Portmore United F.C.

Portmore United F.C.
Logo
Full namePortmore United Football Club
Nickname(s)PMU
Founded1985 (as Hazard United)
2003 (as Portmore United F.C.)
GroundFerdi Neita Sports Complex
Portmore, Jamaica
Capacity2,500
ChairmanGarwin Tulloch
ManagerShane Nelson
CoachRodolph Austin
LeagueJamaica Premier League
2023–24Regular season: 4th
Playoffs: Quarterfinals

Portmore United Football Club is a Jamaican professional football team in the top flight Jamaica Premier League. With 7 Jamaica Premier League titles, 5 domestic cups and 2 Caribbean Club Championships, Portmore United is the most decorated club in Jamaican Football.

The team plays its home matches at the Ferdie Nieta Park.

History

Hazard United

The club was formed as Hazard United and has been around for more than 20 years. They started out in the Clarendon League in Division 2, then played two years in Division 1 when they qualified for Craven A Premier League. They have been in Jamaica National Premier League ever since. Hazard United were based in May Pen and won two league titles (1993 and 2003).[1]

Move to Portmore and rebranding as Portmore United

Portmore United was founded in the late 20th century in Hazard as Hazard United. In the early 21st century, the club moved to Clarendon and renamed itself to honor its Clarendon home. JFF regulations stipulated that each club have stands with seating capacity of at least 1,500 persons, which Clarendon did not have. In order to honor this requirement, the team subsequently moved to St. Catherine and began to use the Ferdi Neita Sports Complex. Initially, Clarendon and the St. Catherine football club agreed to share the same stadium. However, in 2002, St. Catherine suggested Clarendon change its affiliation to become a St. Catherine team. However, due to an anaemic growth rate in support due to a club name which was not locally identifiable, Clarendon instead chose to move to Portmore and rebrand itself as Portmore United.[2] The club has won four (4) Premier League titles since it relocated to the Portmore community.

The club also has teams in youth divisions, including Under 20, Under 17, Under 15, and Under 13. A number of players from these teams have been capped with their respective Jamaica national teams.

In October 2008, Portmore were stunned as technical director Donovan Duckie quit the club for personal reasons. Duckie had only recently succeeded Horace Reid in August 2008 after Portmore won the league title.[3] The team’s current management staff includes Andre Waugh as technical director and joint head coaches Philip Williams, Rodolph Austin and Kevin Deerr.

Modern Era

Portmore United defeated Cavalier 2-0 in the inaugural 2023 Lynk Cup all-island knockout final to claim the first ever Lynk Cup trophy.[4] Adding to the team existing 4 JFF Champions Cup titles, Portmore United now has a record setting 5 all-island knockout titles.

Rivalries

Portmore Derby

A local derby has developed between Portmore United and Dunbeholden since the latter’s promotion to the premier league in the 2018-19 season. Both clubs are closely located in the city of Portmore, the matchup is coined the Portmore Derby.[5]

Current squad

As of 17 November 2023[6][7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Jamaica JAM Tyrone Williams
2 FW Saint Lucia LCA Jevick MacFarlane
3 DF Jamaica JAM Kenai Clarke
4 DF Jamaica JAM Steven Young
5 DF Jamaica JAM Clayton Peck
6 DF Jamaica JAM Emelio Rosseau
7 MF Jamaica JAM Seigle Knight
8 DF Jamaica JAM Akeem Mullings
9 FW Jamaica JAM Chevaughn Walsh
10 MF Jamaica JAM Martin Davis
11 FW Jamaica JAM Alex Marshall
12 MF Saint Lucia LCA Lester Joseph
13 GK Jamaica JAM Benjamin Williams
14 FW Jamaica JAM Omar Reid
15 MF Jamaica JAM Jordane McDowell
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF Jamaica JAM Nickoy Gayle
17 DF Jamaica JAM Rodolph Austin
18 FW Jamaica JAM Mark Lewis
19 MF Saint Lucia LCA Alvinus Myers
20 MF Jamaica JAM Jahein Rose
21 MF Jamaica JAM Dashawn Plunkett
22 MF Jamaica JAM Trevon Thorpe
23 MF Jamaica JAM Okello Howard
24 MF Jamaica JAM Richard Livingston
25 FW Jamaica JAM Kewayne Mcleish
26 MF Jamaica JAM Andre Salmon
27 DF Jamaica JAM Jovaughn Thompson
29 MF Jamaica JAM Geo Headley
32 GK Jamaica JAM Daveigh Payton

Honours

Official trophies (recognized by CONCACAF and FIFA)

National[8]

International

Doubles

Trebles

Former players who played at international clubs

Former coaches

References

  1. ^ Portmore United kick off against newcomers Cosmos Archived 2013-11-09 at the Wayback Machine – Jamaica Gleaner
  2. ^ Portmore United move ahead Archived 2005-03-18 at the Wayback Machine – Jamaica Gleaner
  3. ^ Duckie walks;Portmore TD quits to be closer to young son in Portland Archived 2008-10-29 at the Wayback Machine – Jamaica Observer
  4. ^ "Portmore claim Lynk Cup title". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  5. ^ Walker, Howard (2023-03-19). "Portmore, Dunbeholden in derby clash for play-off spots". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  6. ^ "Portmore United FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  7. ^ "Jamaica - Portmore United FC - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  8. ^ "Jamaica — List of Champions". rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2023-10-21.