Jamaica, in my interpretation, is winner designate of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. Forget the Fifa ratings, focus on the quality of play demonstrated by the Caribbean territories during the past week in Martinique. After the acid test of having to qualify from the group series to the Finals, these eight teams had some level of pride when they were among those left in the competition. They had some extra time to fine tune their charges and face a variety of systems of play from their opponents. As early as the first day in each group, it was clear that the separation was taking place rapidly and making room for the best turned out teams to show their ware. Cuba made no bones about throwing down the gauntlet in a ring of three hopefuls, who were aspiring to qualify for the semifinals and subsequently the final.
Grenada was again attempting to be the "fly in the ointment" in the same way that it did in the last Digicel tournament when it defeated T&T. Martinique spent six weeks in France training and playing matches against club teams. It then returned home and engaged six local club teams in friendly battle, while the Soca Warriors marched into Fort Du France with a promise from coach Russel Latapy that the team will win the tournament. Surely, his team's success in the preliminaries incited the comment after their fine victories over Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Haiti. In five days time, the picture was tainted by a masterful Cuba and an enthusiastic Grenada whose game plan was not filled with empty promises but with an "on the field" performance which lent itself to years of hard work, commitment to the task and strategy which was based upon their strengths and weaknesses.
The Trinidad-born Grenadian coach Franklyn "Nat" Simpson took the host country to the wire for a 1-1 draw after scoring first, and followed their opening show by defeating T&T, the highest rating Fifa team in the region. They would have won many more friends if they had acted professionally against the Cubans and cast aside the easy route of sitting in a comfort zone against Cuba, who had already qualified by defeating both T&T and Martinique, the latter being a feisty display which ended with two red cards for (Fidel) Castro's men. Some 60 kilometres away the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica made no mistake about their intention. They were there to win the group and by extension, the tournament. The initial exercise has been completed as they swept aside Antigua/Barbuda, the French Island Guadeloupe, and Guyana in a manner that suggested total dominance in every department of the game.
Coach Theodore Whitmore was on show with his well equipped squad of ball artists wending their way through crowded defences, linking passes with the ease of a well-oiled machine. Already, there are those who are optimistic of seeing this squad wipe aside Grenada in the semifinal and await their next victim, either one of Guadeloupe or Cuba. My bet is Guadeloupe, a quality team consisting of super athleticism, efficient craftsmanship and players who understand their roles and avoid losing shape. They have been to the Gold Cup on the last occasion and seem destined to return, together with Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz are the kings of Caribbean football. That is not games, its sport and football to be clear. Maybe its too far away to make predictions about Brasil 2014 but don't rule them out of that trip to the Fifa Finals. But they will be the first to tell us that each hurdle must be crowed carefully. The first is the Gold Cup, then the Confed Cup and let the chip fall where they will.
