DEFENDING champions Tivoli Gardens will welcome new boys Montego Bay United into the National Premier League at the Edward Seaga Stadium at 5:00 pm in one of six games of the season opener today.

Promoted Highgate of St Mary will play their first Premier League game at Waterhouse; Boys’ Town host Reno; Harbour View tackle Humble Lion; Portmore United play Sporting Central and Arnett Gardens travel to Village United.

Despite not having a title sponsor, the league should provide a lot of excitement on opening day, with promoted sides Montego Bay United (formerly Seba) and Highgate looking to prove that the belong.

MoBay United, under the tutelage of Pastor Hugh Solomon, will need a prayer of two get off on a winning start against the defending champions.

The St James outfit has been strengthened with the acquisition of national defender Keneil Moodie from Waterhouse, the young and talented Allan Ottey, Troy Reid from Reno and Leon Irving from Village United. They join veteran Iton Scott, Deshawn Woolery, James, Curtis Palmer and Jeremy Bucknor.

“It is a case of recognising that we are back in the big league and playing against the defending champions at home won’t be easy. But we have made preparations,” said Solomon.

Tivoli Gardens have lost the creative skills of Kaemmar Daley to Preston North End in England but have found a natural goalscorer in Mitchily Waul of Cavalier to play alongside the dangerous Navion Boyd and former Arnett and Harbour View player Marcelino Blackburn.

The prolific Devon Hodges is back at Tivoli from Vietnamese club Song Lam Nghe An until January, but should not feature in today’s game.

Debutant Dwayne Holmes, formerly of St Georges. will play alongside Kasai Hinds, Rupert Murray and Kemar Flemmings in defence.

Tivoli did not look very efficient in the pre-season Claro KSAFA Champions Cup mainly because of what seemed a weak midfield.

Manager Brian Rose is expecting a tough challenge from the new boys.

“As defending champions everybody will come raring at us and a new team back in the competition, so I expect a very tough game…,” noted Rose.

Meanwhile, the Braxton Hyre-coached Highgate has brought in five players from relegated neighbours St Georges in Romeo Parkes, Horace James, Donovan Davis, Marvin Wright and Demar Easington, plus Christopher Harris of Reno and Luke Soares of Rivoli United.

Waterhouse, on the other hand, have lost the talented Kenardo Forbes — who it is understood, has stopped playing football — and top midfielder Vincent Earle through suspension for this game.

But in Jermaine Anderson, Akeen Thenstead, Rohan Amos, Hugh Howell, Peter Keyes and Loxley Thomas, they could proved too hot for Highgate at Drewsland.

Former champion Harbour View will have their hands full containing big spending Humble Lion who are eager to prove they can challenge for the title.

Head coach Lenworth Hyde Snr started pre-season rather early and expects his team to come out of the blocks flying.

His son Lenworth Hyde Jnr, Omar Walters and Michael Blygen have joined the Clarendon ranks, alongside Denzil Watson Kevin Mighty, Kevin Lamey, Sean Coleman and Omando McCleod in a formidable outfit.

Harbour View will have to do without their two top midfielders in Jermaine Hue and Richard Edwards through suspension.

Former national striker Fabian Taylor will lead the charge with new signees Nico Brett, Damion Harewood, Montrose Phinn, Jahmali Spence and John Ross-Edwards.

Last season’s runners-up Boys’ Town are favoured to get off the mark first time of asking against Reno at Collie Smith Drive.

The Andrew Price-coach Red Brigade have acquired Horace “Weed Seed” Sharpe from Cavalier and the returning Garfield Gillespie from Arnett Gardens to join Michael Campbell, Xavean Virgo, Renae Lloyd, Anthony Bennett and Daemion Benjamin.

Reno might not be one of the fancied teams, but the Westmoreland outfit cannot be taken lightly despite not having the services of their leading goalscorer Craig Foster until December.

The buzz is around the Arnett Gardens team once again following an impressive pre-season in which they lifted the Champions Cup and that euphoria should see them doing well against Village in Trelawny.

New signee Errol Stevens, who made his national debut against Colombia and who is highly rated in some quarters as the best local-based player, should make a big impact for Arnett this season.

Stevens, along with the towering Newton Sterling, last season’s top scorer Kirk Ramsey, Leon Strickland, Jonathan Williams, the returning Jerry Walters and newboy Girvan Brown of St Georges should secure victory for Arnett.

Incidentally, Arnett have two Kemar Brown in their ranks and one is from Village, while the other came through the youth system.

Village have lost several players to MoBay United and in this rebuidling phase might be in early season trouble.

Meanwhile, expectations are also high at Portmore this season and Sporting Central will have to be at their best to stop the former four-time champions.

Portmore for years have depended on youth and this season will be no different. They will be without Steven Morrissey, who is on loan overseas to Finnish club Vaasan Palloseura.

But the likes of Eric Vernan, Adrian Reid, the very promising Nicoy Christian of Bridgeport fame, national invitee Ewan Grandison, Ricardo Cousins, national player Andrew Vanzie and Tremaine Stewart have formed a formidable unit.

Today’s games

3:30 pm Boys’ Town vs Reno @ Boys’ Town

3:30pm Village United vs Arnett Gardens @ Trelawny Stadium

CVM TV LIVE GAME/ KLAS SPORT FM 89 RADIO GAME

5:00pm Tivoli Gardens vs MoBay United @ Seaga Complex

CNS CABLE NETWORK TV GAME/ NEWSTALK 93FM RADIO GAME

5:00pm Waterhouse vs Highgate United @ Drewsland

6:30 pm Harbour View vs Humble Lion @ Harbour View

7:00pm Portmore vs Sporting Central @ Ferdie Neita