KINGSTON, Jamaica—A wasteful Mount Pleasant FA were beaten 2-1 by Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic as they opened the defence of their Concacaf Caribbean Cup title at the National Stadium in Kingston on Tuesday.

After dominating the first half of the game, Mount Pleasant wasted a handful of scoring chances and trailed 1-0 at half-time and were always chasing the game from then on.

Nicholas Nelson, who returned to the St Ann team this season, had two good scoring chances while new signee Trayvon Reid and Daniel Green also had scoring chances in the first 39 minutes.

Nelson was sent through with a looping pass from Green and after dribbling into the Cibao FC area, skied his shot in the 21st minute.

Green was blocked on the edge of the Cibao FC 18- yard box by the veteran goalkeeper Miguel Lloyd 10 minutes later before Nelson wasted another effort in the 36th minute when he missed the far right post from the left side of the Cibao area.

Reid should have scored in the 39th minute after he weaved his way through the Cibao FC defence but pulled his shot wide of the left goal post.

Cibao FC took the lead just before the half-time break, when Diego Ledesma redirected a shot from outside the area into the lower right hand corner of the Mt Pleasant goal in the 43rd minute.

Reid had a chance to pull Mt Pleasant FA level in time added but his curling freekick from about 25 yards hit the crossbar and rebounded into play.

The home team would get the equaliser, when Nickalia Fuller who had been subbed into the game in the 63rd minute, beat Lloyd from about 25 yards, finding the lower right corner of the goal in the 69th minute.

Cibao FC struck back in the 80th minute when Mariano Nichele, powered a rebound back past goalkeeper Shaquan Davis after a defender had blocked an initial attempt.

-Paul A Reid