Union to open season Wednesday in Trinidad against Defense Force FC: ‘I think we’re always ready’
The Union are favored to beat Defence Force of Trinidad in the Concacaf Champions Cup. But this group hasn’t played an official game yet, and as Bradley Carnell says, you don't know until you know.
After 37 days of preseason, three centerback signings, three striker signings, and negotiations for a left back that aren’t done yet, the Union will play their first game of 2026 on Wednesday.
Bradley Carnell’s squad should be favored in its visit to Defence Force FC of Trinidad & Tobago in the Concacaf Champions Cup (6 p.m., FS2). But this group of Union players hasn’t played an official game together, and, as the manager said in the preseason, you don’t know until you know.
Now, it’s time to find out.
“I think we’re always ready,” Carnell said in a news conference from Trinidad on Tuesday morning. “We know it’s early in our in our season, and we know that there’s a schedule coming up that[’s] really tough. And so we’ve been working hard over the last couple of weeks to get everybody integrated as best as we could.”
Carnell had to contend with a series of absences during camp. Indiana Vassilev and Milan Iloski suffered injuries that they’ve recovered from, Bruno Damiani and Cavan Sullivan started the year with knocks, and Damiani was away for a few days this month to finish getting his U.S. green card.
Jovan Lukić also was a late addition to the list, as Carnell revealed Tuesday that the midfielder took a hit to the ribs in a recent practice.
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“It’s preseason — there’s always a couple of things here and there,” he said. “But we’ve got a good competitive group here, ready to go.”
Of Lukić’s status, he said, “we’re still assessing that, and we’ll see if that makes sense or not” for him to play Wednesday.
The Union have never played Defence Force, partially because no team from Trinidad has reached the Champions Cup since the 2016-17 edition. Defence Force hasn’t qualified since 2002, though it has a notable history as winners in 1978 and 1985.
The present-day squad is led by a familiar name, winger Kevin Molino. He played for Orlando, Minnesota, and Columbus from 2011 to 2023, then joined Defence Force in late 2024.
“This is the challenge and the joy of the Champions Cup,” Carnell said.
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Carnival in Trinidad
As if hosting a U.S. team in the region’s top soccer tournament wasn’t a big enough deal, Wednesday’s game will come right after Trinidad held its annual two-day Carnival around Mardi Gras.
That should add even more buzz to the atmosphere at Hasely Crawford Stadium, one of Concacaf’s most historic venues. It’s the home of Trinidad and Tobago’s national soccer teams and the site of one of the U.S. men’s team’s all-time wins: the 1989 triumph to earn qualification for the 1990 World Cup, ending a 40-year tournament drought.
Andre Blake is the only current Union player who has played a senior-level game in the venue, a World Cup qualifier last November that ended in a 1-1 tie. That might surprise some fans, but it’s true. Danley Jean Jacques hasn’t yet with Haiti, and Alejandro Bedoya never did with the United States.
Union defender Nathan Harriel said that while “there’s temptation — it’s really easy to go out and want to be a part of something,” the team is making sure this stays a business trip.
“There’s a lot of people here. It’s loud, noisy,” he said. “At the same time, we’re focused on the one thing at hand, and that’s getting a result on Wednesday. There’s distractions in any city you go to. … Just being able to manage that in the best way possible and just stay focused on the mission at hand is the most important.”
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And for those players who’ve played in Concacaf tournaments before, especially the Champions Cup, they know to always expect the unexpected.
“I remember a few years ago in El Salvador, a dog ran on the field and grabbed the ball,” Harriel said, recalling the Union’s 2023 visit to Alianza. “So at the same time, you have to enjoy it, because you never know when you’ll be back. And you have to respect every opponent in this tournament — everybody is qualified to be in it, and we understand that.”