Arnett ready to battle for Champions League spot
Arnett Gardens head coach Jerome ‘Jerry’ Waite says his team is ready to battle Arabe Unido in the Scotiabank CONCACAF League roundof-16 tie on July 31 in Panama. “We have been in training for the last three weeks, and it has been going good. We had a long local Premier League season, so the aim is to get the team up to the level to compete in the CONCACAF Round of 16,” Waite told STAR Sports recently.
Waite noted that the CONCACAF League serves as qualification to the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, so they are taking it very seriously.
“It is a very important tournament as the winners will gain qualification to the Champions League. The players are fully aware that it gives them an opportunity to showcase their talent in order to get overseas contracts,” he added.
MISSED OUT
Arnett named a 20-man squad for the game with Dicoy Williams back after spending one season at Red Stripe Premier League champions Portmore United. Arnett Gardens and Portmore United missed out on their opportunity for direct qualification to the CONCACAF Champions League when they failed to lift the FLOW CONCACAF Caribbean Championship, staged at Arnett Gardes’ home ground, the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, in May.
The home team had to settle for the runner-up spot after losing 6-5 on penalties to the Dominican Republic outfit, Club Atletico Pantoja.
Portmore ended third in the tournament, edging Trinidad and Tobago’s Central FC 2-1 in the third-place playoff.
Portmore’s round-of-16 tie is against Santos de Guapiles of Costa Rica on August 1 and August 9. The winners on aggregate in the round of 16 will advance to the quarterfinal stage.
At the completion of the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF League, the champions will qualify for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League and join the other 15 direct entrants.
Arnett Gardens squad is: Damion Hyatt, Shamarley Clayton, Jabeur Johnson, Ranike Anderson, Dicoy Williams, Tamar Edwards, Rickardo Oldham, Jamar Jackson, Marvin Morgan, Vishinul Harris, Lennox Russell, Damari Deacon, Steve Clarke, Fabian Reid, Shamar Pryce, Ronaldo Wright, Lamard Neil, Javoni Simms, Jamar Martin and Kimani Arbouine.