Roma United are one of the most exciting football teams in Cayman but for the past couple of seasons they have played in the second tier, the First Division.
The Premier League has not been the same without Roma – a side packed with Jamaican nationals – who are the local Reggae Boyz in every sense. Jamaican dancehall music always blares before and after their games.
Fans sporting Jamaican national colors attend every match to appreciate their cavalier, open football.
Their attitude used to be that no matter how many goals they concede, they will score more at the other end, great for excitement but not the best formula for winning matches, hence their demise.
Despite relegation two seasons ago, the side’s nucleus stayed intact and with players like Kemar “16” Boothe, Kevin McField, Alexander “Junior” Dunn, Gabre “Teco” Dickens, Steve Dunkley, Amar Mundle, Naresh “Chin” Hart and skipper Kiegel “Stamma” Atkinson staying loyal, they are set for promotion to the top flight this season and have so far remained unbeaten in the league.
Roma beat Latinos 2-0 at the TE McField Annex on Saturday to maintain their big lead over Cayman Brac with second half goals by Atkinson and Mundle from a penalty. Atkinson has scored 11 this term but the six he hit against Prospect were cancelled when Prospect withdrew.
Roma’s lack of dedication to training and questionable team spirit has improved in the First Division and confidence is high that they will stay in the Premier League when they go up.
Coach David Harding and manager Lenox “Lalas” White have contributed significantly to the improvements.
Despite their dominance so far, Roma president Bobby Sairsingh is not taking anything for granted. He said, “We have to ensure that we remain unbeaten and be returned to the Premier League first, that is our focus now.”
Roma reached the FA Cup final last season but lost to Bodden Town. “We usually play well in the cups so we should have a fair chance of making it to the finals again this time,” said Sairsingh, who is impressed with the loyalty key players have shown when they could have gone elsewhere.
“The team knows that they can be competitive with any team in Cayman so when they were relegated, they felt obliged to redeem themselves and Roma fans by staying together.”
He added: “We are grateful to Priest, Rhino Rebar and Cayman Structural Group for their sponsorship and good tidings.”
Roma’s great campaign has impressed Bruce Blake, the Cayman Islands Football Association first vice-president, who said, “Roma United have shown this season that they are fully committed to returning to the Premier League and look certain to do so. With their right blend of youth and experienced players they look capable of doing well when they return to the top division.”
The Premier League has not been the same without Roma – a side packed with Jamaican nationals – who are the local Reggae Boyz in every sense. Jamaican dancehall music always blares before and after their games.
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