From CONCACAF

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Although Elite Sports Club didn’t score a goal or earn a point in the 2017 Caribbean Club Championship, it took home some valuable lessons for future participation in the tournament.

In first-round play, the Cayman Islands power lost each of its three games: 0-4 to Club Barcelona Atletico (Dominican Republic), 0-5 to host Montego Bay United (Jamaica) and 0-2 to Grenades FC (Antigua/Barbuda).

Elite saved its best for last in the setback to eventual Group C champion Grenades, keeping the match scoreless until an error led to a goal in the 56th minute.

Technical director Gregory Ebanks hopes to use the Caribbean event as a catalyst to bring new ideas to his organization.

“I think as the tournament progressed, we got better and better,” said Ebanks. “We have to work on preparation. This was an eye-opener for the players and the staff and we realize what we have to do if we are to measure up to this level of competition in the future.”

One of the items at the top of Ebanks’ agenda is roster development.

“The main obstacle we have is that the team is not deep enough and too many players had to play 90 minutes in all three games and we were not allowed to rotate so they can get rest and recovery,” he finished. “Unfortunately that was one of the downfalls on our roster to engage in this high level of football.”

IMAGE: Cayman Islands side Elite SC (pictured) gathers for a team photo prior to its Caribbean Club Championship match against host Montego Bay United on March 3, 2017, in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

For more on this story go to: http://www.concacaf.com/article/elite-sc-looks-to-grown-from-caribbean-club-campaign