Montego Bay United continued their promising start to the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Arnett Gardens in an entertaining encounter at the Montego Bay Stadium in Catherine Hall on Monday.

Captain Owayne Gordon was the hero of the night, scoring the decisive goal in the 40th minute to secure all three points for Rodolfo Zapata’s side. The win, their third of the campaign, moved Montego Bay United up to second on nine points, one point off leaders Cavalier on 10 points, while Arnett Gardens slipped to seventh on four points.

Zapata was visibly pleased with his team’s performance, lauding the effort and determination shown by the players throughout the match.

“I knew it was going to be a very exciting game; it was very interesting from a tactical aspect, and tactics are very important, but if you don’t have the technique, it won’t work. So I am very proud of my boys and the performance they put in," the Argentine tactician said.

“They (Arnett Gardens) are a good team so I have different tactical systems that I work with in games like these. We started with 3-3-3-1, and during the game I had to change, but my players responded to my coaching, and I am so proud of them, especially of that high-class finish,” he added.

It was a lively start by teams as they showed good attacking intent in end-to-end action, much to the delight of the sizeable crowd.

Both threw their weight in attack and tested their respective goalkeeper’s readiness in a few half chances in the opening half-hour.

However, Montego Bay United, led by Gordon, gradually gained the ascendancy, as they were more enterprising in the attacking third, stretching Arnett Gardens defence, which was slow to regroup.

The all-important goal by Gordon, his 77th in an outstanding JPL career, was the culmination of a well-executed build up that showcased Montego Bay United’s swift and effective transition play.

Gordon collected a pass on the break down the left channel and held his composure to delicately finish over the head of Asher Hutchinson in goal for Arnett Gardens to put Montego Bay United up at the break.

Montego Bay United remained in control at the restart and should have extended the lead on two occasions, but faulty execution proved their undoing.

The first came in the 48th when Gordon whipped in a weighted cross, but Lucas Lima Correa couldn't connect properly to get his header on target.

Nine minutes later, Tyrone Harrison danced his way through two defenders and fired on a cross for Shaneil Thomas, who steered the effort wide of the left upright. 

As the chances came far and few in between, Arnett Gardens had their best look at goal in 69th when Warner Brown found himself with space and time to set for a left-footed effort from deep inside the 18-yard box. However, the usually clinical attacker hit his shot wide of the right upright, and that effort basically summed up the “Junglists” night.

Head coach Xavier Gilbert acknowledged that they were found wanting for the most parts.

“To be honest, Mobay was committed. I don’t think we were committed as much, especially in the first half, and it is something that we spoke about because we can’t give away the ball and don’t have that urgency to win it back immediately. It has been haunting us for the last four or five games, but we are still trying to fix it.

“It is still a long season and we just have to be better at keeping the ball. Also, the end product just wasn’t there and it is just one of those games. I said it to Kimani [Arbouine] because he has been doing well but tonight just wasn’t his night,” Gilbert reasoned.

Matchweek Four Results

Molynes United 4, Chapelton Maroons 0

Humble Lion 1, Harbour View 1

Portmore United 2, Vere United 0

Tivoli Gardens 0, Waterhouse 1

Cavalier 4, Dunbeholden 1

Mount Pleasant 4, Racing United 0

Montego Bay United 1, Arnett Gardens 0

Portmore United finally broke their winless run in the 2024/25 Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season when they edged Tivoli Gardens in a come-from-behind 2-1 scoreline at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday night.

The victory, secured by a late strike from substitute Javier Brown in the 89th minute, marked the St Catherine-based club’s first taste of success after three games, lifting the weight of early season pressure from their shoulders. 

Junior Grizzelle (45+1) also struck for Portmore United, after 19-year-old Nickalia Fuller gave Tivoli Gardens a 40th-minute lead.

With the win, Portmore United moved up the standings from 13th to 10th, giving their fans and coach Rudolph Austin reason to hope that a revival is on the cards.

“It was a really good performance by the team; they went out there and they executed what we planned throughout the week, so hats off to them. They showed a lot of character when they went down and came back and won the game so that was brilliant. The fight they showed is the Portmore United I know, work hard, play to the end, and win games.

“That is why we won seven championships, so that is what I want my players to always do; go out and express themselves. Even if you make a mistake, keep going. So hopefully this is the start of a successful run for us but one thing I can tell you is that I won’t let up,” Austin declared in a post-game interview.

Romeo Guthrie marshalled Portmore United's midfield.

The former Reggae Boy turned coach also heaped praise on former Arnett Garden stalwart Romeo Guthrie, whose performance—marked by two assists—reinforced the importance of the team’s creative spark.

But the night belonged to former Vere United captain Brown, the unlikely hero who ensured Portmore United ended with three precious points.

“When I used to play against Vere United, he [Brown] was always in our box, so I knew he had that in him, and he was hungry to deliver for us. But I can’t leave out Guthrie; I think he had a very good game... all the guys played well, but I think Guthrie was outstanding,” Austin added.

The match unfolded as a one-sided affair for the most part, as Portmore United dictated the pace and forced Tivoli Gardens back for long spells. In fact, they peppered Tivoli’s goal with 15 shots, 10 of which were on target, displaying a level of control and intent that had been missing in their earlier fixtures.

Grizzelle fired Portmore United’s first warning shot in the third minute that caught Tivoli Gardens’ goalkeeper Diego Haughton off his line, but the effort kissed the crossbar on its way out.

Five minutes later, Jahien Rose also pulled the trigger from a distance, but that shot was tipped over by Haughton diving full stretch.

Tivoli Gardens later settled and went close through Fuller, who drove into the 18-yard box and got off a left-footed effort that was kept out by Daniel Russell in goal for Portmore United.

However, Fuller, a former Excelsior High standout, broke the deadlock on his second attempt, as he released a delightful left-footed strike from a tight angle outside the 18-yard box that had Russell well beaten.

That was all the West Kingston team would get as they only mustered four shots, with Fuller’s efforts the only two on target.

Such was Portmore United’s dominance from that point on as Guthrie stamped his mark on the game. The industrious playmaker, who was at the heart of most of Portmore United’s attacking moves, provided the assist for the equaliser on the stroke of the interval.

He dispossessed a defender deep in Tivoli Gardens quarters and played off a pass for Grizzelle, whose tap in left Haughton rooted to the spot as they went to the break with the score levelled at 1-1.

Junior Grizzelle scored the opener.

But even with the scores level, the momentum never truly shifted away from Portmore after the interval. They pressed forward relentlessly in a sustained attacking spell that forced Tivoli to defend deep and absorb pressure.

Tedj Bryan should have put Portmore United ahead in the 47th when he picked up a poor clearance from Haughton, but his tame effort was kept out by the custodian, who stuck out the right leg. 

They thought they had the breakthrough in the 65th when Okelo Howard played a timely through pass into the final third for Tarick Ximines to finish, but the goal was called back for an offside.

Ximines was at it again in the 75th as he outmuscled a defender on his way towards goal. However, his final effort was denied by Haughton's outstretched right leg.

As the clock ticked down, it seemed the go-ahead goal would elude Portmore United, and they would have to settle for another frustrating draw.

Enter Brown, who replaced Ximines in the attack.

In the dying embers of the match, Guthrie once again turned provider, threading a clever pass into Brown’s path. With a burst of pace and a clinical finish, Brown drove a firm right-footer past the slightly advanced Haughton to send the Portmore bench and fans into frenzy.

Tivoli Gardens Head coach Jerome Waite acknowledged that his team needs to be sharper and more assertive as their defensive effort was found wanting, while their inability to match Portmore United’s intensity was glaring.

“We defeated ourselves because the two goals came from poor defensive errors and Portmore United capitalised on both of them. It is our second game, so we still have a lot of work to do, and at the same time they will have to learn and understand where the system of play is concerned,” Waite said.

Matchweek 3 Results

Harbour View 2, Molynes United 1

Vere United 1, Humble Lion 1

Waterhouse 0, Cavalier 2

Arnett Gardens 1, Racing United 1

Chapelton Maroons 0, Montego Bay United 1

Portmore United 2, Tivoli Gardens 1

Dunbeholden vs Mount Pleasant (Postponed)

Having shaken the first game jitters with a hard-fought 1-0 win over promoted Racing United, Waterhouse's Head coach, Marcel Gayle, is expecting his team to improve significantly throughout the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season.

In fact, Gayle pointed out that consistently securing clean sheets is high on the agenda for their title run this season as they are benchmarking their performance against last season’s campaign, where they lost to Mount Pleasant in the semi-finals.

Though they dominated proceedings for the most parts, Waterhouse did not have things their own way, as they survived a late surge from their St Catherine opponents to secure the win courtesy of Atapharoy Bygrave’s all-important 52nd-minute strike at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday.

In all honesty, Waterhouse should have won by a wider margin, but they failed to please where it mattered most—in the final third—as Bygrave squandered a number of chances, though Caryle Holmes came up big in goal for Racing United on a few of those occasions.

Still, Gayle took heart from his team’s performance, which he views as a solid platform to build on for the season, which will be contested over three rounds, back up from two rounds last season.

“We deserved to win the game; hats off to Racing United’s goalkeeper for keeping the scoreline to what it was, but nevertheless, I thought we played well. We bossed the game; we gave up a little in the middle of the park, but it’s a work in progress... it’s the first game, so now that the cobwebs are out the way, we know what we are about and will build from here,” Gayle said in a post-game interview.

“So it’s a positive start; it’s the first game, and we wanted everything to go right, which it didn't, but we see some areas that we can improve in and areas that we have improved on so far. As you can see, we got a clean sheet, and that is benchmark for us this season,” he added.

Waterhouse's Kemar Foster saves Rodave Murray's penalty.

Racing United started brightly with Rodave Murray firing the first warning shot, which interestingly was the only shot they got off in the first half.

This, as Waterhouse quickly found their rhythm and asserted their authority on the contest with fluent ball movements and some tidy build-ups—in patches—that unlocked Racing United’s defence on a number of occasions. However, the finishing touch eluded them.

Bygrave was at the centre of most of those chances, the best two of the lot coming in the latter stages of the first half. In the 40th, Bygrave applied a decent first touch from Leonardo Jibbison’s cross, but his effort was equally well-saved by Holmes.

The former Dunbeholden and Mount Pleasant striker was again in shooting range from Denardo Thomas’ pass in the 45+5, but his right-footer was again kept out by Holmes diving full stretch to his right to keep the score goalless at the break.

However, Waterhouse maintained the momentum on the resumption and inevitably broke the deadlock seven minutes in when Andre Smith's attempt was deflected into Bygrave's path and the striker made no mistake from close range on that occasion.

Racing United should have had their first top-flight goal in the 66th when Ranaldo Biggs played a delightful ball inside for Giovanni Cunningham, who was felled by Waterhouse's custodian Kemar Foster. However, Murray's tame effort was kept out by the custodian, who redeemed himself.

That was the start of a decent passage of play for Racing United, who found another opening in the 77th courtesy of Javaughn Cole, who couldn't keep his effort down.

In the 86th, substitute Diamond Clarke's freekick driven along the ground was kept out by Foster, who got down well to his left.

Two minutes later, Mikyle Williams drove a stinging right-footer that caught Foster going the wrong way, but the effort came back off the left upright.

Racing continued to probe for a share of the spoils, which they should have had, had Deandre Johnson kept his right-footed effort at close range down, with literally the final kick of the game.

Though disappointed with the outcome, Racing’s assistant coach Paul Walker took heart from his team’s display.

“I think we played well, but I think if we had approached the game better in the first half, we could have had a better result. So I am disappointed with the loss because we also need to put away our chances when we get them but we just have to go back to drawing board and hope for the best next game,” Walker noted.

Matchweek one results

Vere Phoenix United 1, Montego Bay United 4

Portmore United 0, Mount Pleasant 2

Arnett Gardens 3, Dunbeholden 0

Harbour View 1, Chapelton Maroons 2

Waterhouse 1, Racing United 0

Humble Lion vs Cavalier (postponed)

Tivoli Gardens vs Molynes United (postponed)

It was a triumphant return to top-flight football for Chapelton Maroons and new head coach O’Neil ‘Bigga’ Thompson as they clipped former champions Harbour View 2-1 in their opening Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Complex on Monday.

Javel Ellis (10th) and Nathaniel Howe (63rd) got the job done for the Clarendon-based team, which was relegated from the JPL two seasons ago. Andre Fagan (59th), pulled one back for Harbour View, who are now being guided by Jason ‘Buju’ Henry.

Thompson, who was an assistant at another Clarendon outfit, Humble Lion, expressed delight at his team’s positive start.

“Every team in the Premier League is prepared to win their first game. Sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it goes against you. So I feel extremely pleased to start off the season with three points. We will continue to work on the areas we want to improve on. But so far, I am satisfied with the performance of the team,” Thompson said in a post-game interview.

Chapelton, intent on giving a more competitive account of themselves this time around, were more purposeful in the early exchanges, as they applied pressure to Harbour View’s defensive line and were duly rewarded for their efforts.

This, as Ellis capitalise on a goalkeeping error by Harbour View’s Romario Palma with an easy finish from close range.

Seemingly content with their lead, Chapelton gradually took a defensive posture and absorbed pressure from Harbour View, who eventually got into their rhythm, but failed to make it count in the final third as the score remain unchanged at the break.

Like they did at the start, Chapelton were again more spirited on the resumption and created a few half chances, which amounted to nothing.

That allowed Harbour View back into the contest as Fagan expertly headed home from Tahair Lawrence’s cross to pull the ‘Stars of the East’ level.

However, Howe ensured the points went Chapelton’s way when he fired past Palma three minutes past the hour mark.

Try as they did, Harbour View were unable to find the elusive equaliser and, as such, were left to pick up the pieces heading into the second match week, something defender Romaine Brackenridge is confident they will do.

“We are a young unit. Despite the result, the guys came out and tried their best. So we have to improve on this going forward. It’s still early days. We have a long season ahead and we have players still to come in. So the Harbour View you saw today (Monday), you can expect better things going forward,” Brackenridge declared.

Many-time Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions Portmore United have added United Sports Group (USG) and Garwin Tulloch to its ownership group, as the club continues to chart a course towards reclaiming its glory days at the pinnacle of the nation’s top-flight league.

USG is a consortium comprising Tina Matalon, Ryan Reid, Khary Robinson, Duncan Stewart and Jackie Lechler, all prominent and successful Jamaican business leaders across various sectors, while Tulloch is a director of Kemtek Development & Construction Company Limited.

Kemtek, a family business, and one of Jamaica’s leading home construction companies, boasts major investments in the development of commercial and residential properties across various Jamaican communities including the sprawling metropolitan Portmore community.

For Portmore United, the addition of these new investors will strengthen the operational and financial capacity of the club, which is one of Jamaica’s marquee clubs and the most successful in the JPL, having won seven titles –the first two as Hazard United in 1993 and 2003.

The JPL has increased in popularity over the years and even more so in the post pandemic period, under the Chris Williams-led Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL).  During this time, the PFJL has seen tremendous growth in the League’s commercial viability and the economic prospects of the Clubs.

This expansion of an increasingly sophisticated investor pool facilitates the collective vision of the PFJL and the JPL clubs, which is to enhance the financial and operational capacity of the Clubs. The path to achieve that includes leveraging existing revenue streams like sponsorships, player sales, broadcasting, digital media, merchandizing and increased gate receipts, through additional investments in infrastructure, something that USG’s Khary Robinson is pleased to be a part of.

“United Sports Group believes that this strategic investment will further empower Portmore United Football Club to achieve even greater football success and become a catalyst for positive community development. Our leadership group is committed to delivering the time, strategic support and capital to enable the PUFC brand to maximize its potential in the sporting industry commercial space,” Robinson said.

Tulloch echoed similar sentiments.

“Football has remained one of my great passions and the desire to give back to the community through the sport has always been a driving force for me personally. My association with the JPL through Kemtek sponsorship of the League, led me to an association with the principals of Portmore United Football Club,” Tulloch shared.

“From the onset I was impressed with the vision and professionalism across the organization and the decision to invest was a no brainer for me. It is an association that I’m confident will yield great benefits to the various stakeholders of the Club,” he added.

Consequent on the additional ownership compliment, Portmore United’s new Board of Directors, will see Tulloch serving as chairman, with Garfield Sinclair, Peter Baker, Khary Robinson, Clinton Brooks and Garth Pearce, the memebers.

Despite his extensive experience and success coaching female teams, Xavier Gilbert’s introduction to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) was expected to be tough, especially guiding a team such as Arnett Gardens.

Well aware of how most felt about his chances in the nation’s top-flight, Gilbert was determined to overcome the challenges of gaining experience at that level, and also prove his doubters wrong, and he did just that, for the most part. Though he didn’t lead Arnett Gardens to a long-awaited title –dating to the 2016-17 triumph –Gilbert, who is an assistant to senior Reggae Girlz Head coach Hubert Busby, believes a third-place finish was an achievement of sorts.

This, as it not only follows a similar outcome from last season but, more importantly, earned them a spot in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Caribbean Shield where they will challenge for one of two spots to the more prestigious Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

The “Junglists”, who placed fifth in the preliminary round on 49 points, hammered Waterhouse 5-1 in the third-place encounter to finish behind Champions Cavalier FC and beaten finalist Mount Pleasant FA.