In perhaps the most intriguing of the CONCACAF First Round matchups, the two sets of Virgin Islands squared off against each other.The opening match took place in U.S. territory on a pitch in Charlotte Amalie, a name belying the magnitude of the occasion. The lower seeded U.S. Virgin Islands looked to seize a lead in the aggregate-goals series by winning its home leg, and they succeeded in doing just that. Within ten minutes, the home islanders were up a goal, a lead with stayed in place until after the break. The first fifteen minutes of the second period saw another U.S. Virgin Islands goal and a red card given to John Samuel of the British Virgin Islands. The 2-0 win goes down as the first FIFA World Cup win in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The star of the match was the captain of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Alderman Lesmond (pictured, #7). Lesmond scored the first goal of the match and assisted on the second, in the process doing his home island of St. Croix proud. His teammate Reid Klopp (pictured, #14) also chipped in with an assist and a goal.
The U.S. territory moves on to British soil for the return leg in one week's time on July 10. The two-goal lead in the aggregate series held by the U.S. Virgin Islands is augmented by the fact that no road goals were conceded in the process, meaning a solitary U.S. islanders goal in the return leg will force the British islanders to score four to advance to the second round of CONCACAF qualifying.
Goals:
U.S. Virgin Islands
Alderman Lesmond 7
Reid Klopp 57
Match Report:
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