With the new year holding much promise for Alvas Powell, the Jamaican international is hoping to make a big impact this season for both club and country.

Powell believes this year could be a campaign in which he achieves his main goals – assisting the Reggae Boyz to return to the Fifa World Cup and cementing himself among the stars in the David Beckham-owned Inter Miami set up.

The 25-year-old, who rose to prominence after excelling at Paul Bogle High Hchool in the daCosta Cup competition, has not looked back since, and is well aware that hard work, determination and personal sacrifice are required on the road to success.

Powell was the second player selected by Inter Miami in last year’s Major League Soccer (MLS) Expansion Draft from FC Cincinnati where he spent the 2019 season. He previously played for the Portland Timbers for six years.

The robust right back, who enjoys getting up and down the field, provided a significant boost to his previous teams with his goal involvements, registering six goals and 10 assists from his position in his budding MLS career prior to joining Inter Miami.

During his time at Portland Timbers, Powell also played an integral role in their 2015 MLS Cup triumph. He made 31 regular season appearances and six play-off appearances en route to the title, starting in every game.

“It is a good feeling looking back on where I started. It shows that if we work hard we can achieve everything that is ahead; and we’re looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers, which is a big task for us this year.

“So I hope to qualify for the World Cup – that’s one of my main goals and the other is to cement my spot in the Miami team and, hopefully, have a successful season,” Powell, who represented Portmore United before going overseas, told the Jamaica Observer.

The St Thomas native, who was on a visit to the island for the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President’s Annual Football Veterans’ Fundraiser at York Oval on Wednesday, welcomed the opportunity to revisit his roots, and by extension, rub shoulders with his local counterparts.

Powell paraded his skills for the Reggae Boyz Invitational team that defeated a Premier League All-Stars unit 2-1 at the New Year’s Day event.

“It was a good feeling [as] it’s been a while since I have not played here. So it was a great feeling coming back, and I’m very happy that I was able to visit the place where it all started.

“I had a lot of fun with the guys; I’m not the player who is going to look down on any player or whatever because this is also where I started. And it’s a great feeling playing with them, sharing what I learnt overseas,” he reasoned.

Powell also welcomed the run as part of his efforts to regain full fitness for the season ahead, having been on break from competitive football.

“I don’t think I am where I want to be fitness wise because I’ve not been training, so I mean I have to get back on track. Like I said, I just got drafted to go to a new team so all my focus is there, and I just want to put in a lot more work and remain focused as well,” he said.

Finally, Powell also shared encouraging words with the locally based players who, he believes, have potential to move on.

“I just saw a player out there and I was just telling everybody to follow procedure and keep their heads on their bodies and just keep working hard, and everything will fall in place. Sometimes success requires a little more patience, but eventually their first team exposure will come,” Powell ended.

— Sherdon Cowan