The Cayman Islands national men’s football team will welcome Aruba to Truman Bodden Sports Complex on Monday, 11 Sept. for their scheduled fixture in the 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League.
Following a two-all draw against the US Virgin Islands on Thursday, 7 Sept., Cayman are still on a quest to secure their first victory in almost four years. In doing so, the 345 squad is hoping to hear the cheers from home fans, which Cayman’s defender Casey McLaughlin told the Compass would give the team extra motivation.
“Hopefully once word gets around, we’ll get the support we need for our home game, and hopefully they are load enough to encourage us to grind out for that win,” McLaughlin said.
“I wish the game was advertised a little more, but I know once we put word out there, we still have those loyal Caymanian supporters. And because we are a diverse community, we have our foreigners that will also support the local team.”
McLaughlin’s plea is echoed by Dion Brandon, the second vice president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, who told the Compass he expects to see people representing with their flags and colours, especially considering the match will be free of charge to watch.
“We would love to have all of the people from the 345 there in our country colours cheering and supporting our boys,” Brandon said. The last time Cayman played Aruba, they suffered a 3-1 defeat during the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers in 2021.
It’s a result they look to avenge, according to head coach Cláudio Garcia. Cayman is ranked 193 in the FIFA world rankings and Aruba sits at 199. When the two teams kick off against each other in Group B, under League C, of the CONCACAF tournament on Monday, Cayman is favoured on paper to win.
The game will commence at 3:30pm at Truman Bodden Sports Complex, with free admission.
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