The coronation of a new champion will occur this evening at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, as Bent Street battles Rio All-Stars in the final of the third annual Magnum Mash Cup Futsal Championship.
The clash which is expected to be viewed by thousands, adds another page in the budding rivalry of the two talented outfits.
Bent Street, the unquestionable leader in the Futsal realm, are blessed with a roster of talents such as Daniel Wilson, Colin Nelson, Akel Clarke, Sheldon Holder, Jermaine Beckles and Adrian Aaron.
This conglomerate of talent has produced an impressive 23 goals, which translates to the best attacking line in the prestigious competition.
The victims of the aforementioned statistic include Mocha, Sophia and Kingston in the round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds respectively. Defensively, Bent Street has conceded six times, though five have occurred in the elimination section.
On the opposing side, Rio All-Stars possess the best defensive numbers in the tournament with only four concessions. However the Alberttown based unit has only been breached once in the knockout round.
The duo of Cecil Jackman and Solomon Austin have been exceptionally in this regard and have engineered wins against Back Circle, Future Stars and Leopold Street.
The offensive line has benefited from the defensive prowess, recording a decent 10 goals in the process led by the youthful quartet of Jermin Junior, Kelsey Benjamin, Lennox Cort and Job Caesar
Rio All-Stars Manager Troy Lambert during brief remarks encouraged the fans to support the final, adding, “I expect a very competitive finale between the two teams, I expect this to be one of the best finals in the history of the event. We know of the quality of Bent Street and that they are the favorite, but we are not going to lie down easily and we are coming to win.”
Before the start of the championship match, the third place matchup between Kingston and Leopold Street will be contested. Nigel Denny, captain of Kingston, urged all the supporters of the team and members of the community to show up at the venue and show their support for the side.
He added that the team is confident of finishing the tournament on a positive note. Also, two exhibition matches will be staged to kickoff the evening’s festivities.
Meanwhile, established sporting brand Woodpecker Trophies and Sports, officially presented the trophies yesterday to the organizers of the event at their Alberttown location.
Speaking at the simple presentation, Esan Griffith, San Sports Director and Coordinator of the tournament thanked the company for their contribution, adding, “This is the grand finale of the event and I expect keen competition and rivalry between Rio All-Stars and Bent Street.” Griffith added that while Bent Street is an established national heavyweight, “Rio has proven themselves a force to be reckoned with in the shorter format of the game.”
He further stated that the tournament is geared towards improving the fabric of social cohesion amongst the communities and that the match will be a grand showdown and exhibition of talent.
Winner of the event will pocket $600,000 and the championship trophy, while the second place side will collect $400,000 and the respective accolade.
On the other hand, the third and fourth place unit will receive $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding trophy. Among the other sponsors of the event include the National Sports Commision and MVP Sports.
