Confusion over Montserrat

I may live on an Atlantic outpost but before I went to bed last night by my reckoning and from the table I was looking at only a big Nicaragua win in Barbados would see Lyle Taylor’s Montserrat missing out on a 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup place.

Apparently not. Nicaragua’s 1-0 win thanks to a Juan Barrera’s goal on 70 minutes meant they finished 9th and Montserrat 11th, not 10th. Websites and general up to date information is not easy to find from this region and the table I was following had not been updated.

But, all may not be lost as it appears Cayman may have fielded an ineligible player in their defeat to Montserrat on Friday night. Joshewa Frederick should have been suspended but played. If CONCACAF deem that an offence, then Montserrat are likely to be awarded a 3-0 victory which equals them on goal difference with El Salvador.

Supposedly away goals then comes into play, yet El Salvador did beat Montserrat 2-1 in qualifying and CONCACAF not renowned for their fairness to the smaller island nations, may either do nothing at all with the Cayman offence or take the just go with El Salvador. Again trying to find out anything from this region is problematical, but I suspect it will be swept under the carpet.

Gutting for Lyle.