BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 17, 2019– Sitting comfortably with a 6-1 victory from game 1 of the championship series, only a large miracle can stop Barrack Road FC from securing the CYDP Peace Cup 2018-2019 Opening Season championship when they face Ladyville FC in game 2 of the Finals on Saturday at the MCC Grounds.
With the final game postponed last weekend due to ongoing negotiations with the referees, a minor inconvenience was created for Barrack Road, whose sweeper, Ryan Gill saw action with BDF FC in their PLB home game against Altitude Assassins FC on Sunday at the MCC. The CYDP championship should have been completed on Saturday last; but with the postponement till this coming Saturday, it means that Gill, who is sweeper for Barrack Road FC, will not be able to perform in game 2 of their championship series. Of course, Barrack Road FC is deep with talent and experience, and has more than enough of a cushion with the 6-1 win in game 1.
Nevertheless, fans still want to see a good game on Saturday, and they should not be disappointed if coach Michael “Wataplat” Flowers has his way. Plat says he is determined to regain respect for his team after last week’s disaster, which he claims was caused by some unauthorized changes to his line-up while he was occupied with other team matters before the game. We did observe, and did question some key changes in position for certain players; the line-up that appeared in the semifinals would definitely have fared better than 6-1. So, we expect a better game this Saturday, even if Barrack Road prevails, as expected.
In sports, they say “it’s never over till it’s over;” but in this one, only the Plat, and perhaps his talented striker, Sean Young, and maybe a few teammates, are still believing it. For us fans, we’ll be satisfied with a good, competitive game of football, and we should not be disappointed when Barrack Road FC faces Ladyville FC in game 2 of the Peace Cup finals on Saturday.
In the 3rd place opener, it will be Lucky Strike FC vs Caesar Ridge FC.
Saturday, January 19, MCC Grounds
2:00 p.m. – (3rd place) Lucky Strike FC vs Caesar Ridge FC
4:00 p.m. – (Final) Barrack Road FC vs Ladyville Strikers FC
Awards and cash prizes
The award ceremony follows the championship game. 1st place prize of $5,000.00, 2nd prize of $3,000.00, and 3rd prize of $2,000.00 will be deposited in the respective teams’ accounts.
Regular season awards announced last week are: Most Goals Scorers (4 players tied) – Hubert Baptist (Lake-I FC), Naim “Nemo” Wilson (FC Elite), Jose Martinez (Caesar Ridge FC), Tyrone Parchue (Ladyville FC); Best Goalkeeper – Guillermo Ramirez (Belize Coast Guard FC); Best Manager – Brenford Middleton (Caesar Ridge FC); Best Forward – Sean Young (Ladyville FC); Best Defender – Carlos Castro (FC Elite); Best Midfielder – Elmore “Esky” Godoy (Caesar Ridge FC); Best Coach – Winder Ellington (Belize Coast Guard FC); Most Disciplined Player – Kieron “Benny” Patnett (City Boys FC).
The tournament MVP will be announced following the championship game.