As a rookie striker for the Trinidad and Tobago senior team, Jamal Gay has shown enormous promise at the forefront of his country’s offensive unit. Despite never playing for a Trinidad and Tobago youth team, and coming to play for the senior team straight out of high school, Jamal has shown an immense amount of poise and ability, scoring in only his third national appearance in a friendly against Barbados. In high school, Gay was named one of the top five Players of the Year for the SSFL, and single-handedly led his team to the Intercollegiate final in 2007. In that tournament, he would also win the top scorer award with nine goals to his name. At the age of 19, Jamal has shown tremendous talent as a striker, using his speed, agility and ball handling skills to his advantage and with continued hard work and dedication, his potential is practically limitless.

Gay scored two goals for T&T’s Under-20 team against St. Francious Nationals on September 28^th. His two goals propelled his team to win the match 3-0. Gay had an assist on August 26^th when Joe Public thrashed the New England Revolution 4-0. It was the first time a Caribbean side defeated an American squad in CONCACAF club competition.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

BAYAMON, PR — The Rochester Rhinos took their 2-0 aggregate lead over the Puerto Rico Islanders into leg two of the USL First Division semifinal round on Sunday, but were unable to advance to their seventh league title game as Puerto Rico scored twice in the first half to level the series, and in the final minute of series overtime to advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate.

Puerto Rico was without Nigel Henry (injury), Scott Jones (suspension) and Edwin Miranda (suspension).

It was corner kicks that would seal the Rhinos fate in a 3-0 loss with all three Islander goals coming off a set piece. It appeared that the Rhinos had scored the goal they needed, but it was ruled that Johnny Menyongar was offside.

It was, however, the Islanders who struck first in the early stages of the first half as Fabrice Noel connected on a corner kick in the 11th minute to give the home side a 1-0 lead, cutting the Rochester advantage in half.

Rochester had a chance to even the score in the 20th minute but couldn’t connect. Later in the match the Islanders had another scoring chance off a corner kick but Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow was able to punch the ball up and out of harm’s way.

The top scoring team in the league was able to even the aggregate score off a corner kick when Taiwo Atieno finished off a Noah Delgado corner kick in the later stages of the first half, giving them a 2-0 lead in the game at the 33 minute mark.

Another Islander opportunity was foiled when Vallow was up to the challenge, stopping an opportunity for Noah Delgado from in close to keep the score 2-0 going into the half.

The Islanders continued to pressure Rochester from the beginning of the second half. The Rhinos had a chance in the 60th minute but goalkeeper Bill Gaudette was there to make the stop.

In the 77th Johnny Steele fed a pass to Fabrice Noel that looked dangerous, however, Vallow made the stop.

The Rhinos ramped up the pressure as regulation was coming to a close, just missing when a Tiger Fitzpatrick attempt just missed wide.

As overtime was underway it was Steele who nearly struck first, just missing the upper corner which would have given the Islanders a 3-2 aggregate lead. Minutes later Puerto Rico’s Fabrice Noel had a golden opportunity but was denied by a diving save by Vallow.

After both teams weathered the storm during the first fifteen minutes of overtime without scoring, the second overtime would be the last chance to win the series before the penalty kick round began. With both teams trying to net the deciding goal it was apparent that nearly 120 minutes of play were taking a toll.

With the time winding down in the second overtime the Rhinos season came to an abrupt end when the Islanders scored off another corner kick with defender Cristiano Arrieta sending the Islanders to the first league title match against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

In the recent hundred-year anniversary of country’s history with football, a new force is coming that is sure to make waves in the football community. This past Friday, two players flew to Port of Spain to continue their careers for United Petrotrin. Why are these players different? They’re not from T&T. Jeremy Gold and Ian Bennett are some of the first non-Trinidadian players to play in the Pro League. Gold and Bennett’s sports agent, CEO of MLF Sports Heather MacKenzie, made this transfer when the team expressed interest to boost the team from their current sixth place ranking.

MacKenzie is not unfamiliar with T&T football. She represents 12 players from Trinidad. Two of her athletes, OseiTelesford and Andre Toussaint, have played the last two games for the National Team. She believes that Gold and Bennett could make a substantial impact for United Petrotrin and also begin a new relationship between T&T and players from other countries.

Jeremy Gold was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, historically a big American football town. He attended the IMG Soccer Academy in Florida early on in his career, and attended college at the College of Charleston. Gold just finished the PDL (Premier Development League) season and lead his team, the Thunder Bay Chill, to their first National Championship. He finished with a total of nine goals and three assists in 15 games.

Ian Bennett hails from Canada and started his football career in Florida as well, training in Cocoa Beach, Florida for the Ontario Provincial Program. He graduated from Marian College in Indiana with accolades such as the Mid-Central College Conference Player of the Year, three-time conference first team selection, and set school records for career goals and points. He recently finished the season with the Richmond Kickers.

If more information is desired, Heather MacKenzie and her players can be contacted at 1-336-722-9944.

In a dramatic and excellent show of poise and talent, defensive midfielder Tiger Fitzpatrick scored a goal against the Silverbacks off an assist from Steve Guppy Saturday to help the Rhinos trounce Atlanta, 2-0. After losing to the Silverbacks earlier this month, Tiger and the Rhinos hope that this home victory will give them the edge they need to win the rubber match to be played this Saturday at REMAX Stadium in Atlanta. A brilliant defender and gifted athlete, Tiger continues to impress both opponents and spectators with his ability to create shots and produce wins, and with five matches left in the regular season, there is still plenty of magic to be seen.

The preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions league will start this week, with 8 matches between different teams located throughout North and Central America hoping to make it to the semifinals after group play has concluded. MLF Athletes Scott Jones, Kendall Jagdeosingh and Osei Telesford all hope to start for the Puerto Rico Islanders as they take on the Costa Rican team LD Alajuelense on Wednesday, August 27th. Also in the mix are Joe Public FC goalkeeper Alejandro Figueroa, Gary Glasgow and Seon Power, who will take on the New England Revolution at home in Trinidad on Tuesday. This first round promises to be an exciting one, as teams from all over the continent begin to compete against teams they would otherwise never face. With all the commotion surrounding Champions league play, expect to see an upset or two, and prepare for some exhilarating football.

As World Cup Qualifying begins to heat up, the pressure is on Trinidad and Tobago as they hope to repeat their stunning 2006 performance in Germany. In the first match of the third round, Trinidad routed Cuba 3-1 in an away victory that has, at least for now, catapulted the Soca Warriors to the top of Group 1, where they have a two goal lead over the number two team, the United States. MLF Athletes Osei Telesford, who had a spectular defensive performance, and Darryl Roberts, who kept the pressure on Cuba after Trinidad got an early lead, were able to help Trinidad and Tobago secure a win in the first of six third round matches. As Trinidad prepares to face the reeling Guatemala, who just suffered their first loss to the United States in over 20 years, both Darryl and Osei hope that they will continue to be a part of the stellar Trinidad lineup, as the small island nation fights for a trip to South Africa in 2010.

As World Cup Qualifying begins to heat up, the pressure is on Trinidad and Tobago as they hope to repeat their stunning 2006 performance in Germany. In the first match of the third round, Trinidad routed Cuba 3-1 in an away victory that has, at least for now, catapulted the Soca Warriors to the top of Group 1, where they have a two goal lead over the number two team, the United States. MLF Athletes Osei Telesford, who had a spectular defensive performance, and Darryl Roberts, who kept the pressure on Cuba after Trinidad got an early lead, were able to help Trinidad and Tobago secure a win in the first of six third round matches. As Trinidad prepares to face the reeling Guatemala, who just suffered their first loss to the United States in over 20 years, both Darryl and Osei hope that they will continue to be a part of the stellar Trinidad lineup, as the small island nation fights for a trip to South Africa in 2010.

Brent Sancho, the former Trinidad and Tobago National Team defender famously remembered for his run-in with Peter Crouch in the 2006 World Cup, has inked a deal to play for the Atlanta Silverbacks of the USL’s First Division. After having played in Europe over the past six years, for teams in the Scottish First Division and England’s League One, Sancho has decided to return to the United States. Although the World Cup veteran has battled injury over the past year, he believes that his trials with Wrexham FC and play for Ross County have allowed him to fully regain his health and he is ready to play at the professional level here in the US. MLF Sports, Brent’s managing Agency has been working actively with a number of teams in the US over the past month, a process which ultimately resulted in Brent signing with Atlanta. When asked about the move, Sancho said, “I’m really happy to be here in Atlanta with such a quality organization, and I’m looking forward to being able to concentrate on soccer and nothing else.” Heather MacKenzie of MLF Sports said the following about Brent’s decision to sign with the Silverbacks, “After closely considering all the opportunities open to a player of Sacho’s caliber, I am glad that Brent chose to come to Atlanta. I believe it was a good move for him, as he will be able to showcase his skills and extensive international experience in a league that is constantly raising the bar and improving the level of play associated with American soccer.”

The First Division of the USL, or United Soccer Leagues is a conglomeration of eleven teams that play throughout the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. In recent competition in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, a tournament which pits teams from every level of the US Soccer pyramid against one another, the USL’s First Division has shown surprising talent. Though the First Division is ranked as the second league behind the MLS, in seven match-ups between the USL and the MLS, the teams of the First Division came away victorious in four of them, and are guaranteed to have to a representative in the Cup Championship, which will take place on August 24^th. With the quality of American professional soccer growing by leaps and bounds, Brent is eager to bring his international talent to the fore and compete with an expanding group of world class athletes.

For more information on Brent Sancho please visit www.mlfsports.com

Silverbacks striker and MLF athlete Jerson Monteiro added another honor to his already impressive resume, as he was named to the USL’s Team of the Week. With an assist in the match last Friday against the Charleston Battery, followed by goals in back to back games over the past five days, Jerson’s performance has been stellar, and he hopes that the streak will continue into tonight’s game. The Silverbacks will be hosting the Miami FC Blues, and hope to redeem their away loss to the team from July 27^th. With the upcoming addition of international star Brent Sancho, Jerson and the Silverbacks promise to put on an excellent show as they battle for first place over the next 11 games in the hotly contested First Division.

Jeremy Gold and the Thunder Bay Chill defeated the Laredo Heat this weekend, becoming the first Canadian team ever to win the PDL Championship. Building on momentum from their Central Conference Championship victory and national semi-final performance, the Chill were able to overpower the heat and take home the National Championship. Among the top performers for the Chill this season was MLF striker Jeremy Gold, who notched 9 goals and 3 assists this season for the, including several crucial plays in the Conference final and Championship semi-final.