Whitmore demands more from Mt Pleasant despite Carib Cup semi berth
Despite Mount Pleasant Football Academy’s perfect run in the group stage of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, Head Coach Theodore Whitmore says more work needs to be done as they seek to become champions for the first time.
The St Ann-based club recorded a 2-0 win over O&M of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday at the National Stadium.
Although booking their semi-final spot prior to the contest, goals from Gadail Irving and Ranaldo Biggs ensured Mount Pleasant finished with a 100 per cent record and top Group A with 12 points, six ahead of O&M.
It’s a massive improvement for the 2023 Jamaica Premier League champions, who won just one game in their debut 2024 tournament which saw them fail to advance to the knock-out stage.
Whitmore credits his team’s professionalism after an impressive unbeaten run in the group.
“I’m very pleased with the result,” he said. “We’d have achieved our objective by coming out of the group stage and qualifying for the next stage. The pleasing thing, as well, is we haven’t conceded for the past four games and that’s something I must commend the team for.”
However, Whitmore is urging his team not to rest on their laurels as they have more to achieve.
“We want to be consistent and each game we want to improve as a team,” he said. “Are we pleased? No — we can get better, we want to get better, teams have to know now when they come to play against Mount Pleasant, they know what they’re up against.
“There’s always room for improvement. We can’t be too comfortable, we can’t get too complacent so we just have to keep pushing the guys and get what we want out of them, get the desired result.”
The two-legged semi-final is set to begin on October 21 and Whitmore says squad management will be important as they balance the local and regional competition.
“The depth is important,” he said. “We are in two competitions — now our focus is on the Premier League so the depth, injury, recovery, everything we have to take into consideration, so hence we have the young players.” he said.
Mount Pleasant become the third Jamaican team to qualify for the last four of the Caribbean Cup, joining defending champions Cavalier FC and Harbour View.
WHITMORE…are we pleased? No — we can get better, we want to get better, teams have to know now when they come to play against Mount Pleasant, they know what they’re up against
