US coach blasts Catherine Hall surface

Paul Reid

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

CATHERINE HALL, St James — America's Under-17 coach Wilmer Cabrera has blasted the surface at the Montego Bay Sports Complex following his team's 3-1 win over Cuba on yesterday's opening day of the two-week tournament.

The former Colombian international, who played in the 1990 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, also blasted his team's performance with a grade of two out of 10. He told reporters after the game that the field was as bad as his team's performance and described it as "dangerous".

Cabrera told journalists: "Our game was bad, as bad as the field, our game was horrible and the field was horrible."

He added: "It's hard, that field and it is not in a good condition to play soccer." The coach noted that the Jarrett Park field where they played Jamaica twice last month was much better.

"Jarrett Park is much better than this field, it is bad, bumpy and dangerous."

The field was recently relayed, but showed a number of brown spots.

The organisers had sought to protect the field by rescheduling a friendly against Haiti to Ferdie Neita Park and then forced the organisers of last Saturday's Milo Western Relays to give them a written promise that they would not allow any one to go anywhere near it.

Last Saturday the field was surrounded with yellow tape and metal spikes driven into the earth with yards of strings intertwined to prevent any movement on it.

Guards were also posted around the perimeter of the field.