TUCKER, St James

MONTEGO Bay United will be at a big disadvantage when they travel to Washington DC next week to face American Major League Soccer (MLS) team DC United in a crucial ScotiaBank CONCACAF Champions’ League Group at the RFK Stadium in Washington DC on Tuesday.

The lone Jamaican team in the competition are coming off a 0-3 loss to Panamanian team Arabe Unido on August 5, and must get a result from the former MLS champions if they are to stay in contention for Group H honours and a chance to advance to the next round.

Much-travelled 60-year-old American coach Timothy Hankinson, who has been working with Montego Bay United since last week, believes the timing of the competition does not favour the Jamaican team.

“This is a team in pre-season,” he told the Jamaica Observer West. “You go against a team in Panama that had many preparation games and this team had none. When we go to DC United that’s a team in mid-season in the MLS, they been training since January and maybe had 20 pre-season games and 30 games along with cup competitions, while we have had one, the Panama game.

“So we are at the beginning of the process, whereas the teams we are playing against are in the middle of the process, so that means we have to accelerate our ability to be effective and keep faith,” he said.

Montego Bay United who were making their first entry in the Champions League, had very little to show from their game in Panama, as they gave up three easy goals.

Notwithstanding this, Hankinson said on Tuesday that he saw qualities in the game with Arabe Unido. He added that along with Dr Dean Weatherly, whom he replaced, they are expecting to get the best from the team.

If the American is appointed on a full-time basis to take over MBU for the Red Stripe Premier League season set to start in early September, he would be the third non-Jamaican coach to lead the team in their five years back in the league.

Brazilian Nedier Dos Santos was appointed in the first season, but left abruptly early in the second season, while Spaniard Carlos Garcia lasted almost an entire season before he was replaced with two games left in the regular season in April.