Jamaica international Andre Blake insists will be business as usual but acknowledges the significance of the moment as he prepares to make a 200th appearance for Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise.
Should the player make the starting line-up, as expected, against Atlanta United on Wednesday it should mark his 200th appearance for the club, the second most in franchise history and most for a goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper was the first overall signing of the Union in the 2014 MLS Superdraft and 9 years later has gone on to be one of the club's most consistent and recognizable players. The goalkeeper who led the team to the MLS Supporters Shield in 2020 and second place in the U.S Open cup in 2014, 2015, and 2016 was also named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016 and 2020.
“In a sense, it’s just another number, just another game,” Blake told the Daily Times. “That’s what keeps me humble. But in another sense, it’s a great achievement. You’d have to be in the league for quite a number of years to be able to have 200 starts. It’s a big deal, obviously, but it’s how you look at it. I’m very happy for that moment, but the show must go on.”
Blake has recovered from an early tumultuous spell in 2015 after injuring his right then his left knee.
When Chris Binnie won his 10th Caribbean Senior Squash singles title last week, it felt a little more special than the nine others he had won. When the 33-year-old Jamaican dispatched Khamal Cumberbatch of Barbados 14-12, 11-5, 11-5 to win the 2022 title, it was the first time he was winning a singles title on home soil.
It is a feeling he will not forget.
“This is definitely up there for me because I haven’t won a title in Jamaica at the Caribbean level. I have always been winning them abroad,” he told Sportsmax.TV following his record-extending victory.
“All those times I had crowds cheering against me, my followers have just been watching through screens, so it’s great to actually win one here and to have the home support not matter what else was going on, they were so loud and getting behind me. It was great.
“I was super-excited about winning this 10th title. I am just grateful to everyone and this great support system I’ve had throughout the years to actually get 10 titles. It’s been a long journey. When you start, you just think about winning one at a time and then all of a sudden as the years have gone on they have just accumulated so being able to show up every year, play at a high level still I am just thankful for all of that.”
That said, Binnie revealed that playing at home did not make it any easier as the quality of his opponents has been consistent over the years.
“Every year it’s difficult. I don’t think this was any different. You have players who come through always ready to challenge you, ready to keep you on your toes and so,” he said.
“I was always ready. I was getting ready to play, getting ready to win and treat every game as if it was difficult and as a result, I was prepared and ready to get some good results.”
His opponents were tough from the get-go and it speaks to the depth of talent across the region.
“From the quarter-finals on, there were always difficult matches. Playing Chase McQuan from Trinidad and Tobago, a very good player; Alex Arjoon from Guyana in the semis and Khamal Cumberbatch from Barbados in the final, it shows that there is talent all over the Caribbean,” he said.
“In each of those matches, I had to do different things to win. I was happy to get through them.
“This is a strong region. We missed a couple of players this year due to different things but this was like a stronger semis of players that you would get. We continue to see young players come through like Khamal. He is one to watch for the future. I just hope I can hold him off for another year.”
Barbados are winners of the West Indies Rising Stars U-15 Championship after they defeated Leeward Islands in the final round of matches at the Grenada National Stadium on Friday. The Bajans won the 15-over-per-side match by 16 runs to top the table with 18.4 points. They finished the tournament unbeaten.
Barbados batted first and made 73-0 off 15 overs with solid knocks of 31 from Shem Sargeant and 29 from Kemar Dixon.
In reply, the Leewards ended on 57-8 with the top score of 22 from Tanez Francis, which came off 26 balls. Jakeem Pollard (2-7), RJai Gittens (2-9) and Akobi Crichlow-Byer (2-6) led the way with the ball for the Bajans.
Speaking after the match, Coach Rohan Nurse said he was pleased with the team-work which led to the side’s triumph.
“We are very happy with the way the team played throughout the entire tournament. Over the past two years we didn’t have any competitive cricket at this level, due to the pandemic. In that time, they (players) worked really hard to maintain their skills, and we had a very good build-up leading up to the tournament. It was the first time for all of them at the regional level, but they were able to adapt, and they did very well to come out and win. We are very proud.”
A day of tremendous momentum swings ended with Leeward Islands holding on with one wicket remaining to win the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 championship in a roller coaster three-day final against Barbados at Arnos Vale in St. Vincent on Saturday.
Nathan Edwards, the left-handed allrounder ended unbeaten on 11, which came off 55 balls in over 90 minutes at the crease, played a defensive masterclass for to help Leewards hold on in their second innings on 51-9 (28 overs) to avoid being bowled out, to deny Barbados the title in dramatic fashion.
The day’s play began with Leeward Islands batting in their first innings on 172-4, 107 runs behind Barbados's first innings total of 279-8 declared.
Overnight batsman Carl Bowen-Tuckett showed his experience during a crucial composed knock of 68 off 200 balls with two boundaries to anchor the Leewards before he was dismissed in the 98th over, ahead of the team tactical declaration on exactly 250-8 (110 overs), to receive key batting points for scoring 250 and facing that number of overs.
Although Barbados held a 29-run lead, Leewards had closed the points gap due to the fast bowling and batting points accumulated. So, when Edwards, bowling his left-arm medium, trapped Barbados opener Achilles Browne without scoring with the second delivery, that lead quickly became insignificant. Right-hand medium pacer Chamiqueko Landerfort took 4-16 as Barbados collapsed to 76-9.
The final equation to win the final meant Leewards either could chase down the 106 to win or just bat out the final session. While Barbados had to get all 10 wickets. When pacer Johan Layne struck in the first over of Leewards run chase, they started to wobble. Left-arm spinner Nathan Sealy with an inspired spell (14-8-10-6) was seemingly bowling Barbados to victory, but one final twist would occur.
Sealy unfortunately dropped Edwards at first slip with off fellow left-arm spinner Devon Stevenson which would have won Barbados the title. In the end Edwards and last man Onaje Armoy survived the final stages to win the championship for the Leeward Islands.
Fabian Allen has made himself available for international selection again ahead of the T20 World Cup, six months since his last appearance in a West Indies shirt.
Allen, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, declined a retainer contract with Cricket West Indies earlier this year and has been absent for "personal reasons" throughout West Indies' home season.
He revealed in a statement that he had lost his father to cancer earlier this year, thanking CWI for their support throughout "a very difficult time for me and my family", and confirmed that he is available for international selection.
"I'd like to thank my family, friends and fans for their support over the past four months," Allen said.
"As some of you may know, I recently lost my father to cancer this year and it has been a very difficult time for me and my family. He was my biggest fan and I'm happy he got [to] see me live my dream as a professional cricketer. I will continue to make him proud,” he added.
Allen also thanked Cricket West Indies for their support while reiterating his desire for an international return.
"Cricket West Indies has been supportive throughout the entire process and I really want to thank Johnny Grave [chief executive] and Jimmy Adams [director of cricket] for their consideration. I want to use this opportunity to make it clear, I'll always want to represent my country and the West Indies,” he said.
"Even though I did not necessarily make it clear why I made myself unavailable for selection during the recent summer schedule, it was important for me to finish my grieving process and spend some time with my family. Most importantly, I've been getting myself physically and mentally ready for the CPL and hopefully the T20 World Cup (if selected) later this year. The best of Fabian Allen is yet to come. I know I have the ability to be one of the best batting allrounders in the world and I look forward to showcasing it for all to see," he added.
Allen was the leading run-scorer in the inaugural season of the 6ixty last week and he will represent Jamaica Tallawahs at the CPL, where he will hope to push for a place in West Indies' T20 World Cup squad.
Jamaican Olympian Simone Facey is now a certified coach of athletics.
The semi-finalists in the 2022 Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competitions will begin vying for spots in the final on Tuesday.
Kingston Cricket Club will take on St. Elizabeth Cricket Association at Sabina Park in Kingston while Kensington Cricket Club do battle with the St. Mary Cricket Association at Kensington Cricket Ground, also in Kingston.
St. Mary is the only unbeaten team left in the competition having won three of its preliminary round matches with the other being rained out.
Kingston's quarter-final match against Boys Town last Thursday at Sabina Park was a low-scoring affair.
Boys Town was bowled out for just 52 in 20.2 overs. Rajae McGeachy, who scored 10, was the only batter in double figures as the Boys Town lineup wilted before the Kingston attack led by Quewayne Anglin had remarkable figures of 5-5 from 5.2 overs.
Mekanel Palmer and Keanu Henry each took two wickets.
Kingston achieved their target for the loss of three wickets, reaching 57-3 from 16 overs. Thirty-three of those runs came from extras.
McGheachy took two for 19 and Samuel Burgher got the other for seven runs.
Meanwhile, Kensington walloped St Catherine by 174 runs in their match played at Chedwin Park in St Catherine.
Led by Joziah Neil, who made 99 and David Dewar, 77, Kensington racked up 286-8 from their 50 overs.
Vitel Lawes took 3-36 and Danza Hyatt 2-53.
The score proved too steep a hill to climb for St Catherine Cricket Club as they slumped to 102 all out from 25.5 overs. Lawes 34 and Antwon Robinson 19 were the main scorers in the losing effort.
Bowling for Kensington Jevon Golding took 3-9, Dewar 2-13 and Joziah Neil 2-18.
Over at Manley Horne Park in St Elizabeth, the St Elizabeth Cricket Association side beat St Catherine Cricket Association by 103 runs.
St Elizabeth CA made 155-7 seven in the match that was reduced to 28 overs because of rain. Davian Mason got 41 and Jalil Smith, 23.
Oneil Bonner took 4-14 and Lamar Savage 2-36 for St Catherine CA.
In reply, St. Catherine CA crumbled to 52 all out in 19 overs. Smith was the standout bowler with 5-9 and Kevaughn Brown took 2-10 in the rout.
Westmoreland lost by 18 runs to St Mary in the match played at Boscobel.
Batting first, St. Mary made 113 in 22.2 overs.
Jaquain Jackson scored 21 and Jevaughny Shim, 18, of the paltry score as Delante Scott took 3-25 and E-Jay Spence 3-30.
Despite the relatively easy target, Westmoreland was bowled out for 97.
Rasheed Palmer, 30, and E-Jay Spence, 19, were the main scorers in the losing cause.
Rushawn Bell took 5-27 and was supported by Devonte Miller who snagged 2-19.
The final is set to be played on Thursday, September 1.
Atlanta United came out on top after an explosive second half in their 3-2 home win against DC United on Sunday, with all five goals coming after the break.
In fact, all five goals were scored within 22 minutes, starting with DC's Ravel Morrison as he opened the scoring in the 47th minute by controlling a ball on his chest before volleying from outside the box into the bottom-right corner.
Two minutes later Alan Franco equalised for Atlanta with a header from a corner, before DC made it 2-1 in the 55th minute when Ola Kamara got on the end of a terrific whipped cross from Chris Durkin.
The visiting side's joy was replaced with frustration when Josef Martinez equalised in the 62nd minute, before the home crowd finally saw their team take the lead in the 70th through a Juan Jose Purata header.
With the win, Atlanta are now just three points out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, while DC remain stuck on the bottom of the table with 22 points from 27 games, sporting a goal difference of minus 28.
Elsewhere, Orlando City found the back of the net early and extremely late in their 2-1 victory against the visiting New York City.
The home fans only had to wait six minutes before Urso Junior opened the scoring for Orlando, and that would be the only score of the opening half as the hosts produced seven shots compared to just one for New York.
The second half was a more competitive affair, and New York were rewarded with a Maximiliano Moralez equaliser in the 53rd minute, and that 1-1 score would hold until deep into stoppage time.
As the clock ticked past the five allotted minutes of stoppage time, Orlando were able to steal all three points as Tesho Akindele rose up headered home Ivan Angulo's corner for the win.
In the final match of the day, Los Angeles Galaxy jumped up to the seventh and final Western Conference playoff spot with a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution.
It was a dream start for Los Angeles away from home, taking the lead in the fourth minute when Chicharito set up Daniel Aguirre for the opener, before Chicharito scored himself to make it 2-0 after 15 minutes.
New England played well, controlling 62 per cent of the possession to end up with 1.81 expected goals compared to just 0.95 for Los Angeles, but their only goal came in the 82nd minute from Carles Gil.
Guyana won the overall team title at the 2022 Caribbean Senior Squash Championships that concluded at the Liguanea Club in Kingston on Saturday.
Both teams ended up with a red card in the New York Red Bulls' 3-1 home win against Inter Miami on Saturday night, where an early Gonzalo Higuain goal was not enough for the visitors to nab any points against their Eastern Conference foes.
Higuain opened the scoring in the 19th minute with an absolute rocket, firing his direct free kick to the goalkeeper-side of the wall and into the top corner.
While that gave Miami the momentum, it was ripped away 10 minutes later when Alejandro Pozuelo was shown a straight red card, putting the away side on the back foot the rest of the way.
Lewis Morgan's goal in the 43rd minute ensured the teams would head into the break all tied up, and Daniel Edelman made it 2-1 for the Red Bulls just eight minutes into the second half.
A second yellow card to Kyle Duncan turned it into a 10-on-10 match, but 19-year-old substitute Caden Clark was able to give New York some breathing room in the 74th minute, building an eight-point gap between his fourth-placed side and fifth-placed Orlando City in the East standings.
The Red Bulls are still 10 points adrift of the conference-leading Philadelphia Union, who enjoyed a 6-0 smashing of the Colorado Rapids in front of their home fans.
Daniel Gadzag netted a hat-trick, giving him 11 goals in his past nine games, and 16 for the season, which ties him for the second-most in the league.
The one-sided beatdown included a 26-to-five shot count, while Philadelphia also controlled 59 per cent of the possession.
The Houston Dynamo – the worst team in the Western Conference this season – nearly pulled off an upset away from home against third-placed Minnesota, but ultimately went down 2-1.
Houston opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time through Corey Baird, and they held their 1-0 lead until the final stages when an own goal from Fafa Picault tied things up in the 79th minute. Minnesota then stole all three points with Luis Amarilla's 84th-minute winner.
Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew are fighting it out for the fringe playoff sports in the Eastern Conference, and they could not be separated in their 2-2 draw.
Columbus – who only had 0.43 expected goals in the game, compared to 1.36 for Cincinnati – made it 1-1 in the 74th minute with Derick Etienne's leveller, but Cincinnati took the lead straight back three minutes later through Matt Miazga. Steven Moreira would salvage a point for the Crew with nearly the last touch of the game in the 96th minute.
An Italian one-two punch lifted Toronto to a 2-0 win over Charlotte, with Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernadeschi both striking in the second half.
Montreal received two early goals courtesy of Ismael Kone and Romell Quioto and were able to defend them for a 2-0 win against the Chicago Fire, while Sporting Kansas City edged fellow Western Conference cellar-dwellers the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0.
In the late window, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake fought out a 1-1 draw, and Hany Mukhtar grabbed another two assists to help Nashville SC handle the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0. Mukhtar now has 16 goals and 11 assists in 27 appearances.
200m World Champion Noah Lyles insists he would not be surprised to see Jamaica sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce break the longstanding women’s 100m world record, on the heels of a remarkable season to date.
Fraser-Pryce, the 100m World Champion, pulled out of a showdown with compatriots Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson earlier this week, after feeling some tightness in her hamstring.
Prior to that, however, the 35-year-old has been in near flawless form so far. Fraser-Pryce has dipped below 10.7 on a record six occasions, with her best of 10.62 coming at the Morocco Diamond League meet two weeks ago. Lyles an athlete who is no stranger to fast times himself believes the performances are an indication the Jamaican is on the verge of something special.
“I heard that she said she wanted to break the world record this year and I’m like yeah I can see that. I mean consistently dropping below 10.7s, 10.6s like almost every race and that’s very scary,” Lyles said ahead of the Lausanne Diamond League meet.
“Anytime you see somebody running a time that’s almost the exact same time, very consistently, every race, it means they’re about to make a huge drop. It happened for me in the 2018 season when I ran nothing but 19.6 every race and I dropped it down to 19.5. This year I was just playing around in the area of 19.6, 19.7, and all of a sudden I just made that huge jump to 19.3,” he added.
Last season, it was another Jamaican who had the record in her sights. After a sensational 2021, which saw her crowned the double Olympic champion in Tokyo, Thompson-Herah clocked the second fastest time ever recorded over the distance with a 10.54 run in Eugene, Oregon.
“When Elaine was running in 2021 and messing around with the 10.6, 10.7 area then she just dropped it to 10.5, that just wasn’t out of nowhere she was just consistently running the same pattern and when her body was ready, the wind was ready and the day was good, she was ready to go,” Lyles said.
“I’m really just waiting on Shelly to have that moment where her body is ready and the day is right, the crowd is there and the wind is perfect, I’m not going to be shocked when that world record pops up or it's right next to it or maybe way ahead of it.”
The record of 10.49 held by the United States’ Florence Griffith-Joyner has stood since 1988.
Veteran Jamaica defender Adrian Mariappa has commended an inexperienced Jamaica Reggae Boyz unit for its positive attitude after ending the Austria mini-tournament with a 1-1 draw against World Cup-bound Qatar earlier this week.
With the tournament occurring outside of the FIFA international friendly window, the majority of the team selected to represent the Reggae Boyz were taken from the country’s local league, which left many understandably short on international experience.
The team got off to a rough start with a 3-0 loss to Morocco but rallied back against Qatar and even led the match courtesy of a Jourdain Fletcher goal before being pegged back.
“I thought the goal was brilliant, that’s as good a team goal as I’ve seen that I’ve been a part of with the national team,” Mariappa said.
“It shows that with a bit of composure there is quality there and we can hurt teams, so it’s just about building. We are not going to get too ahead of ourselves because at the end of the day it is a draw, we should have kept the clean sheet,” he added.
“The attitude from everyone was spot on and that’s the first thing you need, that always gives you a chance and a base to play from.”
The majority of the team will arrive back on the island on Sunday.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz were held to a 1-1 draw by World Cup hosts Qatar in the team’s final game of the Austria mini football tournament at the Wiener Neustadt Arena on Friday.
After a scoreless first half, it was the Jamaicans who took the lead when Jourdane Fletcher found the back of the net in the 70th minute. The team, however, failed to hold on to the lead after Qatar's Khaled Muneer found an equalizer in the 83rd minute. The match followed up on a 3-0 defeat to Morocco earlier this week.
Interim Jamaica coach Merron Gordon credits tactical adjustments from the first fixture and a bit more luck for a more positive result in the second.
“The technical staff really planned this out in terms of tactically how we would approach the game. I think we got it right tactically right the last time as we but we were unfortunate, so we knew as long as we could build on that we would get it right today,” Gordon said following the match.
“Probably with a bit more concentration we wouldn’t give up that goal and we would have probably won the game and with a bit more luck on the transitional plays we could have scored a few more goals as well, but it was good. This Qatar team has all the resources in the world and we are still just an emerging team.”
Guyana’s Ramon Chan-A-Sue was returned unopposed as president of the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) during the association’s Annual General Meeting held at the Liguanea Club in Kingston on Wednesday, August 24.
Janet Sairsingh of the Cayman Islands was elected vice president while Kevin Hannaway of St Vincent and the Grenadines was elected secretary. Bermuda’s Nick Kyme is the treasurer. Each of the eight-member countries will appoint a director before October 2022.
During the AGM it was decided that the junior and senior championships will be held in 2023. However, a host nation will be selected by October 2022. At those championships that a doubles category will be added for the junior Championships, while women over 60 will play in the senior championship.
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