A historic first for Latinos FC

Jubilation reigned, as Latinos FC lifted the cup

Founded in 1982, Latinos FC has long had a regular presence on the Cayman Islands football landscape. For years, they dominated the CIFA First Division, the second tier of local football. However, the club’s crowning achievement came on Sunday 28 August after defeating Scholars International to lift the 2019/2020 CIFA President’s Cup.

The 2-1 win brought the club its first major trophy, much to the elation of players and supporters alike.

Coming in as slight underdogs versus arguably the most storied club in Cayman, it was always going to be a challenge for Latinos to come out on top at the Annex. Nonetheless, it was poised to be a tough, defensive battle.

Latinos seized the moment in the 16th minute, when, after a scramble in front of the Scholars goal, it was captain Jarol Smith putting his side ahead. A second goal came in the 50th courtesy Jose Cruz and it appeared Latinos were in cruise control.

Making the most of his loaded reserves bench, Scholars boss, Colin ‘Dougie’ Rowe, moved around his players like chess pieces with the intent of not letting the game get out of reach. As the minutes ticked, however, it was becoming evident that Latinos would be celebrating. Anticipating this, Latinos manager Saulo Castro inserted veteran Nahun Rodriguez, who has found the net several times over the years for the club but was not initially expected to see any action.

Scholars pressed and as they entered stoppage time, a poorly judged tackle brought down Deandre Rowe inside the 18-yard box and Jonah Ebanks converted from the spot to pull Scholars within one. The final whistle was not far off, and celebrations went into full swing for the Latinos crowd, as they could celebrate their first major title.

Latinos FC 2019/2020 CIFA President’s Cup Champions

Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-2
Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-4
Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-3
Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-5
Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-2 Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-4 Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-3 Latinos FC - 2020 President's Cup Champions-5

“We knew that as a final it would be a hard game, but I know the effort of my guys and I’m really glad about what we have done tonight,” Castro told Cayman Sports Buzz. “I know we deserve this cup.”

He heaped praise on his players and credited the way they came together for the historic win.

“It means a lot. We are going to continue winning,” Castro decalred. “This group is a beautiful group and I know we have new players to join the team and we are going to go far with this. Latinos is going to be a force in Cayman’s league.”

Forward Bayron McCoy Reyes also spoke about how the kinship among the players helped them along the way.

“The main reason why we won is because we have finally become a team. This is a real friendship and family. We are not just Latinos [as a team] but a family,” he said.

Smith gets the trophy from CIFA General Secretary Marcos Tinoco

Both the manager and the player were optimistic about how they could use the win to build for the future.

“Next season, we have a league to win,” Castro said.

“Well, this [has] built up a lot of confidence in us and we will win everything next year,” Reyes added.

Latinos finished fifth in the league in the just-concluded season. The 2020/21 CIFA Premier League campaign is slated to begin in September.

Latinos FC starting XI

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