Mt Pleasant learn route in CFU Club Shield glory

After their third-place finish in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), Mount Pleasant Football Academy have learnt their bracket in the upcoming Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield tournament.

Mount Pleasant qualified for the CFU Club Shield by virtue of their placement in the JPL and will compete in the regional competition alongside other top Caribbean teams.

The Club Shield will serve as the qualifying tournament for the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, with the Club Shield winners and runners-up qualifying for the Caribbean Cup.

This will be Mt Pleasant’s first time competing in the Club Shield and the St. Ann-based club stands as one of the early favourites to win the tournament.

This will also be the third year in a row that a Jamaican club will compete in the Club Shield, with Arnett Gardens winning the title in 2024, before dropping out at the group stage in 2025.

By virtue of the JPL’s ranking within the region, and Jamaica’s historical performances in the Club Shield, Mt Pleasant have received a bye for the first round and will begin their campaign in the round of 16.

Mt Pleasant will face All Saints United, the two-time defending champions of the Antigua and Barbuda Premier League.

They have also been drawn in the same bracket as SV Britannia of Aruba, Weymouth Wales of Barbados, Prisons Service of Trinidad and Tobago and Surinamese outfit SV Robinhood.

Weymouth Wales were the runners-up in last season’s Club Shield tournament.

Other notable teams in the competition include Puerto Rico’s Metropolitan FA and Guyanese club Slingerz FC.

CLUB SHIELD FORMAT

This year’s Club Shield comes with a new format, abandoning its Swiss-style group stage format which was used last year.

This year’s format will be a straight knockout competition with teams seeded based on their rankings.

The 12 lowest-ranked teams will compete in the first round, with the six winners advancing to the round of 16 where they will meet the 10 highest-ranked teams in the competition.

From there, the teams will play single-legged knockout games until the champions are crowned.

The first round will be played on July 23 and July 24, with the round of 16 kicking off on July 25 and July 26.

The quarterfinals will be played on July 28, with the semi-finals set for July 31.

The final will be decided on August 2, with all games to be hosted in Trinidad and Tobago.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com