All roads will lead to the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue tomorrow as, East Ruimveldt giant and crowd favourite, Back Circle battle East La Penitence juggernaut, Sparta Boss in a titanic clash for the Petra Organization Futsal Championship.
The monumental meeting, which is projected to captivate the capacity crowd expected to swarm the facility, is the second showdown of the teams in the tournament. The youthful Back Circle unit prevailed 3-2 over their highly touted foe in the encounter that eventually proved to be a dress rehearsal for the final.
Although the victory over their impending foe should affix Back Circle with the favourite’s tag, for many pundits and neutral observers the star studded Sparta Boss, due to their superior pedigree and experience, is the safer choice to secure the title which has eluded their grasp.
Losing finalist in the inaugural 2015 edition, Sparta Boss sealed their berth to the finale via a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over fierce rival North East La Penitence and a 4-1 thrashing of Sophia in the semi-final stage. On the other hand, Back Circle started their knockout campaign with a dogged 2-1 quarterfinal win over Broad Street, followed by the upset of the tournament, their 3-1 victory over defending champion Bent Street.
In terms of the numbers, the combatants are identical on both sides of the ball, with 19 goals scored by their respective strike forces, and seven goals conceded by their corresponding rearguards.
For the Sparta Boss side which also features Solomon Austin and Travis Grant, Devon Millington is the event’s top marksman with nine conversions. His support has come in the form of Gregory Richardson who has assisted with five goals, while Cleon Forrester has fashioned two conversions coming off the bench.
Sheldon Shepherd and Eusi Phillips have chipped in with one strike each, alongside an own goal to complete their offensive tally.
In the case of Back Circle, Stephon McLean is the leading threat with five goals and is closely followed by the duo Selwyn William and Akeemo Anthony on four goals apiece. While Sylvester Richardson and Curtez Kellman have each scored twice. The depth of the Back Circle bench is further shown with both Keron Joshua and Jermaine Beckles also finding the back of the net on one occasion.
Meanwhile the third place fixture will pit dethroned kings Bent Street against Sophia in a rematch of an earlier group round encounter which saw Bent Street prevailing by a 4-2 scoreline.
Prior to the commencement of the aforesaid fixtures, several exhibition matches will occur from 20:15hrs. Winners of the tournament will collect $400,000 and the championship trophy while the runner-up will pocket $200,000 and the corresponding accolade. Individual prizes of Most Valuable Player, Best Goalkeeper and Highest Goal Scorer will also be awarded.
