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All eyes on Jermaine Hue
GORDON WILLIAMS, Contributor
Jermaine Hue ... D.C. United see him as the dangerman on Harbour View's side. - file
Harbour View's top playmaker will be a marked man when the reigning Jamaica and Caribbean kings clash with American club D.C. United in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals in Kingston on Wednesday.
Based on the visitors' past experiences against Harbour View, Jermaine Hue is listed as one of the key figures to the local club's success and D.C. United does not plan to ignore him.
"Jermaine Hue at one time we watched very closely," said Tom Soehn, coach of the United States Major League Soccer team, which is scheduled to arrive in Jamaica today from Miami, Florida, after playing in a four-team round-robin tournament with other MLS clubs, that ended yesterday in Texas.
"He was a guy we focused on a couple years ago to make sure we contained him."
That will not change, according to Soehn, who yesterday morning said he was awaiting video recordings from Harbour View's games to further evaluate the east Kingston team. The coach said D.C. United is also familiar with other Harbour View players from previous meetings as well.
"The names and faces are the same," he said.
Return match
The two teams last met in the Champions Cup in 2005. Harbour View lost the first leg 2-1 on a bitterly cold night in the US, and stumbled by the same margin in the return match at home, to be eliminated 4-2 on aggregate.
Soehn remembers the playing surface at the Harbour View Mini Stadium was not a perfect fit for his team, noted for its short passing, South American-style play, although he said that would not be a decisive factor in Wednesday's game.
"From my memory, the field wasn't the best," Soehn said, "but it's the same for both teams."
D.C. United, one of the most successful clubs in the US, winning the MLS Cup four times, may be more concerned about its own readiness. Although Soehn said the Champions Cup was factored into his team's pre-season preparation, the MLS season does not begin until late March. That means D.C. United is currently in pre-season mode while Harbour View is entering the third and final stage of the Cash Plus National Premier League.
"We've managed our minutes," Soehn said, explaining D.C. United's plan not to overuse its players in the Texas tournament to avoid fatigue.
Yet, he admitted that Wednesday's match-up will be virgin territory at this point in the season.
"For most guys, it will be the first time they're playing 90 minutes," Soehn said.
In addition, the weather in Texas was unseasonably cold. But that might be to D.C. United's advantage.
"(We're) excited to get some warm weather in Jamaica," Soehn said. " ... It's more conducive to soccer."
Offensive line
Regardless of D.C. United's preparations so far, at least one Jamaican, who has seen the American club up close recently, believes the visitors, who won the Champions Cup in 1998, will be ready.
"Those guys are professionals," said national defender Shavar Thomas, whose MLS club Chivas USA was beaten 2-1 last Wednesday in the Texas tournament. "They're gonna be prepared."
Thomas said Harbour View must be especially careful against D.C. United's attacking game.
"They have a very potent offensive line," he explained, naming forward Jaime Moreno, of Bolivia, who scored against Harbour View in 2005, and the South American duo of Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio and Argentine midfielder Marcelo Gallardo as the key players to watch.
However, Thomas said Wednesday's match represents Harbour View's best opportunity to win.
"If Harbour View can shut down those three (Moreno, Emilio and Gallardo) or try to limit what those guys do on the ball, they have a chance," he said.
" ... Harbour View will find (D.C. United's style) easier to play against and that also, in my eyes, will make them have a chance to advance."
Except for veteran US international Ben Olsen, who is out with an injury, D.C. United will be at full strength. Soehn declined to reveal much about his team's tactical approach against Harbour View, but said the club's tendency is to be "a little more cautious on the road."
Still, he said, D.C. United will be looking to win and take a lead going into the return leg in Washington, D.C. on March 18.
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
GORDON WILLIAMS, Contributor
Jermaine Hue ... D.C. United see him as the dangerman on Harbour View's side. - file
Harbour View's top playmaker will be a marked man when the reigning Jamaica and Caribbean kings clash with American club D.C. United in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals in Kingston on Wednesday.
Based on the visitors' past experiences against Harbour View, Jermaine Hue is listed as one of the key figures to the local club's success and D.C. United does not plan to ignore him.
"Jermaine Hue at one time we watched very closely," said Tom Soehn, coach of the United States Major League Soccer team, which is scheduled to arrive in Jamaica today from Miami, Florida, after playing in a four-team round-robin tournament with other MLS clubs, that ended yesterday in Texas.
"He was a guy we focused on a couple years ago to make sure we contained him."
That will not change, according to Soehn, who yesterday morning said he was awaiting video recordings from Harbour View's games to further evaluate the east Kingston team. The coach said D.C. United is also familiar with other Harbour View players from previous meetings as well.
"The names and faces are the same," he said.
Return match
The two teams last met in the Champions Cup in 2005. Harbour View lost the first leg 2-1 on a bitterly cold night in the US, and stumbled by the same margin in the return match at home, to be eliminated 4-2 on aggregate.
Soehn remembers the playing surface at the Harbour View Mini Stadium was not a perfect fit for his team, noted for its short passing, South American-style play, although he said that would not be a decisive factor in Wednesday's game.
"From my memory, the field wasn't the best," Soehn said, "but it's the same for both teams."
D.C. United, one of the most successful clubs in the US, winning the MLS Cup four times, may be more concerned about its own readiness. Although Soehn said the Champions Cup was factored into his team's pre-season preparation, the MLS season does not begin until late March. That means D.C. United is currently in pre-season mode while Harbour View is entering the third and final stage of the Cash Plus National Premier League.
"We've managed our minutes," Soehn said, explaining D.C. United's plan not to overuse its players in the Texas tournament to avoid fatigue.
Yet, he admitted that Wednesday's match-up will be virgin territory at this point in the season.
"For most guys, it will be the first time they're playing 90 minutes," Soehn said.
In addition, the weather in Texas was unseasonably cold. But that might be to D.C. United's advantage.
"(We're) excited to get some warm weather in Jamaica," Soehn said. " ... It's more conducive to soccer."
Offensive line
Regardless of D.C. United's preparations so far, at least one Jamaican, who has seen the American club up close recently, believes the visitors, who won the Champions Cup in 1998, will be ready.
"Those guys are professionals," said national defender Shavar Thomas, whose MLS club Chivas USA was beaten 2-1 last Wednesday in the Texas tournament. "They're gonna be prepared."
Thomas said Harbour View must be especially careful against D.C. United's attacking game.
"They have a very potent offensive line," he explained, naming forward Jaime Moreno, of Bolivia, who scored against Harbour View in 2005, and the South American duo of Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio and Argentine midfielder Marcelo Gallardo as the key players to watch.
However, Thomas said Wednesday's match represents Harbour View's best opportunity to win.
"If Harbour View can shut down those three (Moreno, Emilio and Gallardo) or try to limit what those guys do on the ball, they have a chance," he said.
" ... Harbour View will find (D.C. United's style) easier to play against and that also, in my eyes, will make them have a chance to advance."
Except for veteran US international Ben Olsen, who is out with an injury, D.C. United will be at full strength. Soehn declined to reveal much about his team's tactical approach against Harbour View, but said the club's tendency is to be "a little more cautious on the road."
Still, he said, D.C. United will be looking to win and take a lead going into the return leg in Washington, D.C. on March 18.
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
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