ANTOFAGASTA, Chile — The long and storied history of the Copa America tournament has been known for unearthing unbelievable talent, and this year there is hope that a few English names, not the regular Spanish or Portuguese, will be addrd to the script. Some of the English names hoping to find greener pastures hail from the tiny Caribbean island of Jamaica — notably Hughan Gray of Waterhouse FC, and the Montego Bay United pair of Dino Williams and Allan Ottey.

The trio forms the least experienced among the 22-man Reggae Boyz squad already here in Antofagasta, home of the Copa America Chile 2015 edition, but possibly the most desirous of gaining professional contracts. Gray, even at 28 years old, is hopeful of being wanted by a professional club somewhere around the world.

“Sure (I want a contract) because I know what I’m capable of doing, so all I have to do is go out there and do my best and focus, because a lot of teams are out there watching me right now, so I just need to go out there and show that I’m ready,” he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

He added that he’s a hundred per cent prepared as long as the coach calls upon him. And from what he has seen, the other players are also very well prepared to fight the battles. “We have to be mentally prepared right now because we have some good teams we are up against, so we have to get ourselves prepared and follow the instructions given to us. We have to be ready because the coach can call upon anybody at any time.”

For the 25-year-old Williams, it’s an opportunity he’s been yearning for. “Well on any given day that the coach calls upon me I know I have to focus, hold up my head and go out there every time trying to do my best. This tournament is very big and to be here is a good feeling overall, so any time I get my chance I have to do my best and see if I can get the breakthrough that I have been looking for a couple years now,” he said.

“I know if I go out there I will have to play hard, help the team and the least chance I get I have to take it because that is the most important thing on a game day. I’m looking forward to the first game to see any amount of game time I get to give it my best,” he added. The baby of the group is 22-year-old Ottey, a famous name in international track athletics, but less so in international football. But he hopes to get a chance to change that.

“Well I know that this is one of the biggest tournaments, so I just come to play hard and get some goals and hopefully gain a contract, so I have to go out there and do my best. I have prepared mentally, to take everything else off my mind and focus on scoring goals,” he noted. Ottey and Williams are touring with the Boyz at a major tournament for the first time, while Gray has been a regular over the last year or so, having been a member of the successful Caribbean Cup team back home last year.

The Montego Bay strikers said they are enjoying every minute of the experience thus far and they have lavished praise on their more senior professionals, who have extended a warm welcome to them. “It is the first time travelling with the senior team and the feeling is so great playing with the English players and the other overseas players, I feel like a pro,” beamed Ottey. “I am learning a lot from them, the fast movement, creating space, a lot of things, and the coaches want movement from us, for us to create space for the forwards, and for us to run a lot,” explained Ottey, who starred for the dethroned Premier League champions. Similar sentiments were expressed by Williams.

“For the couple of days that we have been here I feel very comfortable among the guys. The training has been very good for myself and my teammate Allan Ottey. “You know when you play with professionals you will lern, and I have been learning a lot of things from these guys, when to turn, one touch, tracking back, most of the things you have to do on the big stage. I can’t complain.” Gray revealed that there are a few senior players in particular who always motivate him.

“Austin (Rodolph) and Taylor (Jermaine) they always say ‘Hughan come on, you can do it’ and I say ‘yeah, I know’, so I have to go out there and work hard to put out even 150 per cent on the pitch and hopefully one day it will pay off.” But it’s not just on the pitch that these players have been guided, but off the greens as well. He added that off the pitch he tries to interact with all the players because it is like one family.

“Even at breakfast, lunch or dinner they are always there talking, running jokes and encouraging us, so we have to learn from them so that when we go back home we have an understanding of what it is like to be on the big stage,” Williams said. Now Gray wants to return the compliment when he returns to his local club.

“At Waterhouse I want to help motivate the players and encourage them to do the hard work and let them know that one day it will pay off because I didn’t know that I would be here right now, so all they have to do is keep working hard each day when they go out on the pitch.”