Photo: Port – Shawn Young attacks vs Verdes No.8 Camilo Fajardo
BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 15, 2024
Nothing new or strange occurred on Sunday afternoon at the Marion Jones Sports Complex football field in Belize City, where the 1st leg of the Premier League of Belize (PLB) 2023-2024 Closing Season championship finals saw Verdes FC coming away with a 1-0 win over home standing Port Layola FC. Verdes was coming off a 4-game shutout streak, having finished regular season with shutout victories over Progresso FC (1-0) and Benque United FC (1-0); then kept a clean sheet in the semifinals against Benque United with a 1-0 win and a 0-0 draw. And their record against Port Layola FC in regular season was just the same; Verdes 1-0 in Week 4, and Verdes 2-0 in Week 11. So, it was Verdes FC, 1-0, over Port Layola FC in Sunday’s first leg of the PLB Closing Season championship finals. What else is new? Will it be Verdes, 2-0, over Port Layola again this coming Sunday in San Ignacio for the championship?
Well, there is an old saying about taking a bucket to a well. At first glance, that is the only thing that might seem to be in favor of the boys from the city upsetting the Green Machine and gaining their first PLB championship this Sunday in enemy territory at the Norman Broaster Stadium. But there are other factors that might also be in favor of Port Layola. For one, their defensive sweeper Juan Ocampo missed Sunday’s game due to a red card in a previous encounter, and he should be back in the Port lineup in Cayo for the finale. Also noteworthy is the fact that Verdes’ tenacious young Colombian midfielder Ronald Benavides will be missing from their team on Sunday, having earned a red card for an unsportsmanlike remark to a Port player while sitting on the Verdes bench in earshot of the linesman. Also in favor of Port is the fact that all their strikers appear to be in good health, and they are due for an explosion. Verdes will need to score early to put the game out of reach; sitting on their one goal advantage could prove costly.
All in all, it should be a real spectacle for football fans. Some players rise to the occasion, and we will see who are the real superstars come Sunday when a new champion will be crowned. Whoever emerges victorious will represent Belize at Concacaf later this year, as both Verdes FC and Port Layola FC have higher aggregate points over the two seasons than Opening Season champs, Altitude FC.
In the 2023-2024 PLB Opening Season, Altitude FC eliminated Verdes in the semifinals and went on to become champions. In the Closing Season, it is Port Layola who have sent home defending champions Altitude in the semis. The script will be completed on Sunday evening at the Norman Broaster Stadium!