What’s at stake?
Monserrat is looking to qualify for this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, to be held in Las Vegas, but it will be tough. Haiti appears to have an unassailable lead at the top of the table, which will give them automatic qualification as well as promotion to the newly enlarged Nations League A. Guyana could still pip them to the post, but it would need a couple of big wins and for Haiti to start losing.
Bermuda and Montserrat can still take second place, which would enter them into the Gold Cup qualifying tournament, but forfeiting the away game against Bermuda means Montserrat will need two wins. The team will need to beat Guyana and Haiti and hope Bermuda does not do the same. Stranger things have happened.
League Table
Can Montserrat be Relegated to League C?
No. CONCACAF has cancelled relegation this season in order to enlarge League A. Finishing bottom will keep Montserrat in League B, but new coach, Matt Lockwood, wants the team to be competitive to encourage more professional players to sign up.
Why did Montserrat forfeit a fixture?
Montserrat still feels aggrieved about this, and the players believe they should not have been required to comply with the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement that Bermuda had in place at the time. Montserrat was camped in the Dominican Republic and believes Bermuda should have agreed to play the game there. The Bermuda FA said it was only given 4 days’ notice that Montserrat did not have enough vaccinated players, and consequently, CONCACAF awarded the game to Bermuda 3-0. Montserrat’s sole win in the tournament so far was the “home” fixture against Bermuda a few days earlier, so they would have fancied their chances in the rematch.
Who is Matt Lockwood?
The new Head Coach, Matt Lockwood, is a former professional player with Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest, Colchester United and Dundee. He is a lot younger than his predecessor and was playing at the same time as some of Montserrat’s older players. He now works for a sportswear company and is an occasional match commentator. He has experience as a player-coach in Scotland and in the semi-professional world, where most Montserrat players ply their trade, but this is his first managerial position. There is currently no news on the backroom staff. Physio Paul Morgan and Assistant George Dublin have now left the Montserrat set-up.
Pre-Match Interview with Matt Lockwood
How to watch
The game kicks off at 5.00pm local time at the Blakes Football Complex in Montserrat. It will be streamed on Paramount+ in the USA and Flow Sports in the Caribbean. In the UK, it should be streamed free on Facebook and will also be on Bet365 for funded account holders. (Poor picture, but with commentary). Don’t sue me if this changes or is wrong. I do my best.
Who is in the squad?
There are a few players missing: Notably Rohan Ince, Messiah MacDonald, Donervon Daniels, Lyle Taylor, Brandon Comley, and various Willocks. But it is a big squad with four young Montserrat-born players: Rodney. Mendes, Roache and Persaud.
Pre-Match Interview with Alex Dyer
Montserrat excited for CNL #shorts – YouTube
Last time they met.
A creditable 3-2 defeat, with Montserrat goals coming from penalties (one missed but followed up by Strawbridge Simon). Lyle Taylor scored the second penalty after coming off the bench.
Highlights are here
CNL 2022 Highlights | Haiti vs Montserrat – YouTube
CONCACAF Rankings
Haiti 7/41
Montserrat 25/41
Next Up
Guyana (19/41) in Barbados. 28/3/2023
Montserrat and Haiti Training at the Blakes Football Complex.
Craig Brewin’s Blog 