Team Jamaica won its 10th local Caribbean Cup title in the last 13 years when it defeated Team St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 2-0, on Sunday, Aug. 31, at the Jefferson High School Sports Complex in Flatlands, Brooklyn.
Asrick Samuels, voted the MVP of the title game, started the scoring for Jamaica when his header in the 15th minute off a Denzil Watson corner kick settled in the back of the net; that was all the scoring for most of the rest of the game. St. Vincent battled hard for the equalizer which never came despite several opportunities. Jamaica sealed the victory and wrested the 2014 Caribbean Cup trophy when Watson registered Jamaica’s second goal in the 87th minute from another header off a cross from Daniel Shaw.
Once again, Jamaica proved that it really is a tournament team and knows how to win the big games. This 2014 Jamaica squad was not one of its most talented; in fact, most of its games this year, unlike in the past, were very close contests as the team managed to finished second in its Zone. Despite the drop in talent, the Jamaicans consistently played together as a team, moved the ball well around the pitch and played to their midfield strength as former national midfielder Jermaine Hue directed the attacks.
Jamaica also has several players who do not need many opportunities to score, while at the other end, it lines up with tough-tackling ball-winners on defense and behind them stands the best goalkeeper in the tournament for at least the past five years in Devon Haughton, who deservedly was named the outstanding goalkeeper of the 2014 tournament.
In other awards on the day, Guyana’s Anthony Abrahams won the trophy for most goals as he led the tournament with 13 strikes, and Team Grenada won the third-place trophy by forfeit because Team Guyana failed to show up for the contest.
RED BULLS FALL TO D.C.
Host DC United (14-8-4, 46pts.) is now firmly in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls (7-8-10, 31 pts.) at RFK Stadium last Saturday afternoon. New York looked energy-sapped from the hot temperature in DC, but the host overcame the hot temperature and got goals from Luis Silva (57th) and second half substitute Eddie Johnson in stoppage time.
United’s goalkeeper, Bill Hamid, got his seventh shutout of the season and his first assist in his five-year MLS career. He sent a long kick down field for Fabian Espindola to head on for Silva, who chased and got to the ball before the on-rushing Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles to score. Johnson scored a classic; he went in one-on-one against Robles and chipped the ball over the on-rushing Robles and into an empty net. D.C. United is now four points ahead of second-place Sporting Kansas City.
MLS
In other MLS results last weekend, host Los Angeles Galaxy (13-5-7), as usual, getting into play-off gear at this time of the year, came out on top in defeat of neighbor Chivas USA, 3-0, behind a double strike from Gyasi Zardes and a tally from Robbie Keane at Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
Zardes scored in the 41st minute when he ran down the left wing and one-timed a shot off a Landon Donovan pass, and Keane made it 2-0 in the 68th; Zardes registered his second goal in the 71st minute after a combination play between Donovan and Keane. The Galaxy is now in second place in the West Conference, just two points behind leader Seattle Sounders. Chivas USA (6-13-6) has played its last six games without scoring.
USA international midfielder Jermaine Jones made his MLS debut with the New England Revolution on Saturday but was not a factor in the Revolution’s 3-0 win over host Toronto FC, which fired its coach Ryan Nielsen after the game. Jones entered the contest as a second half substitute, but by that time, Lee Nguyen had put the Revs up, 1-0, early in the first half, Kenlyn Rowe had made it, 2-0, in the 21st minute and Teal Bunbury got the third goal around the 60th minute.
The Seattle Sounders held on to first place in the West with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids.
Clint Dempsey provided the winner from a corner kick in the 52nd minute for the host Sounders at CenturyLink Field. Meanwhile, the Portland Timbers travelled to the Vancouver Whitecaps’ B.C. Place and ran away with a 3-0 victory. Alvas Powell headed home Diego Valeri’s cross for the first goal in the 51st minute, Maximiliano Urruti made it 2-0 in the 75th and Rodney Wallace completed the scoring.
The Chicago Fire came up with a 1-0 victory against FC Dallas on a Robert Earnshaw goal at Toyota Park . Earnshaw headed home a cross from Jeff Larentowicz late in the contest for the win. The San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake played to a 1-1 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium, home to the Earthquakes. Sam Cronin tallied for the host and Javier Morales evened the score for RSL from the penalty spot.
The Montreal Impact suffered a loss at home when it was beaten by the Columbus Crew, 2-0, at Saputo Stadium. Ignacio Piatti (40th, 90+) scored both goals for the visitors. The Houston Dynamo knocked off Sporting Kansas City, 3-1, for only its second road win this season. Will Bruin and Ricardo Clark were among the scorers for Houston and Dom Dwyer scored for Sporting.
Photo by Keith Dawson
