Montego Bay will return stronger, says Epstein

Following Montego Bay United’s disappointing fourth-place finish in this season’s Jamaica Premier League (JPL), chairman Yoni Epstein has vowed that the club will return stronger next season as they continue their rebuilding process.

Montego Bay United missed out on a spot in the Caribbean Club Shield after suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat to Mount Pleasant Academy in the third-place playoff.

“Yes, we are upset that we didn't make the Caribbean Cup but, despite all the challenges, I think we did well and definitely there are learnings from this season,” said Epstein. 

“We will make sure that we don't make those mistakes twice and the club's full support is behind (head coach) Xavier Gilbert in preparing ourselves in the off-season to be even more dominant come the 2026-2027 season which starts on August 23.”

Despite the disappointment of failing to secure regional qualification, Epstein gave kudos to the players and coaching staff for  what he described as a difficult campaign for the western Jamaica-based club.

“I am disappointed that we never made it to the Caribbean Cup but that is the nature of the game,” he said.

“Our players put their best foot forward. There were some lessons learned over the season and there are a lot of things that people on the outside don't know with regards to Montego Bay,” Epstein added. 

He pointed to the impact of Hurricane Melissa which devastated western Jamaica in October of last year as one of the major setbacks the club faced during the campaign, particularly in rebuilding its defensive unit.

“Hurricane Melissa was a big setback for us and people will look and say we didn't have a strong defence, but a lot of our defensive players decided that they didn't want to return after the hurricane,” Epstein said. 

“So we had to make do with what we had and I think I have to give kudos to Deverow McKenzie and Philando Wing in holding down  the fort.”

Montego Bay United enjoyed strong support from their fans throughout the season and Epstein expressed gratitude to the supporters for continuing to stand by the club.

“I am sure that the fans are disappointed but, one thing I know about Montego Bay fans, once you are doing well they are going to support you,” he said.

“Despite not getting to the pinnacle of football, I think the club did well and a lot of remarks from the fans are that they are still behind us.”

The former champions, who last lifted the JPL title in 2016, have endured difficult years since then, but Epstein stated that the club has made significant progress in restoring football’s prominence in western Jamaica.

“The last time the club won was in 2016 but, ever since then, it has been on a downward spiral,” said Epstein. 

“But we have brought back football in western Jamaica and we have brought back hope. I am sure that Montego Bay earned the right to remain in top-flight football and we continue to capitalise on that.”