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.
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.
Reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions Cavalier FC will take their rich vein of form into the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final clash against Dominican Republic’s Moca FC as the two continue their hunt for a spot in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
Though they will be away at Estadio Moca 85 for Thursday’s first-leg clash, Cavalier, who are currently on a five-match unbeaten run in the JPL, will start as slight favourites, as they were 3-0 winners when the two teams last met at Sabina Park.
However, Moca FC are no flukes and will enter the encounter on the back of an unbeaten run of their own after they registered three wins and a draw in the group stages of this tournament. In fact, they were only edged by their compatriots Cibao FC on goal difference for the top spot and, as such, will have Cavalier to contend with.
Cavalier FC topped Group A with three wins and a loss, but were still the most lethal attacking team in the group stages with 11 goals to their credit.
Dwayne Atkinson, with four goals and two assists, and Shaquille Stein, with four goals and an assist, head the race for the coveted golden boot, and both are expected to prove problematic for Moca FC’s defensive unit.
Cavalier’s Head coach, Rudolph Speid, is confident about his team’s chances in the two-leg tie.
“We will give a good account of ourselves. We are really going there to get a positive result, not going there to try and draw and come back to win at home.
“We are the only team from Jamaica left in the competition, and we really need to do something special this year so that Jamaica can feel proud.
“We are very comfortable playing home or away. I don’t think that will be affecting us. And we have prepared properly,” he said.
Still, Moca possesses enough quality in that regard, as their backline is marshalled by the ever-reliable Guillermo de Pena. De Peña was one of the top defensive players of the group stage with six steals, one goal, and seven shots.
Beyond him, Moca will also have the likes of midfielder Clifford Thomas and striker Gustavo Ascona, who were both named to the group stage Best XI, along with de Pena, giving the Dominican Republic side a top player in the tournament across each line.
Thomas provided one goal and one assist, along with nine steals and two clearances, while Argentine-born Ascona added three goals and one assist.
Jamaica’s Cavalier FC and Haitian outfit Real Hope FC confirmed their spots in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals after comfortable 4-1 and 2-0 wins over Jamaican clubs Arnett Gardens and Mount Pleasant FA in their final Group A fixtures on Thursday.
A brace from Jalmaro Calvin (35th and 71st) and one each from Shaquille Stein (29th) and Dwayne ‘Busy’ Atkinson (59th) brought Cavalier from behind to top Arnett Gardens, who took an early ninth-minute lead through captain Shai Smith.
With the win, Cavalier, the reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions, consolidated the top spot with nine points, one ahead of Real Hope, who had a brace from Angelo Exilus (12th and 77th) to deny Mount Pleasant in the battle for the runner-up position.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Police FC (five points), Mount Pleasant (four points), and Arnett Gardens (one point) completed the table.
Cavalier will square off against Dominican Republic’s Moca FC in one semi-final, while Real Hope will lock horns against the other Dominican Republic outfit, Cibao FC, in the other. The semifinal date is yet to be confirmed.
Despite already having a spot in the final four, Cavalier FC were in no mood to relent and duly took apart Arnett Gardens at the National Stadium.
It was Arnett Gardens though that showed more purpose at the start as they sought to salvage some pride to end their campaign on a high. The ‘Junglists’ seemed on their way to achieving that feat when Smith connected with a pass from Marlon Allen and fired past Vino Barclett inside 10 minutes.
However, Xavier Gilbert’s side lost focus after taking the lead and were completely outplayed by Cavalier, who pulled level through Stein, who met Atkinson’s corner kick and slotted home at Roje Williams’ near post.
Real Hope's Angelo Exilus celebrate one of his two goals against Mount Pleasant.
Calvin then put Cavalier in front six minutes later with a tidy header past Williams from Jaheem Frazer’s weighted cross as they went to the break 2-1 up.
Cavalier picked up where they left off after the interval as Atkinson won possession deep in Arnett Gardens quarters and rounded the hapless Williams to slot home his team’s third.
Calvin later completed his brace with a tidy right-footed finish to cap Cavalier’s victory.
Meanwhile, a short distance away at Sabina Park, Mount Pleasant were also slow to get into stride, but unlike Cavalier, they couldn’t get back to Real Hope.
After Daniel Saint Fleur’s fourth-minute effort came back off the left upright, Exilus eventually broke the deadlock for the visitors with an easy tap-in from Watz Leazard’s pass.
Mount Pleasant tried to mount a comeback and had two decent efforts through Devonte Campbell and Sue-Lae McCalla in the 33rd and 49th minutes, but Real Hope’s custodian Gooly Elien came up big on both occasions to deny their host.
Raheem Edwards also went close for Mount Pleasant in the 70th, but he too failed to beat Elien’s glove.
With the equaliser proving elusive for Mount Pleasant, Exilus eventually found another open and made no mistakes from close range to secure the crucial win for his team.
Jamaica’s Cavalier FC maintained their perfect start to the Concacaf Caribbean Cup as they registered a comfortable 4-1 over Trinidad and Tobago’s Miscellaneous Police FC in a lopsided Group A affair at Sabina Park on Thursday.
A brace each from Shaquille Stein (22nd and 65th) and Dwayne Atkinson (77th and 90+2) got the job done for the Rudolph Austin-coached Cavalier, which now sits comfortably atop the group on six points, three ahead of Jamaican counterpart Mount Pleasant FA.
Kevon Woodley (32nd) got Police's consolation as they remain fourth in the standings with a point.
Riding high from their opening 2-0 win over Mount Pleasant, Cavalier were always expected to start slight favourites, and they justified that with the opening strike less than 30 minutes in.
Suriname’s Stein, who is proving a valuable asset to Cavalier’s attacking line so far, got on the end of a through pass from Christopher Ainsworth and tucked home a right-footed effort from deep inside the 18-yard box.
However, Police were back on level terms 10 minutes later as Woodley converted an expert diving header from Alvin Jones’ perfectly weighted cross to make it 1-1 at the break.
Like they did at the start, Cavalier showed more purpose and regained the lead five minutes past the hour-mark, when Stein drove an effort past Adrian Foncette, in goal for Police, from a low pass from Atkinson.
Atkinson then added his name to the scoresheet 12 minutes later when he applied to finishing touches to a blistering counterattack to put Cavalier 3-1 up.
With Police down and unable to find a response, Cavalier continued to apply pressure and added a fourth when Atkinson fired home on the volley after Police’s custodian Foncette punched clear from a corner kick in time added.
Cavalier will next meet Haiti’s Real Hope FA in Kingston on September 17, while Police FC will seek its first victory of the campaign against Arnett Gardens FC in Couva on September 19.
On Thursday, Dominican Republic’s Ciabo FC climbed to second in Group B on four points with a 2-1 win over Antigua and Barbuda’s Grenades FC, who were wetting their feet for the first time in the tournament.
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 (25th) 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.
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