Cayman’s qualifying hopes dashed despite 3rd victory
(CNS): Although the Cayman Islands national-U15 squad beat the Bahamas 3-1 on Sunday evening in their third win of the CONCACAF tournament, their hopes of reaching the semi-finals were dashed when Bermuda beat Aruba 3-1 in their earlier game at the Truman Bodden Stadium. Unless, in an unrealistic scenario, St. Maarten, which has not won a game yet, can beat Bermuda, which is dominating the group, and the Cayman team beats Aruba tomorrow evening, the local teen players will not advance. Nevertheless, the team has made the country proud, with some fantastic goals and great results, and just one defeat to the team which has not lost a single game.
Meanwhile, in Group B, Grenada defeated St. Lucia 2-0 pushing them out of the tournament, while Grenada has one match remaining. Witha late first half goal by Man of the Match, Francisco Fuentes, Guatemala defeated Belize 1-0. With this victory, Guatemala installed itself in first place, while Belize is tied in second place with Jamaica.
In Group D action, Haiti defeated St. Vincent & Grenadines 2-0. Angelo Thelusme scored in the 49th minute, while Man of the Match, Thermidor Fils-Aime, scored the second goal nine minutes later. With two games remaining for each team, group leader El Salvador has seven points, followed by Puerto Rico and Haiti.
Ten teams in groups C and D will face off on Monday, when Curacao play St. Kitts & Nevis. This will be the third match of the tournament for both teams. In the second game of the Group C, Honduras, the tournament favourites, will face the current leader Guadalupe, a match likely to decide who will advance to the semi-finals in that group.
In Group D, Puerto Rico will face Haiti. These two teams are currently tied for second place behind El Salvador. St Vincent & Grenadines will face El Salvador, likely to secure a place in the semi-finals, and Martinique will face Antigua & Barbuda.
Category: Sports
Oh and i should have added – well done to the Cayman team, not going nthrough just because of one lost game is a bit galling! I just hope they get all the encouragement they need to go far, and good to see Swindon (?) is talent spotting as well. If it doesn't work out, hopefully the discipline needed will rub off in whatever path they take in life.
As one who attended the Cayman matches, I was impressed at the sportsmanship and teamwork of the young team regardless of who they were playing and both in winning and losing. I was proud of my country's Under-15 team and equally proud of the thousands who came out to pack the TMB stadium and show their support. Fantastic family entertainment and free; a rarity these days. Congratulations coaches, players and organizers.
So in other words, we never advance if Bermuda is in our group. Well that's great.
Allowing the stupid unfettered access to the internet and a computer results in posts like this.
I assure you, I am very far from stupid, but you and your friends might be for misunderstanding me. Bermuda beats our backsides every time we play them, occasionally by embarrassing margins. My post was not to the effect that I actually believe we must lose to them, or that having Bermuda in our group means we lose by operation of some rule. That would be stupid. It was a reference to our many historical losses, to our misfortune in having to play them to advance. They are a better team, with more investment, from an older society that has had more practice at life itself.
I for one was really surprised at how well the Caymanian youth has played the soccer game! Coming from a small country like Cayman, I would not have thought competitive players with teamwork could match up with the much larger countries. Question: After these games will the Cayman Islands government invest in these youth's talents? What will happen to these young boys? Cayman has alot of potential in their youth, but will they receive the attention they deserve?
The only people in the world who call it soccer are US citizens.
The rest of the world calls it football, and have done so since the game was invented.
The fact is that Cayman is too small a nation to succeed in such a sport on an international level as a team. We do not have the depth to pick and choose that all other nations have who are successful on an international level. Its not just football, most if not all of Cayman's team sports have to face this reality.
Individual players on the other hand, if they have the talent, can succeed if they are fostered correctly from the get go, and this is where the Cayman Islands FOOTBALL Association has to chip in i.e. arranging for trials overseas with clubs etc.
I think the Australians call it soccer too. As do the Canadians. If you are going to start with a bad point, make the bad point properly.
Apart from that it has been a stellar performance from the u15's. Congratulations are well deserved.
Beating a few tinpot places is hardly "stellar"
Hopefully you are not a parent or do not plan to become one or not in any contact with children – because you are very negative – not encouraging at all.
I am a parent. I have very succesful children. That was possibly down to the fact I did not fill their heads with crap that they could achieve anything they wanted.
Canadians also call it Soccer…or European Football and we are NOT US citizens..(at least not yet…lol)
And the angry Irish ladyin my work just insisted in Ireland it is soccer as well, football is Gaelic football to them. Which is odd, since the ball is carried quite a bit of the time. In America their football is anything but. It should be called catch-fall-over-go-to-commercial ball. But its not, such is life.
The Australian national team are called the Socceroos, but why does anyone care what someone else calls the game. We Americans think that if you're not using your hands, it's not football. One of our many loveable idiosyncracies.
It is "association football" unless you are an oik. That way it can be distinguished from "rugby football".
GREAT JOB CAYMAN BOYS!!! Keep it up and don't get doscouraged! We are proud of all of you!
The Cayman Team and the Event being held in Cayman has done us proud. Hats off to the team
Everyone is doing good, keep up the good work.