‘Stars of the East’ shine bright with success of youth, senior teams
Local football club Harbour View FC has been growing from strength to strength at all levels of the sport in Jamaica.
The club has continued to enjoy success at the various youth levels and added their fifth senior title as well, recently.
The reigning four-time consecutive undefeated Kingston & St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Under-13 champions have been unbeaten in that competition since 2016. Harbour View are also two-time KSAFA Under-15 champions in 2016 and 2017.
The Under-17 team recently participated in the KSAFA Valeo Youth Development Tournament, winning the 11 league games and securing a semi-final 4-0 win over Benders United before drawing the final 2-2 with Liguanea United. They, however, lost on penalties 4-5.
Last month, the “Stars of the East” ventured to Trinidad and Tobago with their Under-16 squad, sponsored by CUMAX Wealth Management Limited, to play six international friendly games against hosts Cox Coaching Academy, Gasparillo Youths, and two academies in Tobago.
Their first tournament consisted of five teams. They played four games of 20 minutes each, winning them all without conceding a goal. The scores were 3-0, 1-0, 3-0, 1-0.
Harbour View were eventually crowned Under-16 champions in Trinidad Cox Coaching Academy Tournament in Palo Seco as they played eight games, won all eight, scored 18 goals, and conceded none.
Orane Watson was the leading scorer with nine goals, Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament was midfielder Kimani “Beckham” Reece, while the Individual Team MVP was midfielder Raje Ximines.
The Most Outstanding Goalkeeper was Leighton “FatJet” Murray with six clean sheets.
The team completed its series of games on the island with a 90-minute game against hosts Cox Coaching Academy, ending with a 4-0 victory. The goalscorers in the match were Rasheed Thomas, Devonte Allen, and Ronaldinho Richards, who topped it off with two strikes.
Leighton Murray maintained yet another clean sheet and did not concede any goals in Trinidad.
In their lone match in Tobago they defeated Jario Titans 8-3 at the Plymouth Recreational Centre.
Ronaldinho Richards led the scoring with five goals.
In June Harbour View added to the youth football landscape when they hosted their inaugural Reggae Cup for players Under-7, Under-9, and Under-11.
The tournament was a success with 22 clubs and academies participating from Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, and Manchester.
Harbour View will next travel overseas for four international friendly games in Hartford, Connecticut, on Friday, August 26, then in Brooklyn, New York, on September 3, before they head to the Cayman Islands on September 11.
— Dwayne Richards