Cavalier enjoying life in Caribbean Cup
Published:Saturday | November 4, 2023 | 12:09 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
HAVING booked their spot in the final of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup against Robinhood FC of Suriname, Cavalier’s head coach Rudolph Speid says that he and his team are enjoying life in the competition. Speid said playing in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup is a “good experience”.
“They (players) have been able to travel to so many different countries to play football, so it’s a good experience all round for them. They also sleep in five-star hotels, travel on planes and yachts, so it has been an experience that they couldn’t buy and when they play well, we (Cavalier) give them bonuses. So I’m hoping that it will lift their expectations and they will do even better,” Speid explained.
Speid stated that it would mean the world if the club should go on to win the competition, something he describes as the biggest prize on offer in the region.
“We were so disappointed when we lost the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) final, but I would give up the JPL title to win this Caribbean title. There is no bigger reward in this region, so it’s something that we take seriously and it would mean the world for us to achieve that,” he shared.
With 32 days left before the final of that competition on December 7 at the National Stadium in Kingston, Cavalier will shift their focus to the JPL as they’re expected to play their first game of the 2023-24 season tomorrow against Montego Bay United at Wespow Park with action set to kick off at 5 p.m. Coach Speid explained that he still isn’t sure how ready his players are for the local league as it’s harder to play against local teams than those based in the region.
“I don’t know (how we might play) as we might run into problems later because we have the same set of players playing. Also, I think it’s harder to play local teams as the regional teams don’t really know about you. It will be a different kettle of fish whenever we return to the JPL but we just hope that we are a bit fitter and settled,” he said.
With the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition drawing closer to a finish, Speid stated that several players will be added to the squad.
“We have about eight schoolboys so we are waiting for their season to be completed. Once we get them back then we should be good. Until we get them back, however, we are always going to be short-staffed,” Speid added.