Caribbean Cup: Cavalier, Mount Pleasant square off at Sabina Park
Published:Tuesday | August 20, 2024 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Defending Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions and Concacaf Caribbean Cup (CCC) finalists Cavalier and Mount Pleasant meet in a big clash today when the Caribbean Cup kicks off at Sabina Park. Match time is 5 p.m.
Both teams have been placed in Group A alongside Arnett Gardens, Real Hope of Haiti, and Police FC from Trinidad and Tobago.
Over the last three seasons Cavalier and Mount Pleasant have had some epic encounters, especially at the play-off stage of the JPL.
Cavalier have won one semi-final and a final against the St Ann club over the period, while Mount Pleasant have registered one final victory over Cavalier.
Mount Pleasant sporting director Paul Christie admits the rivalry is getting more intense each season, and after the losses mentioned above, Christie said they intend to even the score with a victory today.
“The rivalry between Mount Pleasant and Cavalier is very close. You are not able to separate the teams. That is how thin the line is.
“The advantage Cavalier have is, they have 85 per cent of their core. Mount Pleasant have a newly assembled technical staff, who need time to get the chemistry.
“However, we do not have that luxury. We have to hit the ground running, because we are not in the business of excuses, and the technical staff will be judged on one thing only and that is results,” he said.
In the off season, Mount Pleasant cleared house and added new names likes Alex Marshall, Jashuan Anglin, Nicholas Nelson and the Cavalier pair of Kyle Ming and Gadwall Irving.
Christie said they will all add value, especially in the Caribbean Cup, which has been their main objective.
“We respect our opponents, but we are coming for one thing and one thing only, and that is the ‘W’ (win), and we are confident that it will happen.
“Both their captain (Ming) and vice-captain (Irving) are here and they have integrated well into the unit so far.
“We are expecting great things from them, not only for tomorrow’s game, but for the duration of the season and beyond. They are championship-winning players. I know they will add value to the Mount Pleasant unit,” Christie said yesterday.
“When we started we knew this (CCC) was the ultimate objective. We are here, and the time is now. We have no excuse. We just have to go out and execute and give as much as we get.”
Meanwhile, with a few new additions as well, Cavalier’s head coach Rudolph Speid said today’s match will be different from previous meetings, and assured that his team will be taking the three points.
“We have lost some players and some have gone back to school. But Cavalier, as usual, will come and play as best as we can.
“There are not many new faces. Some of the younger players in our new teams are the ones stepping up. We won the national under-17 title and some of those players are making the transition into the senior squad, and that has been our policy.
“They know what to expect. Some have pretty big shoes to fill, but I am confident that they will,” he said.
He pointed out that Mount Pleasant have always pushed Cavalier to be better, and he expects the presence of the 2022-23 JPL winners to do just that in this competition.
“The rivalry is a really good thing. I am happy Mount Pleasant are in the league because the truth is, Mount Pleasant make the league better.
“They will make the Caribbean Cup better, too, and they always push us to do better. So it is better for Jamaican football, and Caribbean football in the wider context,” he reasoned.