Arnett Gardens depart for Haiti to hunt CONCACAF Champions League berth
Arnett Gardens, fresh from their triumph in the Jackie Bell competition on Sunday, are set to leave the island today en route to Haiti to hunt a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The dethroned Red Stripe Premier League champions will join host Don Bosco of Haiti, and the Trinidad and Tobago pair of W Connection and Central FC in the final Caribbean Football Union round.
Three teams will advance to the CONCACAF Champions League, and Arnett’s Head Coach Jerome Waite is confident his team can grab one of those spots.
“It’s a competition we are all looking forward to; we have done extremely well in the first round. We know as you progress in the competition it gets harder, but it’s a competition we are looking forward to,” said Waite, following a light workout on Monday.
Arnett Gardens will play W Connection, while Don Bosco take on Central FC, with both winners advancing to the CFU Club final to determine the Caribbean champion and by extension to the next round, while the losers go into a third-place play-off.
Coach Waite believes it is very important that Arnett Gardens do well and go far in this tournament and give Jamaica’s football a boost.
“It’s very important. This is the third time I have been in this tournament. The last two times we reached the quarter-final and played DC United in that first year and Necaxa from Mexico, so we know it’s not going to be easy and it is really important for Arnett Gardens, who represent Jamaica, to do well in this competition,” he noted.
Montego Bay United were Jamaica’s other team and they fell at the last hurdle, eliminated by Central FC despite playing at home in Group Three.
Arnett Gardens reached the CFU final round after easily brushing aside America FC of Haiti 3-0, SV Notch of Suriname 8-4, and Club Atletico of the Dominican Republic 1-0.
“We currently have one player out through injury and we just have to move on without him at this time,” said Waite, making reference to top midfielder Renae Lloyd who sustained an injury in the premier league semi-final against Montego Bay United.
On Sunday, Arnett Gardens won the KSAFA Jackie Bell competition, defeating Waterhouse 2-1, and Waite thinks it was timely.
“It’s a booster for the team, the fact that we fell short in the semi-final (of the Red Stripe Premier League). We tried to get the players refocused; it wasn’t easy, but it was a situation of focusing on the mental preparation in which we did,” said Waite.