CATHERINE HALL, St James — Montego Bay United (MBU) will have it all to play for if they are to top their group and make progress in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championships after going down 2-3 to Antiguan team Grenades in their opening game at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Wednesday.

The competition continues today with a second double-header as MBU, third-place finishers two years ago in their time in the regional competition, will take on Elite Sports Club of the Cayman Island in the 8:00 pm game after Grenades FC and Club Barcelona Atletico, both winners on Wednesday, meet in a top of the group clash.

Trevaughn Harriette silenced the MBU crowd with two goals, in the 13th and 31st minutes, the second gift-wrapped by a confused MBU defence and goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett.

Against the run of play in the 67th minute, Miguel Simms, one of five Jamaicans who played for the Grenades team, increased their lead with a powerful header at the far left post to put the home team in a deeper hole.

Goals from substitute Johann Weatherly in the 83rd minute and Dino Williams, four minutes into stoppage time, gave MBU hope of at least stealing a point but they came up short.

Club Barcelona Atletico lead Group C on goal difference after beating Elite Sports Club 4-0 in the first game with two goals from Chiqui Meza and one each from Oscar Castillo and Jose Guerra.

MBU must win by a good margin and hope for help in the first game where a draw would aid their chances.

Elite Sports Club are expected to add three players to their roster for today’s game after having just four players on the substitutes bench on Wednesday.

With all to lose, however, the MBU coaching staff will make changes to the team that started on Wednesday after what technical advisor Rod Underwood described as “a frustrating game”.

Underwood told the

Jamaica Observer: “There will be changes. I am new here and I am still learning, still evaluating, and come Friday there will be changes.”

The American said the lack of pace in the first half and midfield play were not up to his expectations. “We came out and the tempo was not high; it’s not what I was expecting, not what I anticipated,” he said. “There were a lot of errors, the lack of tempo, the reaction to when we lost the ball to winning it back quickly, a lot of that was off.”

Derrick Edwards, the head coach of the Grenades FC, was happy and said the five Jamaican players in his club who took part in the game made an impact.

“Yes, they definitely played a big part. They knew the MBU players and obviously they brought a lot of intensity to the game,” Edwards pointed, adding that his strategy paid off. “We packed the midfield and forced the speedy MBU players wide and tried to use our speed as well.”

Grenades FC went ahead after just 13 minutes when Harriette got between Barrett and his defenders and scored from close quarters, and he doubled it in the 31st when poor communication between the defence and the custodian saw the Antiguan score in an empty goal.

The adjustments at half-time by the MBU coaching staff seemed to be paying dividends as the Antiguans were forced back in their own area for long periods, but Williams missed two gilt-edge chances.

They paid dearly for the missed chances when Simms headed in from a cross from Rakeem Henry in the 67th minute for what turned out to be the difference.

Weatherly, who had replaced Allan Ottey in the 60th minute, finally got past an efficient Prince Walters in the Grenades FC goal, powering a shot past him at his near left post in the 83rd minute.

After parrying a dipping curling free-kick from Owayne Gordon in the 85th minute, Dino Williams cut the deficit to one goal when he swept in a cross four minutes into the five added.

In the first game, Club Barcelona Atletico stamped their class in the second half after taking all of 50 minutes to find their range.

Castillo opened the scoring in the 52nd minute from close range and Meza got the first of his brace two minutes later to rock the Cayman team back on their heels, ending their stout defence.

Meza made it 3-0 with a brilliant shot from distance in the 71st minute, and Guerra made it 4-0 in the 73rd minute.