaced Abdullah Phillip on the right flank.

Smith had a fantastic opportunity to put Connection in front within the first minute, when he was picked out from a right-sided centre by Toussaint.

But the lanky forward failed to divert the ball past Caledonia’s goalkeeper Richard Reynolds.

Connection’s midfield duo of Aurtis Whitley and Ronaldo Viana were thorns in the Caledonia defence, but their passes were either cleared by the defenders or too strong for both Toussaint and Smith.

Clyde Leon slipped a ball to Whitley, outside the penalty box, and the ex-national midfielder sent Toussaint free but the diminutive striker shot straight at Reynolds in the 23rd minute.

Marvin Oliver was tightly marked by young Brazilian-born centre-back Douglas Da Costa, but he got a nice opportunity to break the deadlock in the 35th, as he collected a pass from Hayden Tinto but shot overbar.

Da Costa suffered a recurrence of a dislocated shoulder and had to be replaced by midfielder Hughton Hector, with Colombian-born man-marker Christian Viveros dropping back in defence.

Moments later, Conrad Smith, who was hardly effective in the opening half, played a one-two with the dreadlocked Oliver and the ex-national midfielder, who looked badly out of position along with Oliver up front, saw his shot crash off the post while Viveros cleared the rebound.

Oliver, who is more suited to the attacking midfield role rather than as striker, sent a ball to left-winger Walter Moore, who crossed to Smith but the striker missed the target.

Frias’ speed and energy was a stark contrast to Kerron Smith’s languid style, and that half-time switch proved to be the most decisive in the match.

In the 53rd, Whitley back-heeled a Leon pass to Frias who turned on his marker Taylor but shot wide from long range.

But the teenaged forward will make amends five minutes later, collecting a through ball from Whitley, beating Guyanese defender Howard Lowe and slipping his right-footer under the sliding Reynolds.

Striker Anthony Abrams, who came on for Dexter Franklyn at the half, headed a Hayden Tinto right-sided centre overbar in the 66th minute, but Frias will inflict the knockout punch five minutes later.

The fleet-footed striker played a neat give-and-go with Whitley, which dismantled the AIA backline, and Frias calmly poked the ball beyond the advancing Reynolds.

Caledonia failed to make the most of two late freekicks, with stand-in skipper Charles Pollard heading a Sterling Arjoon ball overbar in the 85th and, in stoppage time, Oliver headed a Moore spot-kick wide of Marvin Phillip’s goal.

In the third-place playoff, CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh took care of United Petrotrin 1-0 courtesy of a 60th minute strike from national Under-20 midfielder Khaleem Hyland.

Teams – CALEDONIA AIA: Richard Reynolds; Charles Pollard (capt), Dexter Franklyn (Anthony Abrams 46th), Howard Lowe; Uz Taylor (Marcus Ambrose 74th), Walter Moore, Sterling Arjoon, Stephan David, Hayden Tinto; Marvin Oliver, Conrad Smith (Abdullah Phillip 74th).

W CONNECTION: Marvin Phillip; Elijah Joseph (capt), Douglas Da Costa (Hughton Hector 39th), Jose Luiz Seabra, Nickolson Thomas; Christian Viveros, Clyde Leon, Ronaldo Viana (Gerrard Williams 70th), Aurtis Whitley; Andre Toussaint, Kerron Smith (Jonathan Frias 46th).