Monumental Milo final on tonight!

A chance at redemption and a taste of glory will be on the line this evening when the Milo Schools’ Football tournament 2023 concludes with its grand finale.
Set for the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown, this monumental clash would involve the best youth talents in 90 scintillating minutes of football showmanship. Both finalists: Region One’s Santa Rosa Secondary and Chase’s Academic Foundation of Georgetown, have played unbeaten in this year’s tournament, and each have five wins and a draw under their belt.
For Santa Rosa, who are new to the competition, tonight’s final is a chance to stun their opponents and prove a point about the quality of schools’ football in the hinterland regions. However, former back-to-back champions Chase’s Academy, who have spent 4 years away from the competition, are the only three-time champions of the Milo tournament (2015, 2016, 2017), and would have a point to prove with their ultimate redemption on the line.

While both sides have cruised through both the Group stage and the Round-of- 16, their mettle was finally tested in the latter rounds of the competition. In the Chase case, they needed to find the resolve to spur a comeback against Ann’s Grove in last Sunday’s quarterfinals. And Santa Rosa’s most difficult challenge came in the semifinal, when overcoming Carmel Secondary almost proved to be a bridge too far.

YOUNG LIONS OF FOOTBALL
While two quality teams will be on display, spectators are invited to look out for the individual talents; the faces of Guyana’s football future.
Seon Cato of Chase’s Academy, who is set to don the number ‘10’ jersey, is hard to miss in the midfield. Already having 8 goals in the tournament thus far, he has a habit of showing up at critical moments, and will surely be looking to extend his personal tally.
Further, this young football lion has set his mind and heart on bagging Chase’s 4th Milo title.
“I think the team is good. Going into the finals, we’re looking to play hard and win, to carry away the championship once again,” Cato told Guyana Times Sport prior to their semifinal victory.
Another star to watch on the Chase team is forward Neeiaz Baksh, who has amassed 5 goals in the competition and has a knack of finding the back of the net from the most unlikely of positions.
Another forward to watch is Justin Alcindor, who, as a winger, is another cannon in the Chase’s arsenal.
The Santa Rosa team is equally stacked with up-and-coming stars. Captain Roy Vansluytman is a born leader and an impressive strategist. He has the joint highest goal tally for the Region One outfit, and Chase’s would be well advised to look out for his powerful strikes from afar.
Then there is Darius Williams, who also has six goals in the competition and fancies the closer shots and penalties.
“I just think we need to touch the ball around more,” Vansluytman has shared with this publication about Santa Rosa’s simple plan for the final.
With this constellation of stellar talent, tonight’s Milo final is a definite must-see.
The third-place playoff, between Carmel Secondary and Mackenzie High, is also set to be an entertaining spectacle. Carmel, who suffered a narrow 2-1 loss in the semifinal, are bolstered by the tournament’s current highest goal-scorer, Ian Daniels (12 goals), and are sure to bring high-intensity opposition to Mackenzie High.
Having unceremoniously ousted their rivals, last year’s champions Christianburg Wismar Secondary, from the competition, Mackenzie High appeared a bit lackluster in their semifinal fixture. However, bounce back to dominance tonight could make that semifinal outing a forgettable one.
The Milo final is set for 18:00hrs, while the third-place playoff is set for kickoff at 16:00hrs.
The Milo tournament is supported by Nestle Milo; Guyana Industrial Minerals Inc (GINMIN); General Equipment Guyana (Genequip) and MVP Sports. (Jemima Holmes)