1 week ago
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DESPITE FALLING 0-1 to Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force yesterday in the second leg of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals at the National Stadium, Mount Pleasant Football Academy advanced to the final, winning the tie 5-2 on aggregate.
Kevin Molino scored the all-important goal for the Trinidadian club in the 12th minute of play.
Mount Pleasant entered the second leg as overwhelming favourites following a dominant 5-1 win in the first leg played in Trinidad and Tobago.
Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore, head coach of Mount Pleasant, said after their victory in the first leg, it was hard to keep the team motivated for the second leg and felt complacency crept in.
“I don’t want to find any excuses,” he said in his post-match interview. “We lost the game.”
“My disappointment was how we started the game. We didn’t start the game right, and we didn’t start the game how we wanted,” he continued.
“After a 5-1 cushion in the first leg, it is kind of hard to motivate the players. Again, the preparation coming into this was just a few days, but as I’ve said before, we would have met our objective and I’m looking forward to the final.”
It was a less-than-stellar performance from the St Ann-based club in the first half, as they were far from their usual best.
Molino opened the scoring for the visitors against the run of play when he struck home from a counter-attack.
Defence pressed their advantage and came close to a second, but Kaihim Thomas’ shot went wide of the mark.
Alex Marshall would provide Mount Pleasant’ first shot on target in the 25th minute, testing his luck from range to send a stinging shot that forced a save from goalkeeper Isaiah Williams.
The team from St Ann upped the tempo and Demario Phillips’ cross into the box forced Williams off his line to collect the ball in a dangerous area.
Mount Pleasant thought they had scored the equaliser in the 45th minute, but the goal did not stand as the linesman had flagged for an offside in the build-up.
Raheem Edwards was the next Mount Pleasant player to try his luck, sending a volley through a crowd of bodies in time added.
Although it was a well-hit effort, Williams proved up to the task and easily collected the ball.
A triple substitution in the second-half brought a much-needed spark to Mount Pleasant’s attack as Tyreek Magee, Lamar Walker and Jeudy Johnson were brought on in the 57th minute.
The tactical change almost bore immediate fruit as Johnson sent a cross in the box inches wide of finding the head of a waiting Mount Pleasant attacker.
Mount Pleasant again had the ball in the back of the net in the 81st minute, but saw the goal disallowed as Shaquille Bradford was ruled offside after a VAR check.
Despite their chances, Mount Pleasant failed to legitimately find the back of the net.
The result snapped Mount Pleasant’s perfect run in the competition, which had seen them tying the record for the longest win streak – with five games in a row.
By virtue of the result, Mount Pleasant have also advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup and await the winner of the second semi-final between Cibao and O&M FC today.
It will be the third year in a row that a Jamaican team has qualified for the Champions Cup, following Cavalier’s consecutive appearances in the past two seasons.
For Defence Force, the match was preparation for the third-place playoff as they hold another chance to advance to the Champions Cup.
The final of the Caribbean Cup will be played across two legs on November 24 and December 1.
English (US) ·