Related items

• Cavalier field seven players in Concacaf Caribbean Cup semis Best XI

  Jamaican champions Cavalier FC had a number of standout performances in the recently-concluded Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals, and so it comes as no surprise that seven of their players are named in the organiser’s Best Eleven (XI) from those fixtures.

  Cavalier, who are set to contest the two-leg finals against Dominican Republic counterparts Cibao FC on November 26 and December 3, will be hoping to continue their rich vein of form to cop the Caribbean Cup on this occasion. They lost last year’s final to Suriname’s Robinhood.

  Among those that had standout performances for Cavalier are Suriname-born Shaquille Stein and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kaile Auvray, along with defenders Richard King and Jeovanni Laing.

  The 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup Best XI for the semifinal fixtures is:

  Goalkeeper

  Miguel Lloyd, Cibao FC – With four saves in two games, Lloyd helped decide a tightly contested series against Haiti’s Real Hope to help Cibao reach the final. He had a clean sheet in the second leg to seal a 4-2 win on aggregate.

  Defenders

  Jimmy Guillaume, Real Hope FA – Guillaume was active along the defensive line for Real Hope in the series against Cibao. He was one of the most effective passers of the semifinals with an 88% accuracy.

  Richard King, Cavalier FC – King contributed to two clean sheet performances in their contest against Dominican Republic outfit, Moca FC. He had two steals and five shots in 190 minutes to help Cavalier reach the final.

  Jeovanni Laing, Cavalier FC – Laing had three steals and one shot in 180 minutes to help Cavalier keep consecutive clean sheets and advance to the final.

  Christopher Ainsworth, Cavalier FC – Ainsworth scored a goal to help Cavalier to victory in the second leg. He also had one steal for a defensive line that did not concede in the semifinals.

  Midfielders

  Rivaldo Correa, Cibao FC – Correa added two goals to his tally in the semifinals, along with one steal, to help Cibao reach the final with a 4-2 aggregate.

  Jean López, Cibao FC – Lopez struck the opening goal of the series against Real Hope and contributed one assist and two steals.

  Juan Díaz, Cibao FC – Díaz scored a goal and added three steals to help Cibao advance to the final, overcoming Real Hope.

  Dwayne Atkinson, Cavalier FC – Atkinson continued his offensive rhythm in the current campaign with one goal, 10 attempts and two assists.

  Forwards

  Shaquille Stein, Cavalier FC – Stein struck a hat-trick to help Cavalier advance to the final while also taking the lead in the Golden Boot race.

  Kaile Auvray, Cavalier FC – Auvray scored a brace, including the series-winning goal, to help Cavalier return to another Caribbean Cup final.

   

• Llori Sharpe claims historic gold for Jamaica at the 2024 Elite Caribbean Cycling Championships

   Jamaican cyclist Llori Sharpe made history this weekend, powering to gold in the Elite Women’s Road Race at the 2024 Elite Caribbean Cycling Championships, marking the first time a Jamaican woman has claimed the Caribbean Champion title at the elite level in road racing.

  The two-day championship event was held in Georgetown, Guyana, and saw the Jamaican contingent, led by Coach Carlton Simmonds, deliver mixed results across several competitive races. The team comprised four riders: Sharpe, Andrew Ramsay, Obrian Madourie, and Damaine Douglas.

  Day one saw Sharpe and Madourie in action in the Individual Time Trial, covering 18km and 36km, respectively. Sharpe narrowly missed out on a podium finish, coming in fourth and missing bronze by just 30 seconds. Madourie finished seventh in his category, putting in a commendable effort.

  However, it was on day two that Sharpe cemented her place in the history books. Competing in the Elite Women’s Road Race, she bided her time before surging ahead in the final kilometre of the 67km course, distancing herself from the pack to secure the gold medal. Bermuda's Gabriella Arnold claimed silver, while Berenice Paul of Guadeloupe rounded out the podium with a bronze.

  This victory marked a remarkable improvement over Sharpe's silver-medal finish at the 2023 championships in Guadeloupe and set a new standard for Jamaican women in Caribbean road cycling.

  While Sharpe shone on day two, other members of the Jamaican team faced challenges. Douglas, competing as an under-23 rider in the grueling 155km event, was dealt a setback after a flat tyre forced him to fall behind the main peloton, finishing in 12th place. Ramsay finished 24th in the Elite Men’s event, and unfortunately, Madourie did not complete the race.

  Cory Williams of Belize won the men’s elite title, with Jesus Cespedes from the Dominican Republic and Guyana's John Briton securing second and third, respectively.

  .

• Flawless victory: Ja's Cavalier maul Dom Rep's Moca FC 7-0 to book spot in Caribbean Cup final

  Jamaica’s reigning Premier League champions Cavalier FC booked a spot in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup final for a second consecutive year after they mauled Dominican Republic’s Moca FC 7-0 in a lopsided second leg semifinal tie at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

  A hat-trick from Suriname's Shaquille Stein (6th, 45+3, 62nd) and a brace from Trinidad and Tobago’s Kaile Auvray (1st, 51st) did most of the damage for Cavalier, while Christopher Ainsworth (39th) and Dwayne Atkinson (79th) also got in on the act.

  With the win, Cavalier, who lost last year’s final to Suriname’s Robinhood, now have a shot at redemption as they await the winner of the second semi-final between Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC and Haiti’s Real Hope in the showpiece. By virtue of making the final, Cavalier also secured a return to next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.

  Head coach Rudolph Speid was pleased but also surprised at the margin of victory, especially after being held to a goalless stalemate in the first leg.

  “It was very pleasing. We didn’t expect to win by such a large margin; however, this is our third time playing them, so they aren’t strangers to us,” Speid said.

  Cavalier wasted little time to make their intentions known as Auvray found the opener shortly after kickoff when he drove home a firm left-footer from a distance.

  The Jamaican team struck again before Moca could regroup as Stein expertly headed home from Jalmaro Calvin’s weighted cross five minutes later.

  Ainsworth extended the lead when he converted from the penalty spot as Moca FC’s custodian Miguel Baez was left flat-footed.

  Stein then notched his second and Cavalier’s fourth with another comfortable finish as they went to the break 4-0 up.

  With the writing on the wall, frustration set in, and Moca lost Baez and Jesus Correa to straight red cards and, as such, contested the second half with nine players.

  Cavalier showed no mercy and made full use of the numerical advantage when Auvray completed his brace with another well-struck effort from outside the 18-yard box.

  Stein completed his hat-trick soon after to move his tally to seven so far in the tournament, before Atkinson added his name to the scoresheet from the penalty spot 11 minutes from time.

  Despite the loss, Moca FC still stand a chance of making the Champions Cup, provided they come out tops in the third-place playoff.