PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Trinidadian pro side Joe Public moved a step closer to qualifying for the group stages of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League after securing a 2-1 upset win over United States Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference leaders, New England Revolution on Tuesday.

Playing at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Guyana's Gregory Richardson and Jamal Gay struck in the second half after the scores were locked nil-all at half-time.

Mauricio Castro's penalty gave the match an interesting twist but Joe Public held on firmly for the victory in their Group C first-leg, preliminary round match.

The margin of victory should have been wider but Joe Public were let down by woeful finishing from Jamaican striker Roen Nelson.

From the opening whistle, Joe Public, using an attacking 4-4-2 formation exploited New Eng-land's lack of speed down the flanks, mainly through Richardson and Nelson.

Real opening

The first real opening for Joe Public came down the left side in the seventh minute when Arnold Dwarika fed an overlapping Wolry Wolfe just inside the Revolution's 18-yard box, but his crisp left-footed blast was parried away for a corner by goalkeeper Doug Warren.

Four minutes later, Richardson eluded right-back Chris Tierney and pulled back for Nelson, but his mistimed effort trickled wide of the gaping goal.

The 28-year-old Nelson then sent another effort well wide off the right post from an acute angle as Joe Public forced the pace against a sluggish Revolution line-up.

Joe Public, coached by Barbadian Keith Griffith, deservedly took the lead six minutes into the second-half when Richardson tapped Kerry Baptiste's cross from the right flank into an open goal.

Nelson then wasted another chance to find the target, in the 65th minute, before he was replaced by teenaged Trinidadian striker, Gay, a move by Griffith which paid dividends.

Baptiste again roasted Tierney down the right flank and, in a carbon copy of the opening goal, crossed for Gay to slide home from close range for a 2-0 lead in the 70th minute.

Penalty area

Four minutes later, New England were back in the match when Vincentian Shalrie Joseph was bundled over in the penalty area by Carlyle Mitchell after being put through.

Castro, the Honduran winger, stepped up to take the resulting penalty to hand the visitors a lifeline.

Despite a last-gasp chance to grab an equaliser, New England ran out of ideas and time.

Joe Public play their second-leg match next Tuesday at the Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.