By Neto Baptiste
Despite a one-nil defeat to Jamaica’s Arnett Gardens in the final of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield in Curacao on Sunday, Antigua and Barbuda’s Sandals/Inet Grenades have reaped the rewards of a top-two finish and will play in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup slated to kick-off on August 20.
Grenades will contest Group B alongside Cibao FC out of Dominica, Moca FC out of Dominica, Ouanaminthe FC out of Haiti and AC Port of Spain out of Trinidad, while Club Shield champions, Arnett Gardens will play in Group A.
The top two teams in the CFU Club Shield gain automatic spots in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup.
Head coach of the Grenades FC, Derrick Edwards, said that having to prepare players for a match every other day in the CFU Club Shield has been a learning process for the entire outfit.
“This tournament was a gruelling tournament because you only have one day to rest, so it also teaches us that we have to know how to manage players, how to manage our time, and for me, there were no losers tonight [Sunday] because both teams came out and played well,” he said.
Grenades were outdone by a 73rd minute strike from Arnett Gardens’ Rushane Thompson in Sunday’s final at Stadion Rignaal Jean Francisca in Curacao.
Edwards expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
“We played well tonight [Sunday] and it took something special from the Jamaican team, Arnett Gardens, to pull the victory off, and I think we have a good team, but there could only be one winner. For me, this level is a lot higher than our local league, so I think I take away a lot of positives from this tournament, and we can only grow from strength to strength as a team from this competition,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, captain of the Antigua and Barbuda team, Quinton Griffith, expressed disappointment over not taking the title.
“It was a good match and I am feeling sad that we didn’t get the cup, but we placed second and it was a good fight from the start of the prelims come straight down. We could have done better [in the final] but it was a good fight. We just have to go and work harder than we did, and come out for the championship,” the player said.
This year’s Concacaf Caribbean Cup is the second edition of the regional cup competition, which serves as a qualifier for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, and crowns the Caribbean’s club champion. The tournament will be played between August and December.
Grenades will open their campaign on August 28 against Dominica’s Cibao FC.
