PHILIPSBURG--The local football fraternity will be represented in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship by Flames United FC St. Maarten. The CFU Club Championship features 21 teams from 12 CFU associations. This is the first CFU Club Championship to feature a team from Sint Maarten, and the first time since 2004 to feature a team from Montserrat.
The defending champion Central from Trinidad received a bye to the final round while the other 20 teams were divided into groups of four.
Flames United from St. Maarten was placed in Group E along with home team System 3, CS Moulien from Guadeloupe and San Juan Jabloteh from Trinidad. All the teams in the group will play one another beginning March 8 to March 12.
The men representing the Friendly Island will play their first match against San Juan Jabloteh today. On March 10, Flames United SXM takes on System 3. The last preliminary match for Flames United is on March 12 against CS Moulien.
Even though Flames United will not be at full strength because some of the players were unable to get time off from their jobs, the football local fraternity will be hoping that this team could make an impression on the tournament in its first outing in such a high profile competition.
Manager of Flames United, Omar Hunter when asked about his team's chances of advancing in the tournament stated, "We think we have a very good chance and we are confident that with God's grace and our training, we will be victorious." Asked about the mood in his camp, the manager stated the players were "geared up and quite anxious" for the match today. He also stated that a few players sustained injuries at training because of "very bad field which are unfamiliar to the players" but the physio was working around the clock to get them ready for today's match. The manager highlighted some of his key players in Rosshawn Haird who is a "very aggressive striker and who passionate about football." He also named Camiel Buursma who joined the team from Austria as a "bulldozer in midfield and executes some deadly passes." Captain of Flames United Loxley Parker was described by the manager as someone who "leads by example and always motivates the players to do their best."
The winner of each of the five groups along with Central will advance to the final round. The final round will be hosted by defending champions Central. The format of the final round has not been announced. The teams which have qualified so far are; Central, Racing des Gonaives (Group A) from Haiti , Cibao (Group B) from Dominican Republic and Grenades (Group C) from Antigua.
The top four teams will qualify for the 2017–18 CONCACAF Champions League. The champions will enter the second phase, while the teams finishing second through fourth will enter the first phase.
