Alpha in historic game against Puerto Rican Islanders tonight
Tempte to face Trinidad Defence Force in opener
IT’S been a long road for Guyana’s top club Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United and tonight they’ll have a chance to practise what they preach as the final of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) tournament kicks off at the Guyana National Stadium. Alpha United had long talked about rising to the top of the game in the Caribbean and while they have completely dominated local football over the past two years, they will face their toughest challenge yet in Puerto Rican Islanders; the defending champions of the CFU Championships.
The two sides will play in game two of the fixed double-header which starts at 18:00hrs with Trinidad and Tobago’s Professional League Champions, TT Defence Force facing Tempte Football Club (FC) of Haiti.
At a press conference hosted yesterday, the teams exerted optimism about winning and moving on to the CONCACAF zone of the tournament but noted that to make it to the competition (CONCACAF Champions League), finishing one to three is a must.
Given the high stakes of the tournament, every team is expected to bring their ‘A’ game and Alpha’s coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover believes that his boys have what it takes to send the defending champions packing.
Making sure they earn their place in the CONCACAF Champions league, Dover and president Odinga Lumumba went out and recruited most, if not all, of the top players Guyana has to offer in the various positions.
It is safe to say that looking at Alpha’s lineup, it Guyana senior national team with Golden Jaguars skipper Howard Lowe also wearing the captain’s band for his club.
The two sides have never met but a lot is known of the Islanders after they won the tournament last year and is also a professional club.
They boast some of the best talents as well and pundits would give the visitors the edge to advance to the final round or to even lift the tournament. But Alpha are at home and will use that to motivate themselves and deliver to the Guyanese public just like coach Dover indicated yesterday.
The second will feature two teams who are known in Guyana, having both played here during the tournament.
Tempte will be remembered for giving Alpha the boot last year, defeating them in both home and away games while T&T Defence Force had humiliated Guyana’s second best club Milerock both in Guyana (at the MSC ground) and in Trinidad.
The two losers from tonight’s game will do battle on Friday when the third place finisher will move on with the winner and runner-up to play in the CONCACAF Champions League.