Jamaica-born MLS coaches take aim at local standards
Published:Sunday | December 18, 2022 | 2:55 AMOrane Buchanan - Saff Reporter
FORMER REGGAE Boy Wolde Harris, along with countryman Robin Fraser, in association with Football for the World, a non-profit organisation, hosted a coaching clinic yesterday on the grounds of the Waterhouse Football Field in St Andrew.
Harris, the assistant coach of MLS outfit Colorado Rapids, and Fraser, the head coach, returned to the island with the hope of jumpstarting a qualitative change in the coaching in Jamaica with the clinic.
“Robin and I both share the same sentiments in that we’re at the highest level on the professional stage, right now, and being from Jamaica we know and love football that much, that we know the coaches would benefit from the information that we have and we just looked to come and share that information,” said Harris.
Harris, who represented the country as a striker on 28 occasions, netting seven goals, conducted a series of in-game situations through which he demonstrated to the eagle-eye coaches on how each play could have brought a desired result. The idea is that developed coaches could translate to developed football, especially in Jamaica.
“That is why we came with the aim of helping the coaches because they’re the ones who are going to impart the information to the players. They (coaches) can effect the change, because the coaches here are going to be constantly reinforcing those values and the things that we talked about and so with repetition, there comes a habit,” said Harris.
Harris explained the intersection of himself and Fraser, and Football for the World.
“Football for the World organisation is a non-profit organisation and it not only helps to redistribute used gear and used equipment to impoverished areas of countries, but also helps to host programmes to develop players and coaches. “They approached myself and Robin, being that we’re of Jamaican descent and are now coaching in the US to come back and be part of their programme here and we used that vehicle to formulate a donation drive.”
“It’s a two-part thing, in terms of giving back gear and equipment that we collected but also giving information that we have, and experience at the professional level to the coaches here,” Harris revealed.
The Colorado Rapids finished 10th in their division in the recently concluded MLS season, and despite having a high turnover in players, Harris said the team was still close to making it to the playoffs.
“It was a difficult season for us because of the turnover that we had on the roster and a lot of those players were moved out, whether it was sales or loans to other clubs in Europe, but if you realised, we finished 10th, but we were only four points out of playoff contention.”