The win – Montserrat 2 – Cayman Islands 1.
So this is where we were taken from – FB – Craig Brewin
The eight other teams in contention for the last four qualifying places are St Kitts & Nevis, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Dominican Republic and Bermuda (who play each other), Guyana & Belize (who also play each other), and French Guiana. To add some spice to the final round of matches, and some unpredictability, CONCACAF has arranged things to ensure that each team plays someone of a similar ranking. This is also the final round of qualifying for next season Nations League groupings so everyone has something to play for.
The following is how the weekend needs to pan out for Montserrat.
Day 1: Friday 22nd March. Cayman Islands v Montserrat.
Montserrat has to win. A big win may help. Montserrat is now ahead of Cayman Islands in the FIFA rankings and given its form so far, a win for Montserrat is possibly the more likely option.
Day 2: Saturday 23rd March. Guyana v Belize. Surinam v St Kitts &Nevis.
Either Guyana or Belize will almost certainly finish above Montserrat if they win. St Kitts will finish above Montserrat if they win.
Day 2: Saturday 23rd March. El Salvador v Jamaica.
Kicking off after the two earlier games have finished, El Salvador needs a win against a Jamaica team looking to qualify for League A in the Nations League. It is possible that a big win in the Cayman Islands could see Montserrat stay ahead of El Salvador on goal difference.
Day 3: Sunday 25th. Dominican Republic v Bermuda.
This game is sudden death, with the winners virtually guaranteed to finish ahead of Montserrat.
Day 3: Sunday 25th. Canada v French Guiana.
This match kicks off at the same time as the game in the Dominican Republic. Montserrat will need French Guiana to lose or draw. It has a good team but was beaten 4-2 by Canada when they met in the 2017 Gold Cup.
Day 3: Sunday 25th. Barbados v Nicaragua. A win for Nicaragua will see them finish ahead of Montserrat. Unless French Guiana, St Kitts and Nevis, and El Salvador have failed to win, it will probably all be down to this game. Montserrat will need Nicaragua to fail to win.
Of course, if Montserrat doesn’t beat Cayman Islands then none of this will matter. Not in terms of the Gold Cup anyway. But there is still next season’s Nations League.
