Backs against the wall

Mount Pleasant Football Academy entered their previous match on the brink of elimination from the Concacaf Caribbean Cup Club Championship.

Today, they could finish atop Group B, but they must first defeat arch-rivals Cavalier Football Club in an all-Jamaica showdown that will determine whether they advance to the semi-finals or bow out of the competition.

Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. at the National Stadium. Cavalier, with two points from three matches, cannot advance beyond the group stage.

However, another Jamaican team, Portmore United, also remain in contention for a semi-final place. Sitting fourth on three points, they face a must-win encounter against the Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC in a match scheduled for a 6 p.m. start in the Spanish-speaking country.

Only two teams from the five-team group will progress to the semi-finals and, with Dominican Republic clubs Salcedo FC and Cibao FC occupying first and second places on six and five points, respectively, the Jamaican teams know victory is imperative.

“It’s a massive game tomorrow,” said Theodore Whitmore, head coach of Mount Pleasant, whose team have four points. “We know what we have to do … to really progress; (we’re) up against a tough, tough opponent in Cavalier FC, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Despite Cavalier having nothing to play for, the Mount Pleasant camp is taking nothing for granted. The clubs have developed a fierce competitive history, having met in three of the last four Jamaica Premier League (JPL) finals. That is why Cavalier head coach Rudolph Speid expects another intense contest.

“Probably our greatest rival in the modern era of football in Jamaica,” was how Speid summed up Mount Pleasant FA, against whom they won two of the JPL finals. “So the goal is always for us to get one, move on, and then I’m sure they have the same goal.”

Unlike his opposite number, Whitmore downplayed the match-up.

“I wouldn’t see it as a rivalry; I think it’s two good teams playing against each other,” he said.

The teams enter today’s contest on the back of contrasting results in last weekend’s opening round of the JPL. Cavalier defeated Dunbeholden FC 2-1, while Mount Pleasant suffered a surprise 4-0 defeat to league newcomers Tru-Juice.

The result has caused some concern among Mount Pleasant supporters, but Whitmore, who rested several regular players at the weekend, said the team remains focused on the bigger picture.

“I can understand how they feel, but again, you have to understand the focus. We don’t want to go away from what we want to achieve.”

Haiti’s Violette FC topped Group A with a maximum 12 points after winning all four matches, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Club Sando emerged as the other semi-finalist with seven points. The Dominican Republic’s Romana finished third in the group on five points, followed by Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence FC on three, and Suriname’s SV Broki, one.