National FootballTeam performances well in Copa Caribe Cup
Sport
National FootballTeam performances well in Copa Caribe Cup
Cayman National Team
Cayman National Senior Football Team stellar play netted threedraws in the Copa Caribe Cup in Martinique last week, experiencingone of the best results since 1994, when they conquered Jamaica2-1 to continue to the finals.
The local team competed against the BritishVirgin Islands coming up with a 2-2 draw on Wednesday; in theSt. Vincent game on Friday Cayman tied 1-1; and in the final matchon Sunday, where Cayman faced Martinique they again drew 1-1,which is a testament to the new team's fortitude and NationalFootball Technical Director Marico Maximo's programme.
The scorers were Garth Anderson and EricBrown in the first game; Eric Brown scored in the second and LeeRamoon deposited the ball into the back of the net in front of10,000 people in the Martinique game on Sunday.
"It is a new time in Cayman football.In the near future the people of Cayman will see a great team.I am very happy now. My players deserve it. We have not lost thelast four games. We have good expectations for this year. Whenyou field a young team they will mature and expectations willgrow," said Coach Maximo.
"The team played very well. They lefta good impression in Martinique. I believe that our team is perhapsthe youngest team in the Caribbean right now," he stated.
Charles Branche, Director of Youth and Sports,offered kudos to the team saying: "It was a good performancefor Cayman. But they need to work hard and not become complacentif they want to become professional footballers."
"The public should rally around themand give these youngsters every support," he added.
"I thought the team played well andthey really stepped up. The youngsters gained a lot of experiencefrom the trip. They believed in themselves and this came acrossin how we played. I think we were a bit unfortunate that we didnot put away some of the chance we had," said Lee Ramoon,captain of Cayman Senior National Football team.
Martinique's win over British Virgin Islandsqualified them for the semi-finals of the Copa Caribe Cup, whichis to take place in Trinidad in May.
Coach Maximo has announced that he is preparinga team for the 2004 Olympics and names are listed below. He explainedthat only four players are allowed to be over the age of 23 forthe Olympic team.
Training schedule for the National Team- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at theTruman Bodden Sports Complex and the same days but at 3 p.m. forthe Youth Talent Programme.