DESPITE the failure to advance to the quarter-finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, Cavalier Sporting Director Rudolph Speid is proud of his team’s performance against one of the top clubs in the competition.

Cavalier’s journey in the championships came to an end on Thursday at the National Stadium. They fell 0-2 on the night to Inter Miami to go out 0-4 on aggregate.

After Inter Miami won the first leg 2-0 in Florida last week, the return clash saw them underlining their dominance courtesy of goals in either half from the iconic former Barcelona pair of Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi.

While Inter Miami, who are coached by former Liverpool and Barcelona player Javier Mascherano, advanced to the quarter-finals, Cavalier have been left to reflect on their campaign.

“We could have always done something but I think that we played fairly well,” Speid remarked after the match. “It was probably just two mistakes that cost us the goals — and that is what happens when you are playing against top teams. It is who makes the most mistakes that usually loses the game.”

The match was highly anticipated, with a charged atmosphere as fans filled the stadium, many eager to see Messi in action.

The legendary Argentinian World Cup winner, who started on the bench, was introduced about 10 minutes into the second half. His presence on the pitch ignited the crowd, and Speid admitted to making tactical changes in an attempt to manage the excitement.

“The atmosphere was electrifying because all the persons came here to see him [Messi] in some form or the other. When he came onto the field, I tried my best. I made a couple of changes to try and calm down everybody, but he is really an exceptional player and he did well,” Speid noted.

While the scoreline suggested a comfortable win for Inter Miami, Speid noted that his team held its own.

“In some respects, yes, I think that we executed our plan because Inter Miami didn’t really break us down from behind and get one-on-one shots at our goalkeeper. The second goal came in the last kick of the match when we were pushing for an equaliser, but I thought we did well,” he added.

Mistakes proved costly for Cavalier, including the concession of the penalty kick which Suarez converted. Speid said his players must learn from these moments.

“We gave away the penalty and paid the price for it. I also thought that if we were a little calmer with our passes it would have been easier, but we will learn as we go along.”

Despite the result, the match provided a thrilling experience for the Jamaican fans who turned out in their numbers, as to see one of the greatest football players of all time was a moment to cherish for all.

“It is a good feeling to play against one of the greatest players of all time, and I think Jamaicans enjoyed themselves,” Speid pointed. “They came out, the game wasn’t boring, and so they were able to enjoy themselves. Messi scored a goal and so everybody is happy.”