Champion Mount Pleasant targets back-to-back titles
Sporting director Paul Christie shares his thoughts ahead of Semifinals.
MIAMI – Mount Pleasant FA’s eyes are firmly fixed on a Concacaf Caribbean Cup title repeat against Club Sando of Trinidad & Tobago, with the Semifinals First Leg kicking off on Wednesday, October 14, with the returning fixture scheduled for Sabina Park in Kingston on October 22.
Mount Pleasant’s Sporting Director Paul Christie alongside the club’s technical staff have been keeping a close look on rivals Club Sando: “We have seen the growth and the rapid upward trajectory of this young Sando team, and they are well-coached. They are full of quality, so we understand that, and we understand what we have to do,” Christie told concacaf.com.
A CHANCE ON BACK-TO-BACK GLORY
Christie is confident in his team, already looking beyond the Semifinals on the possibility of defending the regional crown: “In recent times it (back-to-back titles) has never been done, so it could be history beckoning [in the new format of the competition], and so we are aware of that, and we are preparing the team with that reality in mind.
“However, before we get there, we know exactly what we have to do first. We understand that the region is getting a bit closer, and there is no room for error, the margin is closer than most people think, so we just have to pay attention to the details and prepare accordingly” Christie noted.
FROM JAMAICA TO THE WORLD
He reiterated that success for Mount Pleasant means success for the wider Jamaica, a responsibility his club holds dear: “The bigger picture is to have Jamaica being represented at the regional level, the Concacaf Champions Cup level, and being represented with distinction.
“People need to be aware that there's talent in Jamaica, in the Caribbean, and that is what our goal is right now: to put Jamaica and the Caribbean on the Concacaf map.
ROAD TO THE SEMIFINALS
Mount Pleasant’s route to the last four was far from smooth. The club opened Group B with a loss and a draw, leaving no room for errors in the final two matches. It responded with back-to-back wins, closing with a 1-0 victory over out-of-contention Cavalier Sc, sealed by Nickalia Fuller’s 38’ minute goal in the Jamaican derby.
Christie, while acknowledging the sluggish start that could have derailed the campaign, saluted the character shown in salvaging the title defense: “The last time around, we were undefeated, we conceded one goal across all four games. This time, we took a slightly more difficult route, in which there was no room for error in our last two games. We found ourselves in this spot based on the fact that we had a losing start, and subsequently drew the second game.
“We understood the position we were in, and we tried to design a way forward, and it was successful, thanks to the leadership of Theodore Whitmore and the rest of the technical and support staff,” he said.
