TUCKER, St James — Montego Bay United’s newest coach, Brazilian Leonardo Neiva, is setting his goals high as he takes over the reins at the Red Stripe Premier League outfit.

“My first target is to win the national league title,” he told the Jamaica Observer in an exclusive interview on Sunday after watching Montego Bay United slug it out with UWI FC for a dreary 0-0 draw at WesPow Park.

Neiva, who replaces American Coach Timothy Hankinson who left after just about two months to take up an offer in the American Major League Soccer, was in attendance at the game on Sunday, making copious notes and in discussions with Montego Bay United President Orville Powell.

He is the second Brazilian and fourth foreigner to coach Montego Bay United after Nedier dos Santos, and will be the seventh head coach to guide the team in their five years in the Premier League.

Spaniard Carlos Garcia was in charge for most of last season after Donovan Duckie started the 2013-14 season when they went on to win the title, while Dean Weatherly and Hugh Solomon have been in charge.

Neiva, who said he has worked in African football, says he sees a lot of similarities with African football and Jamaican football, particularly in the physicality of the players.

Neiva was set to start his stint yesterday and Powell told the Jamaica Observer he will be in charge until the end of the season, after which they will continue their search for “a long-term solution”.

Powell said the coach had been recommended to the club by English-based Coach Barry McIntosh. “We needed a coach urgently,” Powell had said after his team’s last game.

Since the departure of Hankinson, a makeshift coaching system was put in place, with poor results as the team lost to Portmore United season then had their first 0-0 draw of the season, against the promoted UWI FC on Sunday.

Montego Bay United, the two-time finalists, had ended the first round on top of the tables with 24 points, unbeaten in 10 straight games, and had scored the most goals under Hankinson.

Powell said they had opted for Neiva after negotiations with another overseas-based coach they had been talking to did not work out in time.

He said, however, they were hoping this coach would be able to take over at the end of this season,

Neiva, meanwhile, is eager to start working, stressing that “we need to keep our level, we need to keep our position at the top of the league”.

Sunday’s game, the first he had seen the team live after watching some matches on video, was not MBU’s best showing so far this season, but he was not daunted.

“It was not so bad this game… of course that’s why I am here, to help. They (the team) have good potential and good technique; we just need to do some more work to finish,” said the Brazilian.

The coach, who said he last worked in Tanzania, will have his first assignment with Montego Bay United on Monday, November 30, against Cavalier SC at the Stadium East field in Kingston, and said the team needed to work on tactics.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Neiva said.