The semi-finals of the third Turbo Energy Drink straight knockout tournament will be held at Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue, on Sunday.
Fruta Conquerors U-20 will face Pouderoyen in the first semi-final from 19:00h followed by Georgetown Football Club (GFC) against defending champions Northern Rangers from 21:00h.
Based on recent history, and current composition of squads, the U-20 and the youthful GFC will start as favourites, but that’s just a slight edge over their opponents.
Conquerors U-20s are red hot, defeating senior teams last year to win the Limacol Tournament, which included these said teams. It is fair to say, their age is truly just a number given the superior football they have displayed. It won’t be a surprise if they make the final, due to the number of national youth players in the ranks.
Their opponents are a seasoned group, and while this is the phase they most often fade, they have a core group who can get them over the line. After a narrow 6-5 penalty win against Buxton U-20, the West Demerara lads will know not to underestimate this bunch of U-20 players.
GFC were given a royal test by Santos U-20 and passed in the dying stage, winning 2-1 to reach this stage. They responded well to the test of Santos and it was an invigorating tit-for-tat battle.
Despite having the likes of senior national player Kelsey Benjamin and the ‘work horse’ in Deon Alfred, they will know Rangers have the pedigree. After all, they are the defending champions, which shows they know how to come good in big matches.
Rangers reached the semi-finals after a 2-0 penalty win against Riddim Squad.
They will battle for the $400,000 first place, while second to fourth will pocket $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. Individual prizes will also be awarded to the Most Valuable Player, Highest Goalscorer and Best Goalkeeper.
