The Pacific Community Cup 2025 got off to a competitive start at Bill McKinlay Park in Auckland yesterday, with Auckland All Stars and USA All Stars making early statements in Group B.
Auckland All Stars began their title defence with a hard-fought 2–1 win over Stratum Construction and KR Projects Lautoka.
Two-time defending champions Auckland made a fast start, with Eber Ramirez scoring in the third minute, followed by a second from captain Mohd Shuiab Khan in the 11th minute. Lautoka pulled one back through Dylan McConnell in the 56th minute, but the All Stars held firm to secure all three points.
Team manager Kartik Reddy praised his side’s effort.
“Game is always tough. And coming up against a quality side like Lautoka, it was tough for the boys, but really proud of the effort put in and we had to come up with the three points.
“Now we’ll go back to the drawing boards and come back for our next game on Friday.”
Reddy highlighted their ambition for a historic three-peat.
“We’ve won this tournament two times in a row. We want to make it in a row, but it will be a tough one. This tournament is a tough one with all the teams coming prepared for this, but we’ll do our best one game at a time.”
Auckland All Stars will resume their campaign on Friday, while Lautoka, currently second last in Group B, will look to bounce back when they face SSS Builders Labasa today.
Meanwhile, Fiji FACT and BOG champions Labasa suffered a heavy 1–4 defeat to USA All Stars.
Labasa opened the scoring through Javier Ramirez in the 13th minute, but former Guyana International Marcus Simmons levelled just two minutes later. Simmons then converted a 55th-minute penalty, followed by goals from Matthew Fondy (57′) and Shahil Khan (60′) to complete a convincing win.
Labasa remain at the bottom of the Group B table and will need to recover quickly when they face Lautoka in a crucial clash tonight at 9:15pm.
USA All Stars currently lead Group B on goal difference, level on three points with Auckland All Stars.
Auckland rest on day two, giving USA a chance to strengthen their position when they face AUFFI Australia All Stars at 5:30pm.
The day’s action begins at 3pm with the AUFFI U16 All Stars taking on Canada U16 All Stars.
