Only three clubs in the history of Jamaican football have won a regional title.

Mount Pleasant Football Academy have the chance to become the fourth when they take on Dominican Republic’s O&M FC in the second leg of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup final at the National Stadium, starting at 7:00 pm.

The St Ann-based club only needs a draw to be crowned champions after securing a 1-0 win in Santiago last Tuesday.

It would be Mount Pleasant’s second ever title at the professional level after winning the Jamaica Premier League in 2023. They would join Cavalier FC as the second Jamaican club to win the Caribbean Cup and join Harbour View FC and Portmore United among Jamaica’s regional champions from the Caribbean Club Championship era.

“I think the work, both the management and the technical staff, the players have been putting in over the past couple of months, I think this would be a big reward. It’s history in the making,” Theodore Whitmore, the Mount Pleasant head coach, said.

“This is something that our owner set out to achieve not only in the Premier League, we want to make our mark outside of it. We want people to know about us not only in Jamaica, but in the Concacaf region and beyond the shores. This is something that we want as a club to achieve.”

Whitmore, however, is still very aware that the title isn’t won yet and is expecting O&M to provide a challenge. The visitors could complicate things with the away-goal rule in play. An O&M goal would mean Mount Pleasant, who have conceded just two goals from their six games, need to win the game outright.

“Just a few days ago, we were having a discussion and I said to the staff, it might sound a way, but I’m glad we’re not going into this tie with a two-goal advantage. I think one is enough so we know that we have something to play for,” said Whitmore.

“We’ve been mean in terms of giving up goals in this tournament so far and we want to continue that way. We think we have enough to damage this team in the final turn once we can take our chances. The back half of the field is solid in defence always so we look for a tough game tomorrow, but we don’t want to be overconfident going into the game.”

Mount Pleasant will be forced into changing their starting line up as one of their key players, Reggae Boy Demario Phillips, will miss out due to suspension.

Whitmore, though, isn’t overly worried by his absence.

“We have a squad of 30-odd players, so any player that is out, it shouldn’t be a problem [because] we have depth in the squad. Yes, he’ll be missed, but that doesn’t stop the show from going on,” he said.

With Mount Pleasant 90 minutes away from glory, Captain Daniel Green says he’s dreaming of lifting the title.

“It would mean a lot because as a local football player, to play in this cup and even winning the trophy would mean so much, and it’s a big mark to set,” he said.

“This cup would mean a lot, and we would put more eyes on the club also for more players to want to join us.”

— Daniel Blake

WHITMORE… we want people to know about us not only in Jamaica, but in the Concacaf region and beyond (Photo: Karl Mclarty)