MBU’s Zapata happy with third spot in JPL

MONTEGO BAY United (MBU) head coach Rodolfo Zapata says he is happy with a top-six placing in the Wray and Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL) after the first round of the 2024-25 season.

MBU completed their fixtures with a 1-1 home draw against defending champions Cavalier and are now in third with 25 points. All clubs in the 14-team league have now played 13 games, and Mount Pleasant lead the way with 28 they are followed by Arnett Gardens with 27.

“I think that we did very well in the first round to be fighting at the top of the league. It is very important, as it is a good test to see where we are. When we play with a top-six quality team, the games are very tactical,” Zapata said after sharing the points with Cavalier.

Zapata acknowledged that, despite the challenges Cavalier are currently undergoing, they are a team they respect and will not take lightly.

“They have talented players and young boys. We were playing a very good team. I think we are heading in the right way. The most important thing is that people need to trust the process,” Zapata said. Cavalier are fifth in the league with 23 points.

Meanwhile, Rudolph Speid, Cavalier’s head coach, admitted on Wednesday that they are having a rough time.

“I feel we are going through a rough patch. Today (Wednesday) we should gave gotten an easy victory,” Speid said.

He strongly believes they were denied a clear penalty in Wednesday’s game.

“I thought we got an easy penalty call but it just didn’t go our way,” he lamented.

“In the second half, it was all Cavalier,” Speid said.

In the rescheduled final game of the first round, MBU took the lead in the 26th minute, courtesy of former Cavalier player Shaneil Thomas.

However, the Concacaf Caribbean Cup champions started their fightback in the second half with more composure and tied the game with a goal in the 58th minute when Ronaldo Barrett scored.

In the first half, Cavalier defended stoutly as MBU pushed them back with several attacks. A cross from Dwayne Allen was perfectly delivered to Thomas who delivered the go-ahead goal for MBU.

Shortly after, MBU’s captain Owayne Gordon had a chance to double the lead but his shot went inches over the crossbar.

Cavalier entered the second half with intensity and dominated possession before getting the equaliser.

Known for their numerous fast-breaks Cavalier kept looking for a winner and, a minute before regulation time ended, Adrian Reid’s got a glorious chance. He controlled a good pass on his chest and fired goalwards but his shot went just over the crossbar.