Cavalier Head Coach Rudolph Speid says the 2-0 win over Mount Pleasant FA to kick off their 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign provides a solid platform to build on in their charge to achieve long-term goals this season.

Christopher Ainsworth (ninth) and Shaquille Stein (25^th) got the job done for Cavalier in a keenly contest encounter at Sabina Park on Tuesday.

“The win is very important, because when teams are in your zone and they’re from the same country or same city, it’s really a derby. It doesn’t matter how strong each team is, it’s a derby, and derby games are the most difficult games you’ll come up against, so getting the first win is always important,” Speid said in a post-game interview.

Cavalier, the reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions and runners-up in the 2023 edition of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, were more purposeful at the start, and they were duly rewarded when Ainsworth converted from the 12-yard spot after Stein was felled inside the red zone by Jamoi Topey.

Mount Pleasant created a few half chances in their press for the equaliser, but they found Cavalier’s defenders and goalkeeper Jeadine White in defiant mode.

Stein later doubled Cavalier’s lead when he expertly headed home from Jalmaro Calvin’s weighted cross.

Try as they did, Mount Pleasant’s attackers couldn’t find a way past White, who ended the contest with six crucial saves, including a last-minute reflex stop diving low at his near post to deny Rayonne Mbougain in time added.

Cavalier also had their fair share of chances to add to their tally, the best of which fell to Kaile Auvray in the 49th minute, but Mount Pleasant’s custodian Tafari Chambers came up big to stop the close-range effort.

Speid lauded his team for a solid defensive effort, which ensured they sit atop Group A on three points heading into the second round of games on August 29.

Then, Cavalier will host Trinidad and Tobago outfit Police FC in Kingston, while Mount Pleasant FA will look to rebound against CFU Club Shield winners, Arnett Gardens FC, on August 27 at Sabina Park.

“We did not know what Mount Pleasant was going to do. We decided we were going to be tough on defence. The defence, including the goalkeeper, stood out. It is not easy to keep a clean sheet against those players from Mount Pleasant, as they can turn a game on its head,” Speid reasoned.

“So our concentration was spot on from minute one. Although we defended stoutly, we were positive all the time. We attacked when the occasion aroused, and we didn’t hesitate. We could have even scored two more,” he noted.

His counterpart Harold Thomas, who took over from Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore in June, believes his side lacked the hunger and conviction of their opponents.

“One of the things we have to do is look at the players who are hungry for it. You hear Cavalier’s approach to the game, they have a group of youngsters that don’t have the kind of reputation that our players have, but they’re hungry. They want to make a name for themselves,” Thomas stated.

“We need to find players who want to make a name for themselves or even those who have a name to improve their credibility. We know the quality of the players. There are some things we have to change, but the quality is there. The motivation will be a great factor because what we saw today (Tuesday) wasn’t a team as hungry as they should have been,” he added.

Chelsea midfielder Omari Hutchinson is one of five English-based players that were, on Tuesday, named in the Reggae Boyz squad for two friendlies against Trinidad & Tobago to be held on the 11^th and 14^th of March in Montego Bay.

The 19-year-old, who spent seven years at Arsenal before moving to Chelsea last year, played his first game for the Reggae Boyz in an unofficial 0-6 friendly loss to Catalonia in May 2022.

The other four England-based players in the squad are Tyler Roberts (Wolves), Dexter Lembikisa (Wolves), Delano McCoy-Splatt (Fulham) and Dante Cassanova (Tottenham Hotspur).

Also selected in the squad for the first time is 17-year-old Kingston College standout Dujuan “Whisper” Richards who was recently on trial at Premier League outfit Newcastle United.

The full squad is as follows: Tyler Roberts (Wolves), Collin Anderson (Cavalier), Trivante Stewart (Mt. Pleasant), Dujuan Richards (Phoenix Academy), Jourdain Fletcher (NEROCA), Lamar Walker (Portmore United), Demario Phillips (Mt. Pleasant), Delano McCoy-Splatt (Fulham), Ravel Morrison (DC United), Dante Cassanova (Tottenham Hotspur), Alwayne Harvey (Mt. Pleasant), Jahshaun Anglin (Harbour View), Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea FC), Dwayne Atkinson (Cavalier), Dexter Lembikisa (Wolves), Ricardo Thomas (Dunbeholden), Jamoi Topey (Mt. Pleasant), Richard King (Cavalier), Fitzroy Cummings (Vere United), Adrian Mariappa (Unattached), Sue-Lae McCalla (Mt. Pleasant), Oshane Staple (Harbour View), Jamali Waite (Pittsburgh Riverhounds), Kemar Foster (Waterhouse), Asher Hutchinson (Arnett Gardens)