Arnett ready for tough Central test

Arnett Gardens senior team head coach, Jerome Waite, says that his team will have to step up the pace in the FLOW CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship semi-final clash against Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago on May 11 at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

Coming off a 12-match winless run in the just-concluded Red Stripe Premier League season, where they finished fourth, Arnett Gardens will turn their attention to the regional club championship.

"That is behind us. We are trying to see how best we can get the team up and running for the Club Championship. We will have to switch on from here in the

four-team tournament," Waite told The Gleaner yesterday.

"It is a next level. All the teams will have chances. In a competition of this magnitude, we have to ensure that we win our first game. It is important to win the semi-final against Central and qualify for the final," he shared.

"It is a tough competition, but we are playing at home. Although Portmore United are the host, playing at home in the 'Jungle,' we have to see how best we can utilise the home-turf advantage. We know it won't be an easy game as Central are the defending champions," Waite pointed out.

In the semi-final on Friday, May 11, hosts Portmore United will face AtlÈtico Pantoja of the Dominican Republic at 6:00 p.m., then Arnett Gardens tackle Central FC at 9:00 p.m.

The winners of both semi-finals will meet in the final on Sunday, May 13, to decide which team will be crowned the competition's champions and automatically advance to the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, from which the winner will advance to the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Caribbean Club Champion-ships runners-up will be given a second opportunity to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through the second-tier CONCACAF League, which will start in August.