Thinking about where I came from and where I am now in my life, I am very thankful of the career i have had. Being Jamaican born then immigrating to Boston Massachusetts at the age of 2 years old, I would never have thought I would have grown up to represent my birth country of Jamaica at the Senior National Team level and travel the world playing in multiple countries from 5 clubs in Major League Soccer to the Chinese Super League, Sweden and the Korean K-League.
Through-out the years as a youth player developing my game in the United States I have always had doubts about if I was good enough to become a Professional Soccer Player. These are the doubts that every young player feels as they progress through all the different age groups. Luckily for me I had a huge support network of talented West Indian people that came together for the love of the game. Every evening after school I would accompany my father to his soccer practice with his various teams. This is where I learned my fundamental skills that guided me through out my career. I learned so many lessons, from toughness, leadership, resilience and last but not least the mentality to win. The rules of "winner stays on" was ingrained into my brain. If I wanted to continue to play I had to find a way to win.
As I travelled the world in my career I realized that too many young players were not fortunate enough to develop their skills the way I had in my community. I cannot remember the countless hours I put in on the football pitch with my fathers teammates and friends. I can see that too many players aren't putting in enough time on the field to maximize their potential. Approaching the end of my playing career I started to feel the urge to help the next generation of players reach their full potential and experience what this beautiful game has given to me. If I can help one player get a scholarship to a Collegiate program of their choice or to the Professional level it would mean the world to me. Soccer has taught me so many life lessons through out the years and sharing these lessons has developed into a passion of mine as I transition into my retirement.