TUCKER, St James — Defending champions Montego Bay United have thrown down the challenge to Waterhouse FC on the eve of their Red Stripe Premier League semi-finals clash.

A tough-talking Orville Powell, president of Montego Bay United, said his team was not going to be waiting for the return leg in Montego Bay, but that they intended to end the semi-final tie today when they meet in the first leg at Drewsland.

Last season Montego Bay United blitzed red-hot favourites Waterhouse 5-2 in the final of the RSPL at the National Stadium, and Powell said they will enjoy playing in the nation’s capital.

“Kingston is where we took it the last time and we will do it there again,” Powell said in a press conference held at the club’s WesPow Park headquarters last Thursday. “The experts have written us off and we don’t get the respect (as champions), but we are coming there and we deserve this.”

Montego Bay United are winless in their last three games in the RSPL, including a 2-0 loss to Reno FC at Frome last Sunday, but Powell said the team is ready for the two-match winner-take-all series.

“For the past three games we were too complacent, too comfortable, but we have seen in the last three away games, every time we needed a serious push, the players rose to the occasion and delivered.”

He said injuries and the trip to Haiti for the Caribbean Football Union Club Championships forced them to make adjustments.

Powell said he wanted to send a signal that they will not be laying down or rolling over. “We are sending signals to the people in Kingston, we are coming for it; we want the energies and excitement around the team and we are bringing it to Waterhouse on Monday. And we want the entire community to come out and support their team, the entire Waterhouse community should come out and watch good football as Montego Bay United is no joke.

“We know they are shaking, but they have good reasons to and we are not waiting until we get back to Montego Bay; we want to wrap it up in Kingston. Waterhouse be prepared and we know our players will rise up,” Powell said.

The MBU president painted his team as the underdogs, saying all the other three teams in the semi-finals had good financial backing, but said they would be representing western Jamaica and the rest of the island.