U15 footballers ready to ‘make Cayman proud’

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 30 April 2017

A determined group of youngsters aim to “make Cayman proud” when they take the pitch for the Cayman Airways Invitational U15 Youth Football Cup as part of the national team.

“The boys are prepared. They are looking forward to the event, to the challenge of putting their knowledge and learning into a highly-competitive game situation,” national U15 head coach Bruce Sigsworth said at a press conference Friday, 28 April.

The local side is drawn in Group A of the 12-team tournament and will play preliminary round matches against American sides Alchemy Soccer Club of Minnesota and IMG Academy from Florida, and Jamaica’s Cavalier Soccer Club.

U15 head coach Bruce Sigsworth

“They are looking forward to it and [are] excited about the challenge,” Sigsworth said. He added that it was tough to figure out the quality of competition but they have been checking out video clips online.

“We expect it to be the highest level [of competition], so we just have to perform at our highest level. So, the boys are really being challenged to perform at their highest level and see what happens,” the coach said.

Participation in the Cayman Airways Invitational U15 Youth Football Cup is timely, as the squad prepares for the CONCACAF U15 Boys Championship in Florida this summer and Sigsworth said he is looking to make the most of the experience.

“We, as coaches, also gain immensely from seeing our boys in competitive matches and learning about who steps up, who may need a little bit more support in certain areas,” he explained.

“It is also a check box on our long-term player development for the boys in our holistic approach of developing better boys, better men, for a better Cayman.”

Team Cayman kicks off their participation in the West Bay Sports Foundation hosted tournament on the second day (Wednesday) when they face IMG Academy for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. Their next game is Thursday at 8:00 p.m. vs Alchemy and close out group play against Cavalier Soccer Club Friday at 6:30 p.m. All their group games will be played at Ed Bush Sports Complex in West Bay.

If they top the group or are the best second-place finisher of the three groups, a berth in the semifinals Saturday evening awaits.

“We’ll make Cayman proud and the boys are up for making Cayman proud and hope to do that,” Sigsworth said.

The team will also be fundraising with t-shirt and snack sales at the match venues.

Full squad: Gunnar Studenhofft, Jonah Sigsworth, Kiran Conolly-Basdeo, Breshawn Watson, Luke Byles, Fin Millward, Kameron Bennett, Caleb Winspear, Zach Redden, Jackson Kirkconnell, Nick McCallum, Josh Small, Jordon Sommerville, Victor Thompson Jr, Gabriel Dell’Oglio, Daniel Wallace, Barry Dre Tibbetts, Jelani Morrison, Theo Whiteside, Ciaron Haylock, Jahmai Griffiths, Jaden Ebanks, Tommy Kehoe, Micha O’Garro, Harrison Hew, David Pitcairn, Corey Smith, Jonathon Scott, Jahrion Bodden.

Coaching staff: Bruce Sigsworth (head coach), Ian Lindo (Assistant Coach), Serge Sandy (Assistant Coach and Equipment Manager), Alexander Gonzalez (Goal Keeper Coach), Marilyn Conolly (Team Manager).