2023 Caribbean Cup Game-Changer: Shaniel Thomas of Cavalier

MIAMI, Florida – The group stage of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup bore witness to a number of top performances from individual players, but 22-year-old attacking midfielder Shaniel Thomas of Jamaican club Cavalier stood above them all.

Shaniel Thomas scored seven goals in just four games, including back-to-back hat-tricks, to lead Cavalier to a first-place finish in Group A. By virtue of his performance, Thomas is the 2023 Caribbean Cup Group Stage Game-Changer.

“I’m very happy about that. It is my first time playing in Concacaf and to be named the Game-Changer, I’m very happy,” said Thomas in an interview with Concacaf.com

While Thomas relished scoring all seven of his goals, there was one in particular during his hat-trick against Moca of the Dominican Republic that the 6’4” player liked the most.

“It was the header against Moca. It was my first header in a long while, so for me to convert in that in the style I did, it was a wonderful feeling. I remember that goal,” said Thomas.

The hat-trick against Moca was the first of two straight hat-tricks that Thomas had to close the group stage. Never before has he enjoyed such a rich run of form on the field.

“Those two hat-tricks are actually my first hat-tricks of my career, so I feel like I’m at the peak of my powers right now.

I approach every game like a final. I go out there to give 100 percent and that’s what I did and I guess it played out in my favor. I'm always in the right positions, I always find the empty spaces on a field, so I always take those spaces and the ball just finds me and I convert my chances,” said Thomas.

It is not often that a player who is competing in their first Concacaf tournament flourishes the way Thomas has, but the high-stakes affairs of international competition seem to bring the best out of Thomas.

“Scoring in Concacaf means everything for me. As I said before, it’s my first Concacaf championship and to be performing the way I'm doing right now, I'm happy about that. Thanks to my teammates for instilling confidence in me and the staff, the coaches, I'm happy for those guys and happy they're in my corner,” said Thomas.

No team scored more goals (11) in the Caribbean Cup group stage than Cavalier, a team that has the youngest roster in Jamaica and also boasts the 11^th youngest roster of club teams in the world. Having so many young players has made for a dynamic chemistry.

“It means the comradery is easy to build because we're of the same age, so mentally at the same place. It's just that playing with this the set of players, it's so fun. When we get instruction, we just go out there and do it. We communicate very well, so it's kind of easy playing with this team and we play with a lot of heart,” said Thomas.

Hailing from the famed Jamaica College, a place where his brother Shamal also played, Thomas got a chance to make his Jamaica National Team debut recently and all signs point to future call-ups considering his recent form.

“It was everything to me. As a football player, and as an athlete, you want to make it to your national team, so for me to be selected to the national team and on the pitch playing with the national players, it was everything for me,” said Thomas.

First things first, though, Thomas and Cavalier face a very sturdy semifinal test in the Caribbean Cup against fellow Jamaican club Harbour View.

“We just want to go out there and do our best. They won’t be taking it easy and we won’t be taking it easy either, even though we play each other a lot of time. This is a competition we want to win, we know it won’t be easy, but we’ll be giving it our best,” said Thomas.

With a victory in the semifinal against Harbour View, Cavalier would qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup and have the opportunity to go up against the biggest and best clubs in Concacaf. There is no doubt that Thomas is motivated to have the chance to showcase his skills on the biggest stage in the region.

“That would mean everything for the players and myself. It would mean everything to the staff. It would be historic. We have a lot of young players, so it would be massive for us, because it would be big for all of our young players to play against the top teams in Concacaf,” concluded Thomas.