Battle for JPL crown: Waterhouse vs Cavalier

For the first time in four years, a team from the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association will be crowned champions of the Jamaica Premier League.

The title will be decided tomorrow as Waterhouse will face Cavalier SC in the final of the 2021 season at 2:30 p.m. at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence. Both teams managed to hold on to their respective 1-0 leads from the first leg as Cavalier edged Tivoli Gardens 1-0 on aggregate after the second leg ended in a scoreless draw while Waterhouse defeated Mount Pleasant 2-1 on aggregate after their second leg finished 1-1.

Arnett Gardens were the last team from the capital to taste title success when they defeated Portmore United in the final in 2017.

For Cavalier, they will hope to end a four-decade wait for a title while Waterhouse will seek to finally seize their moment, in their third final in four years. Speid says that this is the opportunity he hoped that his young squad would have as they look to take a crucial step in their development.

"It was always for the youths. We wanted them to achieve this," Speid said after their semi-final second-leg triumph. "Our thing is development. We have also qualified to play in the (2022 Caribbean Cup championship) and that will further their development. So we are elated."

Although the last weeks of the regular season got nervy for Cavalier and their play-off chances, they managed to win their last two games to not only make the play-offs but get the automatic bye into the semi-finals

"If you notice the players have been able to keep up with what the rest of the teams have to offer. We are developing players now to win and that's what we are aiming for. We are going after the title with everything that we got," Speid said.

For Waterhouse, the final represents a chance to finally avenge past championship game disappointments. Portmore United bested them in the 2018 and 2019 finals but with their championship nemesis out of the picture, head coach Marcel Gayle has the chance to secure Waterhouse's third title and their first in 15 years. It is an opportunity that strength and conditioning coach Chris Paul says that they are relishing.

"It's a tremendous feeling. From day one we have been training to get to this point. It's one step closer to where we want to go," Paul said.

It could be also a battle to see who secures the golden boot outright as Waterhouse's Shaquille Bradford is in a three-way tie with Mount Pleasant's Jourdaine Fletcher and Harbour View's Oquassa Chong all with six goals each. Bradford's teammate Andre Fletcher has five, while Shaniel Thomas is Cavalier's top scorer this season with four goals.

Championship Saturday will open with the third-place play-off between Mount Pleasant and Tivoli Gardens at noon at the same venue. The teams drew their only regular season meeting this season but Mount Pleasant have enjoyed a good record in their last seven meetings, winning five and drawing twice.