– Puerto Rico Islanders successfully defend CFU Club Championship title
Tempete FC out of Haiti played a spirited game of football last evening at the National Stadium Providence but that was not good enough to defeat the defending Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Champs, the Puerto Rico Islanders. The defending champs struck first as Jay Needham split the defense and had enough time to look as his ball hit the back of the Tempete net early in the first half.
The first taste of drama came when frustration crept into the Puerto Rican players following attacking and aggressive play by their competitors, saw a serious foul being committed against the opposing side causing a player to be sent off with a red card and awarding Tempete a penalty kick which found the back of the net. Despite being one man down the Islanders defended well against Tempete until halfway into the second half when the Haitian goalkeeper was sent off for a vicious elbow to the face of the Puerto Rican striker. The penalty was however saved by the replacement keeper.
The game went into overtime and the attacking style showed by the Haitian club began to show as the defense broke down allowing the Puerto Rico Islanders to break through twice with Jonathan Fana being the architect during overtime to seal their victory 3-1 and retain the CFU title.The game which attracted the most attention of the small crowd was however the third place playoff between Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force and local football powerhouse Alpha “the hammer” United. The two teams played an evenly matched game for the first half. Dwight Peters struck first for United in the 50th minute of play which sent fans wild. Eight minutes later Richard Roy however equalized for Defense Force with a brilliant header.
The game went into a stalemate to the end and was forced into a penalty shootout to determine the final spot for the CONCACA F Champions League. The penalties was a nail biting, electrifying and emotional experience for Alpha fans but in the end the local side created history by becoming the first team from Guyana to advance into the CONCACAF Champions League by scoring 4 penalties against 3 for Defense Force. Though most fans were disappointed that the hosts did not take away the winning trophy, Alpha played according to plan to satisfy the local supporters. Speaking after the victory, a very emotional head coach Wayne “wiggy” Dover said the win was because “the goalkeeper and guys did great and executed well.” He added that adjustments were made to ensure that “the team follow the game plan and came out on top.”
President of Alpha United Odinga Lumumba shared similar sentiments adding that he will ensure that the team “will be stronger” as a result of the victory and is optimistic of advancing to the final stages of the Champions League. Head coach of Defense Force Colin Clarke said he was pleased to see the level of football being played in Guyana during the semi-finals and finals of the tournament by the local side stating that “soccer is improving in Guyana because I know this is a mainly cricketing country.”
The historic win by Alpha will serve to improve the level of football locally as well as showing the corporate community the levels football can reach if adequate funding is made available for the sport.
By Andrew Ross
Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda for the opportunity to see Guyana’s Golden Jaguars as they continued their bid for World Cup 2010. The game was against Grenada’s best footballers. There was an air of excitement in the stands as the fans braced themselves to see their team compete, for many this was their first opportunity to see the team in action.
The game saw Guyanese of all races, ages, and class coming together to root for their team of choice. I am almost positive the Grenadian team had supporters in attendance. The stands were filled with persons prepared to watch an eventful and entertaining contest between the two teams. The level of support that the players received was encouraging showing that the fans are behind the team and are willing to show their support by coming out and watching them perform.
spectators would all stand up in expectation of a goal. The Grenadians were the first to strike when they penetrated the Jaguars’ defense and were able to convert that opportunity to put them up 1-0 after about 20 minutes of play. The Guyanese were however not to be outdone. Their opportunity came by way of a cross from a right striker into the box of the opposition splitting the defense and causing the center striker to attempt a shot. The shot was initially blocked by the keeper and was deflected to the left striker who was on target for the equalizer. This goal had an electrifying effect of the crowd and lifted spirits all around the ground. It was also an incentive for fans to stay and was a hot topic as the goal came two minutes before the end of the first half.
The second half was not short on excitement because each team sought the opportunity to take the lead and secure the win. In an effort to achieve this goal the game took a more physically aggressive tone. As a result of this the referee was forced to produce a few yellow cards to players from both teams in an effort to calm the tensions on the field of play. This did little to ease the nervous atmosphere that was in the stands. This tension came to an end when a striker from the Grenadian side took advantage of an error on the part of the defense on the Guyana half of the field and was able to penetrate unchallenged into the penalty box. The striker made no mistake in putting his team on top by beating the unassisted goalie. This was much to the dismay to the players but more so the fans who debated how the striker could have made it that far into the penalty area unchallenged. The goal undoubtedly motivated the Guyanese players to seek an equalizer. Several attempts were made on the Grenadian goal but to no avail. As tension built up on and off the field it was seen clearly when a Grenadian player was given a second yellow card and was sent off. Many thought the Guyanese would have sought the opportunity to use their numbers against the Grenadian side who were now one player down to equalize and possibly win, but this was not accomplished.
the best of Grenada. The game was physically charged which saw the whistle being blown seven times for injuries and saw players from both teams being taken off the field on stretchers for medical attention. Regardless of the injuries, the game was entertaining and exciting. There were a few areas of concern in terms of the performance and strategy of the national team but I am sure those matters will be addressed by team management. Disregarding that the teams performance was to be commended and I am sure as they travel throughout the Caribbean in the coming weeks their performance will only get better and they will make us as Guyanese proud.
against Grenada. The showdown is set for GCC Bourda ground today at 15:00 hrs sharp.
It was a very intense session at the GNS ground on Carifesta Avenue as the team held their second meet for the day. The afternoon practice included warm-up drills followed by scrimmage restricted to two-touch. The team seemed quite ready and fearless of the future contenders on the road to the World Cup qualifiers. A high team morale was evident as the ‘A’ team (orange) played the ‘B’ team (white) during the session.
Lindley Longhorn (Physical Trainer and Medic) and Jamaal Shabazz (Technical Director). The physical trainer and medic proved quite capable when instructing the team during the warm-ups and the warm-downs. When asked about the team’s future plans, head coach Wayne Dover mentioned several international friendly matches are to be played prior to the World Cup 2010 qualifying matches scheduled for June in Suriname.