Champions Cup a massive milestone for Mt Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Football Academy head coach Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore said qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup for a second-straight season is a massive milestone for the St Ann-based club.

Mt Pleasant booked their spot in the Champions Cup after advancing to the final of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

They defeated Trinidadian outfit Club Sando 3-1 on aggregate after a 2-0 win in the second leg at Sabina Park on Thursday.

The two teams had earlier played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad last week.

Speaking after the second leg, Whitmore said their qualification to the Champions Cup was another milestone towards the club’s continued growth in the region.

“It’s a very important milestone for the club and for the players,” Whitmore said. “We just have to keep building and make Mt Pleasant great.”

Mt Pleasant made their debut in the Champions Cup last year where they were defeated 6-0 on aggregate by LA Galaxy in the Round of 16.

With the Champions Cup to kick off in 2027, Whitmore and his charges will have a lot of time before they take on the best teams that Concacaf has on offer.

Whitmore said they will not sit idle and they will now turn their attentions to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL).

He said it will be important for the team to build on their familiarity as a number of their key players are still new to the club.

Whitmore admitted, however, that the familiarity and team cohesion will only come with time.

“I wouldn’t say fitness is a problem, I think it’s more familiarity,” he explained.

“I think from defence to midfield, we’re okay. With the offensive unit that we have, I think we still can get more, but as the season progresses, I think it will get better.”

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Whitmore said while qualifying for the Champions Cup has brought some confidence to the squad, they must now reset for the JPL.

Mt Pleasant have endured a topsy-turvy start to the season and they currently sit 11th in the standings on four points.

They face a tough outing in their next JPL game as they will go head-to-head against league leaders Montego Bay United.

“We have to look at the Premier League now and start to get some points on the board,” Whitmore said.

“We were doing two competitions, the Caribbean Cup and now we have to focus on the Premier League. So again, it’s just to get the guys up and ready for the next game.”

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com