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MLS rookie sets bar for J'can players
FROM THE SPORTS DESK
With HARTLEY ANDERSON
Sunday, January 15, 2012
WITH college star Darren Mattocks being the latest to join the ranks of Jamaican professional football players overseas, the list now swells to unimaginable but impressive proportions.
Indeed, it seems eons ago that a little country with limited resources could only dream of landing even one of those coveted overseas contracts, hampered as we were by factors such as a lack of exposure and technical acumen; solid contacts to facilitate the often complicated process, and a lack of guidance overall.
Jamaicans are ambitious and persistent, however, and ever since Ricardo Gardner broke through the ranks with Bolton Wanderers as a teenager in 1998, it has been a fairly steady procession thereafter.
Gardner, along with Jamaica 's World Cup squad of 14 years ago, sensitised the world to the fact that even though quality football is not necessarily played here, we have excellent players who will shine if afforded the opportunity and the right environment.
But lest we forget, it had begun even earlier (albeit in a trickle) when Allan "Skill" Cole had a brief stint in the Brazilian leagues in the 1970s.
Of course, while it is acknowledged that Cole is perhaps the best footballer we have ever produced, it is noteworthy that Paul 'Tegat' Davis and the late Peter Cargill also played pro football in Israel in the 1990s.
Mattocks' circumstances are much different from his pioneering predecessors, however. As a direct product of the college system in the United States, he begins with the distinct advantage of being identified accordingly and is poised to reap the benefits thereof.
As part of the special Generation Adidas programme in the USA, Mattocks can resume his college pursuit whenever he wishes, and is assured of proper mentorship, both from his new club and the well-respected and accomplished Akron soccer setup, which of late prides itself as an authentic feeder programme for the American professional organisation.
A bottom line, of course, is the financial benefits that the youngster is poised to reap as a top-rated professional player, made even more significant and pronounced by a challenging global economic environment.
Mattocks' credentials are not to be scoffed at either. In fact, it was heart-warming, from a Jamaican perspective, that the former Bridgeport High School star was the number two MLS draft pick overall among 38 of the brightest college prospects this year.
Clearly well respected, he was expected to be snapped up by Montreal Impacts, who chose a utility player instead. However, Mattocks' goal-scoring ability was never going to escape the probing clutches of the Vancouver Whitecaps who, interestingly, were not on the hunt for a striker, but obviously could not resist the temptation of a special talent in the form of the marauding Jamaican.
With five forwards already signed to the Vancouver franchise, Mattocks does not have an automatic berth, but rather, will have to earn his place in the team. As he has always demonstrated from his days in the Manning Cup, however, he is a born fighter and can be depended on to become a regular in short order based on natural ability, intelligence and an impressive work rate.
As it stands, therefore, and with the World Cup qualifiers scheduled for this year, Mattocks' achievement augurs well for the pool of players at the disposal of the Reggae Boyz coaching staff.
Further, he speaks passionately about representing his country on the biggest stage of all and should be taken as seriously as his astonishing 39 goals notched in 47 matches for his university over a two-year span.
Instructive in these latest developments is the fact that opportunities abound for Jamaican schoolboy football players, as they did in athletics for several years, and is therefore a catalyst for change and upward social and financial mobility for those who are so inclined.
With college recruitment drives on the rise — as we have witnessed over the past few years at Munro College and the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus — the ball is now in the court of the aspiring young players who have to ensure they meet the matriculation standards of overseas-based institutions.
Indeed, gone are the days when student-athletes could piggy-back on their sporting prowess alone. For, the paradigm now accepted universally is that a functional individual is one who possesses both physical as well as cognitive attributes.
Again, this person usually makes better decisions on the field of play and is always better positioned to execute instructions. He is, consequently, more of an asset to a sporting outfit than one who is academically challenged.
It is for this reason that the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) must be commended for the strident measures implemented a few years ago which mandated student-athletes to attain a passing grade in their subjects before being allowed to represent their schools.
It is my suspicion that some schools do not strictly adhere to this requirement, but they do so at the expense of their own charges. Ultimately, schools exist as a medium of transition into the real world.
Despite their sporting prowess, the grim reality is that the majority of youngsters will never become professional sportsmen and women and must accordingly be equipped with the tools to assume their roles as meaningful members of society.
By entering the professional ranks through the channel of an educational institution, Mattocks, a homegrown talent, has undoubtedly set the standard for others to follow.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1jXI4G8Yx
FROM THE SPORTS DESK
With HARTLEY ANDERSON
Sunday, January 15, 2012
WITH college star Darren Mattocks being the latest to join the ranks of Jamaican professional football players overseas, the list now swells to unimaginable but impressive proportions.
Indeed, it seems eons ago that a little country with limited resources could only dream of landing even one of those coveted overseas contracts, hampered as we were by factors such as a lack of exposure and technical acumen; solid contacts to facilitate the often complicated process, and a lack of guidance overall.
Jamaicans are ambitious and persistent, however, and ever since Ricardo Gardner broke through the ranks with Bolton Wanderers as a teenager in 1998, it has been a fairly steady procession thereafter.
Gardner, along with Jamaica 's World Cup squad of 14 years ago, sensitised the world to the fact that even though quality football is not necessarily played here, we have excellent players who will shine if afforded the opportunity and the right environment.
But lest we forget, it had begun even earlier (albeit in a trickle) when Allan "Skill" Cole had a brief stint in the Brazilian leagues in the 1970s.
Of course, while it is acknowledged that Cole is perhaps the best footballer we have ever produced, it is noteworthy that Paul 'Tegat' Davis and the late Peter Cargill also played pro football in Israel in the 1990s.
Mattocks' circumstances are much different from his pioneering predecessors, however. As a direct product of the college system in the United States, he begins with the distinct advantage of being identified accordingly and is poised to reap the benefits thereof.
As part of the special Generation Adidas programme in the USA, Mattocks can resume his college pursuit whenever he wishes, and is assured of proper mentorship, both from his new club and the well-respected and accomplished Akron soccer setup, which of late prides itself as an authentic feeder programme for the American professional organisation.
A bottom line, of course, is the financial benefits that the youngster is poised to reap as a top-rated professional player, made even more significant and pronounced by a challenging global economic environment.
Mattocks' credentials are not to be scoffed at either. In fact, it was heart-warming, from a Jamaican perspective, that the former Bridgeport High School star was the number two MLS draft pick overall among 38 of the brightest college prospects this year.
Clearly well respected, he was expected to be snapped up by Montreal Impacts, who chose a utility player instead. However, Mattocks' goal-scoring ability was never going to escape the probing clutches of the Vancouver Whitecaps who, interestingly, were not on the hunt for a striker, but obviously could not resist the temptation of a special talent in the form of the marauding Jamaican.
With five forwards already signed to the Vancouver franchise, Mattocks does not have an automatic berth, but rather, will have to earn his place in the team. As he has always demonstrated from his days in the Manning Cup, however, he is a born fighter and can be depended on to become a regular in short order based on natural ability, intelligence and an impressive work rate.
As it stands, therefore, and with the World Cup qualifiers scheduled for this year, Mattocks' achievement augurs well for the pool of players at the disposal of the Reggae Boyz coaching staff.
Further, he speaks passionately about representing his country on the biggest stage of all and should be taken as seriously as his astonishing 39 goals notched in 47 matches for his university over a two-year span.
Instructive in these latest developments is the fact that opportunities abound for Jamaican schoolboy football players, as they did in athletics for several years, and is therefore a catalyst for change and upward social and financial mobility for those who are so inclined.
With college recruitment drives on the rise — as we have witnessed over the past few years at Munro College and the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus — the ball is now in the court of the aspiring young players who have to ensure they meet the matriculation standards of overseas-based institutions.
Indeed, gone are the days when student-athletes could piggy-back on their sporting prowess alone. For, the paradigm now accepted universally is that a functional individual is one who possesses both physical as well as cognitive attributes.
Again, this person usually makes better decisions on the field of play and is always better positioned to execute instructions. He is, consequently, more of an asset to a sporting outfit than one who is academically challenged.
It is for this reason that the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) must be commended for the strident measures implemented a few years ago which mandated student-athletes to attain a passing grade in their subjects before being allowed to represent their schools.
It is my suspicion that some schools do not strictly adhere to this requirement, but they do so at the expense of their own charges. Ultimately, schools exist as a medium of transition into the real world.
Despite their sporting prowess, the grim reality is that the majority of youngsters will never become professional sportsmen and women and must accordingly be equipped with the tools to assume their roles as meaningful members of society.
By entering the professional ranks through the channel of an educational institution, Mattocks, a homegrown talent, has undoubtedly set the standard for others to follow.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1jXI4G8Yx