As Cayman prepares for its next major football competition, part of the focus rests on a California native.
Joe Supe serves as head coach for the Cayman Islands national women’s Under-20 team preparing to compete in the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships. The Orange County resident has a wealth of coaching experience but spends most of his time in California. He has had only a few months to work with the squad and there has been concern over Supe manning the post over a Cayman-based coach.
Confederation of Central American and Caribbean Association Football president, FIFA vice president and Cayman Islands Football Association president Jeffrey Webb has maintained it is a non-issue, saying as recently as December that Cayman’s position with Supe is no different than other countries.
“We didn’t hire a coach. Joe is assisting the team and bringing his background of working with California teams,” Webb said. “Anytime you get to an age group competition where you have kids playing in different parts of the world – you know our challenge is we have kids playing in the United States and Cayman – in most cases, it isn’t where the coach is there necessarily full time, day in and day out with his full squad.”
Cayman is staging the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships over the next 10 days. The tournament – with free admission for all matches – will take place at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex with the top three finishers earning berths into the Women’s Under-20 World Championship in August in Canada. Defending champions United States were drawn in Group A along with Guatemala, Jamaica and Costa Rica. Hosts Cayman are in Group B against Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras and Mexico.
Games begin on Thursday, Jan. 9, as Guatemala faces Jamaica at 5 p.m., and the United States challenges Costa Rica at 7:30 p.m. Cayman’s first game is on Friday, Jan. 10, against Mexico at 7:30 p.m.
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