Ja, T&T clash in MoBay

Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sports

It's time to crown the champions. Regional giants Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago will battle for the Caribbean Football Union's (CFU) Men's Caribbean Cup football championship title tonight at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, starting at 8 p.m.

The teams lined up for the feature presentation are true Caribbean kings, having shared 13 of the 16 CFU titles.

Trinidad and Tobago hold a distinct advantage, with eight successes. "We came here with two objectives, one was the Gold Cup, the other was to get into the final and give ourselves the opportunity to win the Caribbean Cup," outlined Stephen Hart, coach of the Trinidad and Tobago team.

Jamaica are no less hungry for the title.

The tournament presented a path to redemption, as the entire football organisation, including the administrators, players and coaches, were under pressure. This is because the team lost match after match, under tough circumstances, with long travel and practically no rest most of the times - and their FIFA ranking plummeted to 113 through the past year.

This is well below Trinidad and Tobago's 49, and that of several other teams in the tournament. Despite the disparity, Jamaicans consider their team superior to practically every one in the region and to a degree, it made nothing short of winning the tournament enough for the locals.

"The tournament is not finished, we have one more match. Now we have to work to make preparation," noted Reggae Boyz head coach, Winfried Shäfer.

Now the Reggae Boyz are at the doorstep, rising after the uncertain start of a 1-1 draw against Martinique, to record back-to-back wins against Antigua and Barbuda (3-0) and Haiti (2-0).

"The team showed good character," said Jamaica captain, Rodolph Austin. "We started out with a draw and we came back and won two matches."

Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors qualified for the final, following wins in their first two games - 3-2 - over Curaçao and French Guiana, then tying goalless with Cuba in their last group contest.

Kevin Molino, who has been making a name for himself in the USA leagues, emerged as the main player for the Soca Warriors with three goals in two games, while Kenwyne Jones, who netted a double in their opening win, has English Premier League experience, height and strength that also carries danger.

For the Reggae Boyz, feisty Darren Mattocks, who has scored a goal-a-game, has been leading the lines with a lot of energy and decent finishing. Schäfer has altered his front combination and has got more creativity and finishing through the addition of Simon Dawkins, with Joel McAnuff and Austin throwing some heavy punches from midfield.

The title will secure a major landmark for either team, as they will claim a spot in the prestigious Centennial Cup America.

This first-time tournament - held to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the South American football association, CONMEBOL - will take place in the United States.

By qualifying for the CFU Men's Caribbean Cup final, both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have secured qualification for next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Cuba and Haiti who will battle for third in this evening's curtain-raiser at 5 p.m. have also qualified for the Gold Cup.

- Western Bureau reporter Paul Clarke also contributed to this article