After bursting back on the football scene with MVP honors in the Super League’s Closed Interoffice championship at the MCC Grounds back in January, skeptics wondered if former National U-20 star Lennox “Criminal” Castillo had sufficiently recovered from a near career- ending knee injury to make an impact at the highest level of Belize football. His Premier League debut at the MCC with his Police United squad showed promise, but he was kept off the scorecard in a fiercely contested match, in which his team managed a 1-nil win over highly touted Placencia Assassins on a 2nd half penalty conversion by Police captain Orlando “Leechi” Jimenez. That was back on February 11, and the MCC has not seen Criminal since.
Criminal recorded his first Premier League goal in their 2-0 win over Paradise/Freedom Fighters down in Toledo the following week, February 19. But when they returned to the MCC on March 3 and were held to a 0-0 draw by visiting San Ignacio United, City fans were disappointed to find there was no Criminal in the Police line-up. He was serving a one-game suspension for a red card received the previous week, February 25, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium, where Devon Makin’s 2nd half goal had given Police a 1-nil victory over Belmopan Bandits.
On Saturday night, March 11, Criminal returned to action, and was scoreless again in a 3-nil Police victory over Hankook Verdes at the Marshalleck Stadium. But this past Sunday, March 18, in the much anticipated return clash with Placencia Assassins on their home turf in Placencia, Criminal scored the 1st half equalizer, after Ashley Torres had put Placencia up 1-nil; and Evan Mariano got the game winner for Police early in the 2nd half.
Going into Week 7, Police United maintains a commanding lead in the South zone standings. And this Saturday night, it will be show time at the MCC, as undefeated Police hosts the tough Paradise/Freedom Fighters from Toledo who will be making their first visit this year to Belize City.
The usually slow starting Freedom Fighters last fell, 5-1, to Placencia Assassin in Placencia on February 26. But since then, the Freedom Fighters have not lost a match, blasting Hankook Verdes, 6-0, on March 4, and then drawing by identical 1-1 scores with Belmopan Bandits on March 12 and with San Ignacio United on March 18. All three of those games were at the Toledo Union Field.
This Saturday night, Paradise/Freedom Fighters will be on the road, and their hosts, Police United feature a dazzling line-up of stars, including the Makin brothers, Devon and Andres, Jr., Jarret Davis, Evan Mariano and veteran Orlando “Leechi” Jimenez. For their part, the Freedom Fighters will be led by Alexander “Pleck” Peters, brothers Ralph and Derrol Flores, along with Lisbey Castillo and veteran Wilmer Garcia. But City fans will be most curious and anxious to welcome the return to action of one Lennox “Criminal” Castillo. We have heard no reports of red cards last week, so we trust that we will not be disappointed this time. See you at the MCC.
Saturday, March 24
7:30 p.m. – World FC vs San Pedro Seadogs – Norman Broaster Stadium
7:30 p.m. – Belmopan Bandits vs San Ignacio United FC – Isidoro Beaton Stadium
7:30 p.m. – Police United vs Paradise/Freedom Fighters – MCC Grounds
Sunday, March 25
4:00 p.m. – F.C. Belize vs San Felipe Barcelona – MCC Grounds
4:00 p.m. – Juventus vs Belize Defence Force – People’s Stadium
4:00 p.m. – Hankook Verdes vs Placencia Assassins FC – Marshalleck Stadium