Confident Waterhouse depart for Herediano return

Waterhouse head coach Marcel Gayle says that his team is under no illusions as to the difficulty of the task they face in taking on HS Herediano in their Concacaf League second-leg round-of-16 tie at the Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero in Heredia, Costa Rica, tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.

However, he says that his team is prepared and can get the result they need to move on to the next phase.

“We are mindful of what we are up against. We have been doing some work over the course of the days (after first leg), so hopefully, that will be enough to get us over the hump. The sky’s the limit for us, and anything is possible. We just have to believe and go out there and win, and for me, once we go out and execute, I am confident that we can get the result,” Gayle said.

Waterhouse went in front in the first leg at the National Stadium last Thursday, thanks to Andre Fletcher’s third-minute strike, but surrendered their lead and had to settle for a draw due to a Keynar Browne 17th-minute equaliser.

However, Gayle took many positives from the encounter and says that his team is equipped and ready to go to Costa Rica and get the result they need.

“Our season has not got going as yet. This team (Herediano) is a high-quality team playing top-flight (Costa Rican) football. They are in season, and we managed them and met our objectives, and most expected us to come away with the win. Nevertheless, come Thursday (tomorrow), we will try at it again,” he said.

“They (the players) are well motivated, and they are ready to go. We know that we aspire to win, and we don’t expect less, so we will be fighting for that. But we have to go out and stay focused, and we have to go out and execute under whatever conditions. But our players are naturally motivated. They are upbeat, and they are ready to go,” Gayle added.

With the away goal rule in effect, the 1-1 result means that Waterhouse will need a win or a draw by two goals or more to progress to the quarter-finals. If they get the result they need, they will face either Managua of Nicaragua or Motagua of Honduras in the next round of the competition, set for September 24-26 (first leg) and October 1-3 (second leg).