Whitmore widens the net to catch Reggae Boyz talent

Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer

The well of English talent may not be dry just yet, but Jamaica is prepared to look further afield, including much closer to home, for the core of players who will lead the country's bid for qualification to football's next World Cup.

The ramped up quality of leagues in North America, especially Major League Soccer (MLS) and United Soccer Leagues (USL), once viewed as far inferior to professional leagues elsewhere, including England, are now being acknowledged as fertile ground for bright Jamaican prospects , and those responsible for guiding the Reggae Boyz claim they are showing keen interest.

"One time it was just English," national senior team coach, Theodore Whitmore, said prior to Jamaica's most recent international against Peru in the United States, which featured Omar Daley as the only England-based player in the Reggae Boyz squad.

"Now, if you look now, we're Norway, MLS, Sweden."

Whitmore admitted that MLS quality was once considered "poor", but the coach now believes that "it's improving", causing him and his staff to key in on the league.

"Yes, yes, we've been looking (at MLS)," said Whitmore. "Our attention has been drawn."

According to Whitmore, Daley was called up because he had been out of the national team for a while due to injury and the coach needed to monitor his progress.

Yet, his presence as the lone England-based pro against Peru is a far cry from the days leading up to Jamaica's only berth at a World Cup Finals in 1998 and onwards when players based in England made up a significant chunk of the squad.

That trend was started by former technical director, René Simoes, who believed that the England-based players added a tough, professional presence to the squad. His plan appeared to work. Players like Deon Burton, Paul Hall, Fitzroy Simpson, Robbie Earle, Marcus Gayle, Darrel Powell and Frank Sinclair all joined the Boyz after the qualifiers began and all played in World Cup 1998.

Many others featured in subsequent qualifying campaigns. Even with several Jamaicans, including Whitmore, getting contracts in England after that World Cup, the England-based/born Reggae Boyz contingent continued to grow.

The continued demand even led to an embarrassing incident last year when Jamaica used Tyrone Mears in a friendly against Nigeria, only to discover that he was not eligible as he had no required connection to Jamaica.

READY

But now, it appears, the North American leagues are ready to fill the Boyz' talent pool with their own surplus. Currently, at least 12 Jamaican-born players, or those who have represented the country before, play in MLS.

Some would normally be considered past the age to earn a call-up to the Jamaica squad or have retired from international football, such as Tyrone Marshall or Andy Williams. But Whitmore has already declared he has not ruled out anyone for the qualifiers, which begin next year.

While some may be too old by the time the 2014 World Cup rolls around in Brazil, the coach insists they could still prove useful during the qualifying campaign.

Add to many who qualify to play for Jamaica because of family connections, and the North American pool gets deeper.

Rising MLS stars with Jamaican connections include 21-year-old goalkeeper Sean Johnson of the Chicago Fire. The 6' 3" native of Georgia was once invited to a Jamaica under-20 camp, but was later discarded. He ended up in the US squad to the last under-20 World Cup. Jamaica were eliminated in the CONCACAF final round. Another promising player is 19-year-old forward Tristan Bowen, who has represented the US at youth level, and plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS.

Both Johnson and Bowen are eligible to represent the Reggae Boyz because they have parents who are Jamaican, although the players have not publicly declared their interest to do so.

Against Peru, Jamaica selected several players from MLS and USL to the squad, including Omar Cummings, Nicholas Addlery, Dane Richards, Ryan Johnson, Lovel Palmer and captain Shavar Thomas. The rest of the squad was made up of primarily local-based players or those employed in Scandinavian countries like Norway and Sweden.

Casting a wider net

Whitmore said he is casting a wider net to catch available talent.

"The focus is all over," he said. "Once you can contribute, it doesn't matter if you play in the Super League or the Major League or what league. As long as you're qualified, you suit our system, you fit in our system and you're willing to give your commitment."

The improvement of the North American leagues has been noticeable in recent years, with many of the best US players on the world stage, including star Landon Donovan, still showcasing their talent in MLS.

The recent influx of some world football's biggest names, such as David Beckham of the Galaxy and Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez of the New York Red Bulls, plus the big salaries those players command, have significantly boosted the league's profile as well.

Jamaican players in MLS believe recognition for the league's quality is merited and the search for Reggae Boyz should spotlight anywhere the talent is located.

"The country, the (Jamaica Football) Federation and the team and the coach need every player we have available, whether he plays in England, Russia, America or Puerto Rico," said Thomas, who entered MLS since 2003 and is now with the Kansas City Wizards. "We need everyone.

"I guess now more than before you have a lot more MLS players in the fold and players from this side of the (globe) North America. That's just Jamaica developing and exporting more players overseas," he added. "The (MLS) teams are producing quality players now more than before. The league has been more competitive and harder."

Welcome

Addlery is one player who welcomes the refocus of Jamaica's talent search. The 28-year-old striker, who represented the country at youth levels, has played professionally in several countries, including Vietnam, and had a stint in MLS. Now he plays for Puerto Rico Islanders in USL, North America's second-tier competition.

However, his form, especially in the CONCACAF Champions League the last few years, has earned him invitations to the Reggae Boyz squad recently. He too recognises the contributions of Jamaicans in North American football.

"The majority of the MLS teams have a Jamaican playing in the starting 11," Addlery explained. "So you can see that the impact of Jamaicans is coming more to the forefront of these leagues and it's becoming more important. Obviously, less and less players are going to England, you know. I mean, England is not the only place that soccer is played and you can make a good living. So you have to go other places and seek it and, I mean, North America provides ample opportunity to make a good living playing football."

According to Whitmore, the JFF has been cooperative in assisting his efforts to recruit players based overseas.

"I have no problem with the federation with support," he said.

However, Jamaican-born players or those with ties to the country often cite lack of communication between them and the JFF, which, at times, forces them to consider playing for countries like the US, Canada or even England, although they would love to represent Jamaica. In late July, one MLS player recently said he had never heard from Jamaica, although he was born in the country and represented it many times at the youth level. He has, however, been contacted several times by Canada, the country he migrated to as a teenager.

Whitmore acknowledges that the communication gap between the JFF and players in leagues like MLS and USL needs to be rectified.

"It's something that we've discussed and we're trying to improve," he said.

"But we have a thing in place," Whitmore added. "Probably, you know, it's gonna take some time ... Everything is just a matter of time. It might be slow, but we're getting there."

Yet despite the growing number of North American-based players in Jamaica's national squad, the search for talent may be just scratching the surface.

"There's a few more players that are kinda underneath the radar," said Ryan Johnson, who plays for San Jose Earthquakes in MLS.

Maybe it's time to speed up the search to find them.