In the infamous Biblical tale of David and Goliath, the lesser fancied David slew his giant opponent, Goliath, with a swift tactical blow for one of the first recorded upset in human history. Like David, minnows, Harbour View FC, the 2007 Caribbean Club Champions, will have to be very tactical in the first leg of the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup game at the Harbour View stadium on Wednesday if they are to travel to the RFK Stadium on March 18 with a good chance at slaying the giant D.C. United, and moving on to the semi-finals.
This first leg comes at a time when Harbour View, the reining Cash Plus National Premier League champions, have not been playing at their optimum level, and are currently fifth in the NPL standings. The Caribbean champions are 2-5-3 in their last ten league games, and will use today’s Premier League encounter against last-place August Town as a dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s Champions Cup first leg.
Harbour View welcome back strikers Fabian Taylor and Kevin Byran from injury, but will be without the services of skipper Christopher Harvey who is suspended for Wednesday’s game following his red card during the Caribbean Club Championship game in Trinidad last year. To fill the void in defense, Harbour View has promoted Montrose Phinn from the U-21 team to partner Clifton Waugh. This will be Phinn’s first senior team appearance, but he has been doing well as the skipper of the Harbour View team that are presently six points clear at the top of the Coca-Cola National U-21 League.
HVFC’s Chairman, Carvel Stewart, who has taken a keen interest in the team’s preparation for the up-coming CONCACAF Champions Cup series, believes that “with the introduction of a number of South Americans in the D.C. United squad, we will have to be very disciplined in midfield and also tight at the back.” Chairman Stewart revealed that Harbour View will employ a 4-4-2 formation, and that the most likely HVFC starting line-up for Wednesday’s game against D.C. United is: Dwayne Miller in goal, Phinn and Waugh at central defense, Robert Scarlet at left flank, Ronnie Amaguana at right, Jermaine Taylor and Richard Edwards at Central midfield, Jermaine Hue at left midfield, Kemeel Wolfe at Right midfield, with Fabian Taylor and Rafique Thomas as the strikers.
The deployment of a 4-4-2 system suggests that Harbour View will be going for the win at home. Coach Lenworth Hyde seems to confirm this view when he said, “it is important that we win at home, and to do that we must be discipline and win the battle in midfield, and score a few goals.”
Harbour View’s opponent, D.C. United, are one of the most accomplished team in the American Major League Soccer (MLS). D.C. United won the MLS Cup in 1996, 1997, 1999, and also in 2004. They won the CONCACAF Champions cup in 1998, the Inter-American Cup in 1998, and were the US Open Cup champions in 1996.
In preparation for the 2008 MLS season which begins on March 29, D.C. United has made a number of high-profiled South American additions to their squad. They have signed three Argentineans (Marcello Gallardo, midfield, Franco Niell forward, and Gonzalo Peralta, defense), one Columbian (Gonzalo Martinez, defense), and a Peruvian goalkeeper, Jose Carvallo. These new “senior international” join other South Americans already in the D.C. United squad such as Fred (midfield) and Luciano Emilio (forward) of Brazil. The impressive D.C. United international contingent is completed by veteran Bolivian striker, Jamie Moreno, Russian forward Rod Dyachenko, and striker, Guy-Roland Kpene of the Ivory Coast .
D.C. United are presently playing in the Texas Pro Soccer Festival in Cibolo , Texas , where they scored a 2-1 win over Chivas USA , and edged Toronto FC 1-0 on Friday. D.C. United wrap-up their participation in the Soccer Festival with a game against the Houston Dynamo today before leaving for Kingston .
It is normal in home and away series for the home team to go for a win with an attacking system like the 4-4-2 formation announced by HVFC. However, given the formidable composition of the D.C. United squad, and the fact that Harbour View has not been enjoying their best form of late, a more tactically conservative approach to the first game on Wednesday maybe be more prudent. The absence of skipper Christopher Harvey from the defensive unit, and the expected presence of a rookie central defender is even more reason to maybe employ a counter-attacking game with a 4-5-1 formation using Fabian Taylor as your lone striker.
The counter-attacking 4-5-1 formation seems best suited for the squad of players available to Harbour View at the moment, and could present the most difficulty for the projected superior ball-handling skills of the D.C. United midfielders. Wednesday’s game will be won and lost in the battle for midfield. As such, instead of using Rafique Thomas as a second striker, veteran Donald “Foulie” Stewart could be inserted as a third central midfielder for damage control purposes. With Jermaine Taylor showing good form in his new role at central midfield, and with the hard working Richard Edwards expected to have his hands full containing the hard-running South Americans in the middle, Foulie’s presence may be the finger in the Dyke that saves the day.
There are some advantages to having Fabian Taylor as the lone Striker. He is very good at maintaining possession, he can score from very tight spaces, and the D.C. United efforts to dispossess Fabian Taylor will invariably lead to a few dead-ball situations at the edge of the D.C. United penalty area that can be craftily exploited by dead-ball specialist like Jermaine Hue. In the best case scenario, Fabian’s ability to maintain possession may even lead to a penalty or two.
This 4-5-1 formation may sound ultra-conservative, but its a counter-attacking chess game, and may be just the right formula needed to pack midfield in order to neutralize the D.C. United ball-handlers. There is a lot riding on this first game on Wednesday at the Compound, and host Harbour View will certainly want to avoid playing for a win and finding themselves down a goal or two heading for the RFK Stadium on March 18.
As in chess, sometimes playing to win often means playing not to lose. Come Wednesday, the Harbour View players will have to step-up and play the game of their lives. A smart, waiting, tactical game will have to be employed in order to achieve that favorable result. The coveted win, or a well earned draw will be a great moral victory for Jamaica and the Caribbean.
| 2008 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup | |||||||
| HARBOUR VIEW F/C 30 Player Total Roster List | |||||||
| No | # | Last Name | First Name | Popular Name |
Date of Birth |
Nationality | Position |
| 1 | 13 | AMAGUANA | RONNY | RONNY | 2/2/1978 | AMERICAN | DEFENDER |
| 2 | 32 | BARRETT | MICHAUD | BUTTON | 13/02/1983 | JAMAICAN | G/KEEPER |
| 3 | 6 | BECKETT | NICHOLAS | JOSH | 9/11/1987 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 4 | 31 | BLACKBURN | MARCELINO | BASSA | 16/07/1984 | JAMAICAN | FORWARD |
| 5 | 10 | BRYAN | KAVIN | TITALDINHO | 7/2/1983 | JAMAICAN | FORWARD |
| 6 | 8 | EDWARDS | RICHARD | SHORTMAN | 15/04/1983 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 7 | 12 | FAGAN | ANDRE | BULLET | 16/07/1987 | JAMAICAN | FORWARD |
| 8 | 27 | HARVEY | CHRISTOPHER | JAMEL | 9/10/1982 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 9 | 51 | HUE | JERMAINE | MAESTRO | 15/06/1978 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 10 | 39 | KELLY | KEITH | BRAVO | 5/3/1983 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 11 | 16 | LAING | LANCE | METAL | 28/02/1988 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 12 | 1 | MILLER | DWAYNE | MILLER | 14/07/1987 | JAMAICAN | G/KEEPER |
| 13 | 55 | MUNDY | MARVIN | MUNDY | 24/03/1987 | JAMAICAN | G/KEEPER |
| 14 | 24 | PALMER | LOVEL | LOVEL | 30/08/1984 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 15 | 9 | PETREKIN | KAMAR | ADDY | 1/7/1984 | JAMAICAN | FORWARD |
| 16 | 47 | PHINN | MONTROSE | GRINGE | 25/11/1987 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 17 | 14 | SCARLETT | ROBERT | BIBBI | 14/01/1979 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 18 | 11 | SIMPSON | GREGORY | BOOKIE | 8/10/1978 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 19 | 7 | SMITH | ONEIL | BIGGA | 4/5/1978 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 20 | 18 | SMITH | RICARDO | BLOODY | 16/12/1980 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 21 | 25 | STEVENS | ERROL | NALDO | 9/2/1986 | JAMAICAN | FORWARD |
| 22 | 44 | STEWART | DONALD | FOWLY | 3/9/1975 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 23 | 19 | TAYLOR | FABIAN | KOJI | 13/04/1980 | JAMAICAN | FORWARD |
| 24 | 29 | TAYLOR | JERMAINE | BIM | 14/01/1985 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 25 | 26 | THOMAS | LOXLEY | GALLA | 13/03/1980 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 26 | 17 | THOMAS | RAFEIK | RAS | 14/10/84 | JAMAICAN | FORWARD |
| 27 | 20 | WAUGH | CLIFTON | RAGGY | 10/9/1972 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 28 | 45 | WOLFE | KEMEEL | ZIDANE | 20/12/83 | JAMAICAN | MIDFIELDER |
| 29 | 15 | WOOLEY | KEVIN | SWIKES | 3/11/1984 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 30 | 3 | WRIGHT | LENNOX | SQUEEZE EYE | 8/2/1985 | JAMAICAN | DEFENDER |
| 2008 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup | |||||||
| HARBOUR VIEW F/C 30 Player Total Roster List | |||||||
| No | # | Last Name | First Name |
Popular Name |
Date of Birth |
Nationality | Position |
| 1 | 4 | Burch | Marc | 7/5/1984 | USA | Defender | |
| 2 | 7 | Carreiro Da Silva | Helbert Frederico | Fred | 18/08/1979 | Brasil | Midfield |
| 3 | 21 | Carroll | Patrick | Pat | 11/11/1985 | USA | Defender |
| 4 | 12 | Carvallo | Jose | 1/3/1986 | Peru | GK | |
| 5 | 22 | Cordeiro | Ryan | 6/5/1986 | USA | Midfield | |
| 6 | 15 | Dyachenko | Rodion | Rod | 22/09/1983 | Russia | Midfield |
| 7 | 11 | Emilio | Luciano | 12/121978 | Brasil | Forward | |
| 8 | 10 | Gallardo | Marcelo | 18/01/1976 | Argentina | Midfield | |
| 9 | 5 | Kirk | Quavas | 13/04/1988 | USA | Midfield | |
| 10 | 20 | Kpene | Gogoua Guy | Guy | 10/1/1983 | Ivory Coast | Forward |
| 11 | 23 | Martinez | Gonzalo | 30/11/1975 | Colombia | Defender | |
| 12 | 18 | McTavish | Devon | 8/8/1984 | USA | Defender | |
| 13 | 6 | Mediate | Domenic | 1/6/1982 | USA | Midfield | |
| 14 | 8 | Moose | Justin | 23/11/1983 | USA | Midfield | |
| 15 | 99 | Moreno | Jaime | 19/01/1974 | Bolivia | Forward | |
| 16 | 26 | Namoff | Bryan | 28/05/1979 | USA | Defender | |
| 17 | 34 | Niell | Franco | 22/05/1983 | Argentina | Forward | |
| 18 | 14 | Olsen | Benjamin | Ben | 3/5/1977 | USA | Midfield |
| 19 | 2 | Peralta | Gonzalo | 17/9/1980 | Argentina | Defender | |
| 20 | 19 | Simms | Clyde | 21/8/1982 | USA | Midfield | |
| 21 | 1 | Wells | Zach | 26/02/1981 | USA | GK | |
| 22 | 25 | Quaranta | Santino | 14/10/1984 | USA | Midfield | |
| 23 | 16 | Stratford | Daniel | Dan | 29/5/1985 | England | Midfield |