Javascript Menu by Deluxe-Menu.com

SKNBuzz Radio - Strictly Local Music Toon Center
My Account | Contact Us  

Our Partner For Official online store of the Phoenix Suns Jerseys

 Home  >  Headlines  >  SPORTS
Posted: Saturday 4 January, 2014 at 3:52 PM

Two local footballers on show at inaugural MLS Combine

Kim Rogers (L) and Jamal Francis
By: Loshaun Dixon, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER (MLS), the top football league in the USA, announced in November 2013 that 24 elite-level players from the Caribbean would be invited to participate in their first ever Caribbean Combine.

     

    With that announcement came a buzz as many pondered who would be the candidates from St. Kitts and Nevis that would be given the opportunity to present their talent to the MLS coaches who are scheduled to be present in Antigua.

    In December, the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) announced that goalkeeper Jamal Francis and striker Kim Rogers would be the candidates for the combine.

    In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, General Secretary of the SKNFA Stanley Jacobs gave an overview of the initiative.

    “The MLS Caribbean Combine is a collaboration between Major League Soccer and the Caribbean Football Union to look at talented footballers within the region, with a view of having them enter into the MLS. The MLS is now beginning to look at the Caribbean region there is a lot of top talent. 

    “We are right next door to the United States and it is about time we look to the region for some talented footballers for the MLS. The combine will take place in Antigua over the coming weekend, where they will be playing a series of matches in front of a number of coaches from MLS teams.”

    He also gave an insight into how the two players were selected.

    “The selection process is that we have a technical committee along with the head coach, who are the ones selecting and identifying talent when these opportunities arise.”

    MLS Executive Vice President Todd Durbin in a recent report said, “We recognise that the CONCACAF area, and particularly the Caribbean, is rich with soccer talent, and this will be an opportunity for our scouts to evaluate and identify the region’s top players. Caribbean players from islands like Jamaica, Haiti, Grenada and others have been key performers in MLS. 

    “This event will help recognise the next generation of MLS stars as we look to achieve our goal of being among the best leagues in the world by 2022.”

    The three-day event will take place at the Antigua Recreation Ground in St. John’s and will feature 24 players from ages 18-21 representing 16 different Caribbean nations.

    In 2006 Atiba Harris became the first player from St. Kitts and Nevis to sign for MLS when he joined Real Salt Lake for the 2006 season. 

    He has scored four goals and one added assist in 22 regular season appearances for the Utah-based club.
      
    Harris is a seven-year veteran of MLS, having scored 22 goals and added 20 assists in 167 matches with five different clubs. He had captained St. Kitts and Nevis in the qualifying phase of the 2012 Caribbean Cup.
     
Copyright © 2024 SKNVibes, Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy   Terms of Service