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HAVING LOST a number of players from their back-to-back Jamaica Premier League (JPL) winning squads, Cavalier head coach Rudolph Speid said this season’s focus will be to rebuild their numbers as they look to be as competitive as possible.
Cavalier stand as one of the premier clubs in the island, following two consecutive JPL titles and three titles in the last five seasons.
In fact, the club has made it to the JPL semi-finals for the past seven seasons consecutively.
Speaking ahead of today’s start of the season, Speid said this will be their most difficult campaign to date, as they are still reeling from the loss of several key players.
The club has seen the likes of Richard King, Jalmaro Calvin, Dwayne Atkinson, Kaile Auvray, and JLoyd Smith leaving this summer.
The year prior, they also lost the likes of Ronaldo Robinson, Shaniel Thomas, Nicholas Hamilton, Ronaldo Barrett, Orlando Russell, Gadail Irving, and Kyle Ming.
Speid said, with their departures over the past few years, the club is now focused on rebuilding their numbers and planning their long-term goals.
“We’ve lost about 12 players and counting. This year, after five years post-pandemic and about seven years finishing in the top four, this year will be a rebuilding year for us. We definitely have to rebuild for the future,” he explained.
“I know it is risky but we’ve always taken risks. It’s going to be difficult but we’re up to the task. We’re Cavalier.”
Still, Speid insists they are not yet ready to hand over their title, and believes they can still be competitive in the league.
“It’s going to be rough initially, and slow, but we expect to pick up and hope, by the end of the 39 games, we can be in the play-offs and defend our title as best as we can.”
He added, “As I said, It’s going to be a tough process but we’re hoping to fast-track it.”
Cavalier have been active in the transfer market and have brought in a number of players they believe will be able to replace the quality they have lost.
Among the arrivals are the Vere United pair of Denzil McKenzie and Michael Forbes, with the latter making a return to Cavalier, Navardo Blair, Garfield Tomlinson, and Deshawn Bernard.
Cavalier have also seen some international arrivals with Zerguinho Deira joining the club from Surinamese giants SV Transvaal and Antiguan international Daryl Massicot also joining the team’s ranks.
Speid said, in addition to players being promoted from their youth ranks, his goal now is to ensure their new-look squad can build cohesion.
“We do have some experience in doing this type of thing, and I think we also promoted a lot of good players from our youth ranks,” he said.
“We have brought in some players and the ones from overseas are national players, so we should maintain some quality. It’s just the cohesion that’s going to struggle a bit for a while. So we have to hope we get it right soon,”
He continued, “It’s going to be a lot of hard work for the technical staff but I think that we’re up to it.”
Cavalier will open their season today when they headline a double header at the Stadium East Complex against Harbour View at 6:30 p.m.
In the first match of the afternoon, Molynes United will take on Waterhouse in their opening game at 4 p.m.
In other fixtures across the league, last season’s runners-up Mount Pleasant Football Academy will open their season by playing hosts to Montego Bay United at Drax Hall.
The match will be a clash of early title contenders, as both teams are expected to have good seasons.
Newly promoted teams Treasure Beach and Spanish Town Police will also take to the field against each other at the St Elizabeth Technical High School field.
Treasure Beach are making their second appearance in the league over the last three seasons, while Spanish Town Police are making their debut in the island’s top-flight league.
Chapelton Maroons, who were recently acquired by Phoenix Academy, will also open their season today when they welcome Tivoli Gardens at Turners Oval in Clarendon.
Today’s fixtures
Chapelton Maroons vs Tivoli Gardens, at Turners Oval (3 p.m.)
Mount Pleasant vs Montego Bay United, at Drax Hall (3 p.m.)
Treasure Beach vs Spanish Town Police, at STETHS (3 p.m.)
Molynes United vs Waterhouse, at Stadium East (4 p.m.)
Cavalier vs Harbour View, at Stadium East (6:30 p.m.)
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