Jamaican champions Cavalier FC had a number of standout performances in the recently-concluded Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals, and so it comes as no surprise that seven of their players are named in the organiser’s Best Eleven (XI) from those fixtures.
Cavalier, who are set to contest the two-leg finals against Dominican Republic counterparts Cibao FC on November 26 and December 3, will be hoping to continue their rich vein of form to cop the Caribbean Cup on this occasion. They lost last year’s final to Suriname’s Robinhood.
Among those that had standout performances for Cavalier are Suriname-born Shaquille Stein and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kaile Auvray, along with defenders Richard King and Jeovanni Laing.
The 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup Best XI for the semifinal fixtures is:
Goalkeeper
Miguel Lloyd, Cibao FC – With four saves in two games, Lloyd helped decide a tightly contested series against Haiti’s Real Hope to help Cibao reach the final. He had a clean sheet in the second leg to seal a 4-2 win on aggregate.
Defenders
Jimmy Guillaume, Real Hope FA – Guillaume was active along the defensive line for Real Hope in the series against Cibao. He was one of the most effective passers of the semifinals with an 88% accuracy.
Richard King, Cavalier FC – King contributed to two clean sheet performances in their contest against Dominican Republic outfit, Moca FC. He had two steals and five shots in 190 minutes to help Cavalier reach the final.
Jeovanni Laing, Cavalier FC – Laing had three steals and one shot in 180 minutes to help Cavalier keep consecutive clean sheets and advance to the final.
Christopher Ainsworth, Cavalier FC – Ainsworth scored a goal to help Cavalier to victory in the second leg. He also had one steal for a defensive line that did not concede in the semifinals.
Midfielders
Rivaldo Correa, Cibao FC – Correa added two goals to his tally in the semifinals, along with one steal, to help Cibao reach the final with a 4-2 aggregate.
Jean López, Cibao FC – Lopez struck the opening goal of the series against Real Hope and contributed one assist and two steals.
Juan Díaz, Cibao FC – Díaz scored a goal and added three steals to help Cibao advance to the final, overcoming Real Hope.
Dwayne Atkinson, Cavalier FC – Atkinson continued his offensive rhythm in the current campaign with one goal, 10 attempts and two assists.
Forwards
Shaquille Stein, Cavalier FC – Stein struck a hat-trick to help Cavalier advance to the final while also taking the lead in the Golden Boot race.
Kaile Auvray, Cavalier FC – Auvray scored a brace, including the series-winning goal, to help Cavalier return to another Caribbean Cup final.
Jamaica’s reigning Premier League champions Cavalier FC booked a spot in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup final for a second consecutive year after they mauled Dominican Republic’s Moca FC 7-0 in a lopsided second leg semifinal tie at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
A hat-trick from Suriname's Shaquille Stein (6th, 45+3, 62nd) and a brace from Trinidad and Tobago’s Kaile Auvray (1st, 51st) did most of the damage for Cavalier, while Christopher Ainsworth (39th) and Dwayne Atkinson (79th) also got in on the act.
With the win, Cavalier, who lost last year’s final to Suriname’s Robinhood, now have a shot at redemption as they await the winner of the second semi-final between Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC and Haiti’s Real Hope in the showpiece. By virtue of making the final, Cavalier also secured a return to next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
Head coach Rudolph Speid was pleased but also surprised at the margin of victory, especially after being held to a goalless stalemate in the first leg.
“It was very pleasing. We didn’t expect to win by such a large margin; however, this is our third time playing them, so they aren’t strangers to us,” Speid said.
Cavalier wasted little time to make their intentions known as Auvray found the opener shortly after kickoff when he drove home a firm left-footer from a distance.
The Jamaican team struck again before Moca could regroup as Stein expertly headed home from Jalmaro Calvin’s weighted cross five minutes later.
Ainsworth extended the lead when he converted from the penalty spot as Moca FC’s custodian Miguel Baez was left flat-footed.
Stein then notched his second and Cavalier’s fourth with another comfortable finish as they went to the break 4-0 up.
With the writing on the wall, frustration set in, and Moca lost Baez and Jesus Correa to straight red cards and, as such, contested the second half with nine players.
Cavalier showed no mercy and made full use of the numerical advantage when Auvray completed his brace with another well-struck effort from outside the 18-yard box.
Stein completed his hat-trick soon after to move his tally to seven so far in the tournament, before Atkinson added his name to the scoresheet from the penalty spot 11 minutes from time.
Despite the loss, Moca FC still stand a chance of making the Champions Cup, provided they come out tops in the third-place playoff.
With nothing separating them so far, Jamaica’s Cavalier FC and their Dominican Republic counterparts Moca FC will have all to play for in the decisive second leg of their Concacaf Caribbean Cup semifinal tie at National Stadium on Wednesday.
The teams, who will meet for the third time in Caribbean Cup history, played out a goalless stalemate in the Dominican Republic last week, which means it is anybody’s game to take when the ball gets rolling at 7:00pm.
Prior to their goalless scoreline, Cavalier won the first meeting between the two 3-0 last year at Sabina Park. With that in mind, Cavalier should again start slight favourites, especially being at home.
However, the reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champion will have to tread cautiously as Moca will be riding high on the fact that the away goal rule is in effect. That means a 1-1 draw would be enough to see Moca FC through to the Caribbean Cup final and, by extension, next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
Should the contest again end scoreless, then extra time and penalties, if necessary, will decide the winner.
While declaring that his players are ready for the challenge, Cavalier’s Head coach, Rudolph Speid, is wary of the away goal rule.
“I don’t think it’s an advantage for us, because the away goal rule is in effect and we didn’t score one goal away. So, if they score one, we’ll have to score two. So I’m not really pleased, and we don’t have an advantage at this point,” Speid said.
“Moca is a good team, and you can see they have a lot of structure. They have players from Argentina and from all over South America, so they are not an easy team. Those players are well versed in the art of playing, so we have to give them a lot of respect,” he added.
Dwayne ‘Busy’ Atkinson is again expected to be the point man in Cavalier’s attacking line, which has tallied 27 goals across last year and this year’s editions and stands as the team with the best offensive power in the history of the tournament.
They also placed second last year when they lost to Robinhood of Suriname and will be hoping to go one better on this occasion.
For Moca FC, this campaign is about seeking redemption after they were eliminated at this same stage last year by eventual champion Robinhood. They take an unbeaten record into Wednesday’s decisive leg and will be intent on keeping that record intact.
It is as you were between Jamaica's Cavalier FC and Dominican Republic's Moca FC in their Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final tie, after they played out a scoreless stalemate in first leg action at Estadio Moca 85 on Thursday.
The result means that both teams will still have all to play for in next Wednesday's second leg at the National Stadium to secure a spot in the final and, by extension, in next year's Concacaf Champions Cup.
Cavalier was the more dominant outfit throughout, as they bossed possession and created the best of chances to break the deadlock. Jerome McLeary got the first look at goal in the 26th minute, but he dragged his effort just wide of the target.
Dwayne 'Busy' Atkinson proved his usual menacing self and also went close in the 31st, but Moca's custodian Miguel Baez proved equal to the task.
Moca tried to play their game and had their best effort on goal courtesy of Clifford Thomas, whose 51st minute shot from just outside the 18-yard box did little to bother Vino Barclett in goal for Cavalier.
In the 55th minute, Atkinson worked his way into the danger area and pulled the trigger from close range, but Báez again came up big to deny him.
The nippy former Kingston College standout again showed his class to open space for a 65th-minute effort but put too much force behind his attempt, which sailed over the crossbar.
With Moca's defence struggling to contain him, Atkinson again found himself in a sweet spot with Baez at his mercy. However, it was not to be, as his strike from deep inside the box veered just wide of the right upright on the stroke of full time.
Reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions Cavalier FC will take their rich vein of form into the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final clash against Dominican Republic’s Moca FC as the two continue their hunt for a spot in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
Though they will be away at Estadio Moca 85 for Thursday’s first-leg clash, Cavalier, who are currently on a five-match unbeaten run in the JPL, will start as slight favourites, as they were 3-0 winners when the two teams last met at Sabina Park.
However, Moca FC are no flukes and will enter the encounter on the back of an unbeaten run of their own after they registered three wins and a draw in the group stages of this tournament. In fact, they were only edged by their compatriots Cibao FC on goal difference for the top spot and, as such, will have Cavalier to contend with.
Cavalier FC topped Group A with three wins and a loss, but were still the most lethal attacking team in the group stages with 11 goals to their credit.
Dwayne Atkinson, with four goals and two assists, and Shaquille Stein, with four goals and an assist, head the race for the coveted golden boot, and both are expected to prove problematic for Moca FC’s defensive unit.
Cavalier’s Head coach, Rudolph Speid, is confident about his team’s chances in the two-leg tie.
“We will give a good account of ourselves. We are really going there to get a positive result, not going there to try and draw and come back to win at home.
“We are the only team from Jamaica left in the competition, and we really need to do something special this year so that Jamaica can feel proud.
“We are very comfortable playing home or away. I don’t think that will be affecting us. And we have prepared properly,” he said.
Still, Moca possesses enough quality in that regard, as their backline is marshalled by the ever-reliable Guillermo de Pena. De Peña was one of the top defensive players of the group stage with six steals, one goal, and seven shots.
Beyond him, Moca will also have the likes of midfielder Clifford Thomas and striker Gustavo Ascona, who were both named to the group stage Best XI, along with de Pena, giving the Dominican Republic side a top player in the tournament across each line.
Thomas provided one goal and one assist, along with nine steals and two clearances, while Argentine-born Ascona added three goals and one assist.
Jamaica’s Cavalier FC and Haitian outfit Real Hope FC confirmed their spots in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals after comfortable 4-1 and 2-0 wins over Jamaican clubs Arnett Gardens and Mount Pleasant FA in their final Group A fixtures on Thursday.
A brace from Jalmaro Calvin (35th and 71st) and one each from Shaquille Stein (29th) and Dwayne ‘Busy’ Atkinson (59th) brought Cavalier from behind to top Arnett Gardens, who took an early ninth-minute lead through captain Shai Smith.
With the win, Cavalier, the reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions, consolidated the top spot with nine points, one ahead of Real Hope, who had a brace from Angelo Exilus (12th and 77th) to deny Mount Pleasant in the battle for the runner-up position.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Police FC (five points), Mount Pleasant (four points), and Arnett Gardens (one point) completed the table.
Cavalier will square off against Dominican Republic’s Moca FC in one semi-final, while Real Hope will lock horns against the other Dominican Republic outfit, Cibao FC, in the other. The semifinal date is yet to be confirmed.
Despite already having a spot in the final four, Cavalier FC were in no mood to relent and duly took apart Arnett Gardens at the National Stadium.
It was Arnett Gardens though that showed more purpose at the start as they sought to salvage some pride to end their campaign on a high. The ‘Junglists’ seemed on their way to achieving that feat when Smith connected with a pass from Marlon Allen and fired past Vino Barclett inside 10 minutes.
However, Xavier Gilbert’s side lost focus after taking the lead and were completely outplayed by Cavalier, who pulled level through Stein, who met Atkinson’s corner kick and slotted home at Roje Williams’ near post.