BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 23, 2024

The last time a Belize City team became national football champions was back in 2007, so said veteran Port Layola defender Ian “Yellow” Gaynair, a man with some 12 championships now under his belt. And he should know, because he says he was a member of that FC Belize team that won it all in 2007, then under the ownership of the late attorney Lionel Welch.

_{Champs Port Layola}

Gaynair, who started his semipro football career as an 18-year-old with Kremandala Lake back around 2005, has seen a string of championships during the glory days of the Belmopan Bandits, before returning to his roots in Belize City to lend his experience and wisdom to a talented bunch of ballers who have suffered a lot of neglect and disappointment over the past decade since the MCC has been rendered unfit for top level football entertainment.

Some tough decisions have had to be made, and despite his renowned tendency to pick up yellow cards from being overly tenacious in defense, Yellow more than compensated for his not being the dominant physical presence he was in his younger days with the vision and wisdom that comes with hard experience, and the knowledge that discipline is a vital element in every successful team. “I told the players when we got together, you got to believe, no matter what anybody says, we can do it. And we made the sacrifice.” A star player was very, very late, and inexcusably so for the bus ride to Cayo on Sunday; and the team played without him although he showed up later. According to Yellow, it made the team look weaker on the field than it could have been, but in their hearts they were stronger and more determined.

_{(l-r) Charles Tillett, Latrell Middleton, Juan Ocampo and Leocadio Briceno}

It was a great contest on Sunday at the Norman Broaster, and it was anybody’s game. There were a number of close calls on both sides, but it would have to be said that two spectacular saves by young national team goalkeeper, Charles Tillett between the sticks for Port Layola FC was the difference. Under any other circumstances, Jordy Polanco’s well placed and running header late in the game should have sealed the 1-0 victory and championship for Verdes; but Tillett somehow got there to push it off. Polanco buried his head in his hands in disbelief and disappointment.

After Leocadio Briceno’s phenomenal and unexpected 89th minute blast ended up in the back of the net, suddenly there was a chance for Port Layola to perform a miracle, and that they did. With Verdes’ 1-nil victory in game 1, and now Port Layola’s 1-nil victory in game 2, it was to be decided in the penalty shootout.

The first step is important. Verdes sent Jordy, their great midfielder who has scored some important goals in regular season, to take the first kick. Charles Tillett is a tall and solidly built goalkeeper, in the mold of the legendary Rupert “Canalete” Anderson; and on Sunday, he was in a groove. The goal suddenly appears small to a kicker facing a goalkeeper who is in a zone, as Charles Tillett happened to be on Sunday. And Jordy tried too hard to elude him, sending it too “mean” and just over the cross bar. That’s what the intimidation of a goalie who has just stopped your best shot does to a penalty kicker.

The first Port Layola kicker sent by coach Charlie Slusher was their supreme goleador in 2024, none other than Latrell Middleton, who had hit the goalpost and drew tough marking from the Verdes defense for two consecutive games. Latrell was poised and confident, focused and precise in execution, sending West to the wrong corner; 1-nil, Port Layola.

Young Michael Palacio, star striker for Port Layola a couple seasons ago before he was bought over by Verdes, was next; and he hit the crossbar. Defender Juan Ocampo scored for Port; 2-0.

Another former Belize City youth, Elden “Tuncy” Reneau, who like Mikey has not gotten a lot of playing time with Verdes, surprisingly was sent next; and he was stopped by Tillett who read his corner perfectly.

Next for Port Layola, to take the penalty kick that could seal the victory, because Verdes only had two kicks left, was none other that the already hero of the night for his goal in regulation, Leocadio “Peely” Briceno. And he did it, low in the left corner, just out of reach of a diving West.

It was a spectaclular victory for Port Layola, and a burning loss for Verdes. A thrilling end to another great Premier League of Belize (PLB) season.

With the consistency of exciting football competition, where there is parity among a number of PLB teams, there is a feeling that football may be on the verge of exploding big-time in Belize, as a sport drawing thousands of fans and generating the kind of income to amply incentivize our players to reach another level, so they can start “kicking up dust” in Concacaf. It is about time.