J’can clubs should target MLS, says Watson

BY OSHANE TOBIAS Observer writer

Friday, December 16, 2011

REGGAE Boy JeVaughn Watson believes Jamaica’s Premier League clubs should target the US Major League Soccer (MLS) as a transitional market for their players, instead of forcing them into Europe.

At least 14 Jamaicans currently ply their trade in the increasingly popular MLS, with three of them — Jermaine Taylor, Donovan Ricketts and Watson — being involved in this season’s championship game.

Watson has just completed his rookie season with beaten MLS Cup finalists Houston Dynamo and described the experience as “overwhelming but very good”.

“It was my first year and I was just expecting to go there and give a good account of myself as a new player,” he said. “I guess it went well because we went to final and lost 0-1.

“It was a bit overwhelming... because the level of the football is much faster than in Jamaica and it’s more physical, so everyday you have to bring your ‘A’ game.”

The former Sporting Central Academy player added: “At the end of the day, it was good going to Houston and I don’t regret anything. Playing in the final in my first year was very good experience, so I’m proud and I’m giving God all the thanks.”

Watson, who played 25 times for Dynamo this season and chipped in with a goal and two assists, thinks the developing status of the North American league, among other things, makes it a better fit for Jamaican players than Europe, where they have struggled to stamp their authority.

“I know everybody wants to go to Europe, but I think it’s always better to start at the bottom then work your way up to the top, rather than go straight to the top and then fall right back down to the bottom,” Watson told the Observer.

“At the end of the day, you’re getting paid to play and the world is still seeing you. There were like 38,000 people at the MLS finals, so you are still marketing yourself,” he asserted.

It is widely believed that attendance at MLS games this season, as well as TV ratings, has improved.

ESPN commentator Ian Darke wrote in his blog dated November 22, 2011: “MLS attendance was up seven per cent this year and TV ratings improved, too.

“Average crowds of more than 17,800 would seem to indicate that if soccer is still a minority sport in the US, it’s becoming a significant one. Average attendance was higher in MLS than in the NHL or the NBA…”

Watson added: “I think one of the big differences (why players tend to do better in the MLS) is because it’s much colder in Europe, so it’s very hard to adopt. In the MLS the weather is almost the same as in Jamaica,” he explained.

“...The players are closer to home, the weather is good and you have family and friends nearby because a lot of Jamaicans are there, so it’s like you’re still living in Jamaica,” said Watson, who has also had trial stints in Denmark and England.

The crafty midfielder is currently in the island on his off-season break from the MLS and took time-out to watch his former team take on Humble Lion in Sunday’s Clarendon premiership derby at Brancourt.

Despite suffering a 0-2 defeat in that game, the former inspirational Sporting captain is backing his ex-teammates to rebound in short order and make a genuine push for the title.

“They’re well gelled now because it’s the same set of players since we came into the league,” he said.

“They’re young but more mature, so I’m expecting them to win the league, no doubt,” Watson said of sixth-placed Sporting, who are eight points adrift of overall leaders Portmore United.

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J’can clubs should target MLS, says Watson