Humble Lion FC have been punished by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) competitions Committee for its use of an ineligible player in their Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League encounter against Montego Bay United on Sunday.
The game which ended 2-1 to Humble Lion at Wespow Park, has now been awarded to Montego Bay United by a 3-0 scoreline, after the Clarendon-based team was found in breach of Article 17.2 and 18.3.i of the Jamaica Premier League regulations.
This follows an appeal by Montego Bay United's management, after documents in an email from the Jamaica Football Federation’s Competitions Committee pointed out, in red highlighted letters, that the player in question had accumulated five yellow cards and was not eligible to play against MBU on Sunday.
As a result of the ruling, Montego Bay United moves up to 26 points, but remain eighth, while Humble Lion has been relegated to 11th position on 18 points. Cavalier continues to head the standing on 43 points, one ahead of Mount Pleasant Football Academy, on 42 points, with Portmore United in third on 39 points.
Tivoli Gardens (37 points), Arnett Gardens (35 points) and Waterhouse FC (27 points), currently occupies the other playoff positions.
New ground will be broken in this year's Concacaf Champions Cup when Jamaica's Cavalier Football Club square off against Major League Soccer's (MLS) FC Cincinnati in Round One action next month.
Not only will it be the first time that both teams will parade their skills in the tournament, but it will also be the first time that a Jamaican club will lock horns with an MLS outfit that is not DC United.
This two-legged encounter, like others in the first round, is possible due to the tournament's expanded format to accommodate 27 teams.
By virtue of winning the MLS Supporters Shield for the 2023 season, in which they had the league’s best record during the regular season, FC Cincinnati qualified for their first Champions Cup, while Cavalier qualified by way of their runner-up finish in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup.
This means that two teams making their Champions Cup debut will meet in the first round of action, for the first time since the 2020 edition when New York City FC faced Costa Rica's San Carlos in the Round of 16.
In all four previous instances when Jamaican teams drew an MLS opponent in the Champions Cup, all were somehow pitted against DC United. This started in the 2005 quarterfinals, where DC United eliminated Harbour View 4-2 on aggregate with a pair of 2-1 victories.
Three years later in 2008, those same two sides met again in the quarterfinal round. Harbour View earned a 1-1 draw at home, but succumbed 5-0 away loss, as DC United won 6-1 on aggregate.
In the 2014-15 Champions Cup, Waterhouse was the Jamaican opponent for DC United in the group stage. DC United narrowly won that encounter 1-0 at home and then 2-1 in Jamaica on their way to group honours.
The following season in the 2015-16 group stage, DC United faced Montego Bay United, and again came out tops. DC United collected a 3-0 win at home and then rallied from a three-goal deficit to claim a 3-3 draw in Jamaica.
Thanks to DC United’s prowess, MLS teams have six wins and two draws against Jamaican opposition in the Champions Cup, a mark that will be put to the test by Cavalier against FC Cincinnati in next month’s fixture.
Former champions Montego Bay United extended their unbeaten run across four games, as they showed grit and determination in their come-from-behind 2-2 stalemate with Waterhouse in a lively Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL) encounter at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall on Monday.
It was a contest worthy to be the first at the venue in almost 10 months as fans, who braved a downpour, were treated to end-to-end action for the most parts. The small turnout particularly came to life when Montego Bay United through Lucas Lima Correa (75th) and Owayne Gordon (83rd) overturned a two-goal deficit, after the League's leading scorer Javane Bryan (32nd) and Revaldo Mitchell (59th) put Waterhouse up.
With the point, eighth-placed Montego Bay United inched up 19 points, one behind Waterhouse in seventh position.
Montego Bay United's Head coach Neider Dos Santos welcomed the point as part of their steady ascension up the order.
"I feel like we should have won the match in the last 20 minutes, but we didn't and it's just the nature of the game because they played well in the first half, and we played better in the second half. Our midfield was very open in the first half, and we fixed it second half and we proved something because even two goals down the players never gave up. So, we just have to build on this," he said in a post-match interview.
Waterhouse adjusted best to the underfoot conditions and dominated proceedings for most of the first half but squandered numerous chances. They inevitably broke the deadlock two minutes past the half-hour mark when Navardo Blair's weighted cross found and unmarked Bryan, who expertly headed home his 10th on the season.
Montego Bay United's best chances of the half came through Gordon and Brian Brown, but both were denied by Kemar Foster's brilliance in goal for Waterhouse, as they went to the break 1-0 up.
Waterhouse maintained their momentum on the resumption and doubled the lead on the stroke of the hour mark through Mitchell, who rose highest to steer Denardo Thomas' well-weighted corner kick past the advancing William Ferreira.
The Drewsland-based team could have added to their tally and put the game beyond doubt, but for faulty shooting on the part of the usually clinical Andre Fletcher and others, and they later paid for their profligacy.
Lucas Lima Correa pulled one back for Montego Bay United in the 75th when he finished off a rebound for his third goal of the season after Foster blocked Brown's initial effort.
And the host were back on level terms eighth minutes later when Gordon applied a delightful first touch to Gregson President's chip pass, followed by a stinging left-footed drive that whistled past Foster, who had no chance at a save. That goal marked Gordon's second since his recent return to Jamaica's top-flight, and 48th across his Premier League career.
Both teams pushed for the win but came up short and had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Waterhouse's Head coach Marcel Gayle, like his counterpart felt the win was there for the taking.
"When you look at it, it could be considered a loss, but nevertheless I thought we played well. I thought we were in full control of the game until we lost concentration and gave up two silly goals. It has been an issue for us all season and we paid for it, so we just have to take the point, move on and turn our attention to the next game," Gayle noted.
Matchweek 15 Results
Lime Hall Academy 0, Portmore United 2
Mount Pleasant 1, Treasure Beach 0
Harbour View 0, Vere United 0
Humble Lion 0, Dunbeholden FC 0
Tivoli Gardens 0, Cavalier FC 0
Arnett Gardens 4, Molynes United 1
Montego Bay United 2, Waterhouse 2
Defending champions Cavalier got the new Jamaica Premier League season underway with a win against Arnett Gardens FC in an enthralling encounter at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence in Kingston.
Central defender, Jamoi Topey, gave Cavalier the lead in the 60th minute before Chavany Willis got an equaliser that he thought would salvage a draw in the 96th minute.
Cavalier forward Shaniel Thomas had other ideas as he slotted home a right-footed effort in the 97th minute to secure a win and three points for the two-time champions.
The second match on Sunday was also an exciting one between four-time champions Waterhouse FC and Montego Bay United, who have also won the title four times.
Montego Bay United took the lead in the 57th minute through Giovanni Reid before Waterhouse equalised in the 72nd minute through an Andre Fletcher penalty.
Waterhouse completed the comeback in the 81st minute through a goal from Devroy Grey. The action then shifted to Monday, January 17 with two more matches.
Dunbeholden FC and Vere United FC contested the first game with Dunbeholden securing a 2-1 victory.
They took the lead in the eighth minute through an excellent header from Atapharoy Bygrave before Lampard Neil tied things up for Vere in the 57th minute.
Substitute Jahmiel Hardware secured the three points for Dunbeholden with a well-placed free kick in the 92nd minute.
In the second match, goals from Warner Brown in the 42nd minute and Shai Smith in the 87th minute ensured that five-time winners Tivoli Gardens FC and seven-time winners Portmore United FC played out a 1-1 draw.
On Tuesday, four-time champions Harbour View FC and Molynes United FC played out a 2-2 draw thanks to double strikes from Trayvon Reid and Nicholas Nelson.
Nelson gave Molynes United the lead in the 42nd minute before Reid made it 1-1 in the 45th minute.
The 58th minute saw Nelson get his second to give Molynes United a 2-1 lead before Reid once again equalized in the 90th minute to ensure the points were shared.
In the second game on the day, goals from Daniel Green in the 14th and 43rd minutes, as well as strikes from Allan Ottey in the 17th, Ricardo Morris in the 45th, and Donovan Segree in the 90th helped Mount Pleasant FA secure the biggest win of the round, a 5-1 rout of Humble Lion FC.
Cory Hylton got Humble Lion’s consolation goal in the 83rd minute.
The second round of matches kicks off on Saturday.
Former Jamaica U-23 and Montego Bay United forward, Deshane Beckford, is expected to join USL Championship club Colorado Switchbacks on a season-long loan.
The move will mark the second for the Jamaica national over the past several years, after first joining the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros at the end of 2019. Beckford also spent the 2020 season with the Toros.
In 22 USL Championship appearances, the forward has scored three goals. Brown put himself on the radar of the USL after a strong performance at the 2019 Pan American Games where he scored three goals for Jamaica in three games. The forward also previously represented Jamaica at the U-17 level.
The move remains dependent on the player renewing a work visa, but Beckford expressed delight with the opportunity to continue plying his trade in the US second division.
“I'm grateful to be a part of the Switchbacks, the players and staff have been really positive,” Beckford told USL Championship.com.
“I'm excited for the upcoming season.”
The 23-year-old previously trialed for West Ham in 2015. Colorado Springs coach Brendan Burke welcomed Beckford’s addition to the line-up.
“Deshane is a player that impressed us immensely during his performance with the Jamaican U23 team in the Pan American Games,” Burke said.
“His pace, soft feet, and nose for goal should add another weapon to our still-evolving group of forwards.”
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