The Cayman Islands national football team’s run in the 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League came to an end on Sunday, 26 March, at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
The home squad battered Cayman 5-1 in their final fixture of the CONCACAF tournament.
Claudio Garcia, Cayman’s national football head coach, said he had hoped for a better performance from the team.
“The result was not what we were expecting,” Garcia told the Cayman Compass. “We worked really hard to prepare for this game, but like I always say, it’s a good lesson.
“The score doesn’t reflect the reality of the game. The first goal happened on a foul that we could’ve avoided and then, two or three more mistakes helped them build their confidence in the game.”
Following the first goal by Ricardo Rivera, the Caymanian team held off the Puerto Rican side for most of the first half until Gerald Diaz made it 2-0 in the 40th minute.
One such mistake the coach alluded led to the next goal from Puerto Rico. Cayman defender Martin Webb failed to clear the ball out of the box, instead putting it at the foot of a Puerto Rican player who took a shot. Though it was deflected by Cayman’s keeper Johnathan McLean, Rivera jumped on the loose ball to make it 3-0 in the 70th minute.
“For a good period of time we were able to manage the game, we were well organised, our positioning. But at this level any mistake that we make will result in a goal,” Garcia said.
But 14 minutes after Puerto Rico’s third goal, Cayman’s target man Gunnar Studenhofft made good on a breakaway opportunity to get his team on the scoreboard.
However, Puerto Rico wasn’t done. They scored two more times before full time – in the 88th minute and in added time – with both goals coming from Joel Burgos.
Despite the loss, Garcia said overall he was happy with the team, which the Cayman Islands Football Association is trying to revamp for future competitions, noting that this new squad is “healthier” and more “disciplined”.
“It was the first game for this new group,” he said. “We can look at this as a good preparation for our objectives that are coming with the new Nations League. Of course, there are things that we need to improve. There were some positives; new players, young players playing for the national team for the first time… overall, the experience was very positive.”
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