MIAMI.- The Cayman Islands are another team that learned a lot from its Concacaf Nations League Qualifying experience.
Away to Jamaica was probably the hardest possible match in the entire competition, and away to the Dominican Republic wasn’t much easier. They did well against a Saint Lucia on home soil, earning a 0-0 draw, while narrowly falling to a strong Montserrat side.
It’s fair to say the Cayman Islands had one of the toughest schedules in all of qualifying; all four opponents ended up in League B.
But that experience will prove itself to be infinitely useful now against League C competition, and in a group with Barbados, Saint Martin, and the US Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands should feel more than prepared for what lies ahead.
That doesn’t mean things will be easy, but this side has been battle-tested against some of the region’s best teams. Mark Ebanks is the nation’s all-time top scorer, and he’s put goals past the likes of El Salvador and Belize before.
The majority of the national team plays their club ball right at home in the Cayman Islands, though Anthony Nelson is one exception, having spent last season in the Welsh Premier League.
While the last competitive victory for the Cayman Islands came in 2010, one would have to go back to 2011 to find the last time the Caymanians lost at home, with the exception of the Montserrat loss last March.
With three home matches coming up, if Cayman islands can take care of business, they will be in great shape