ORLANDO, USA — What Andre Blake does for his football teams ranks among the high risks associated with extreme sports.

Skydivers, skateboarders, snowboarders, and freestyle skiers have nothing over the Jamaican goalkeeper in terms of putting life and limb on the line.

Football was never considered, in the purest sense, an extreme sport despite its physical nature and the injuries that often come with it. But, Blake has redefined the position by propelling himself to the extreme of goalkeeping for he will go above and beyond the natural course of the normal goalkeeping manual to protect his goal and keep his team in the game.

Not once, not twice, not thrice, but on many occasions he has injured himself tending goal for club and country.

If Blake is not on the starting roster for his club Philadelphia Union and Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, chances are he is out injured.

On Friday night the 30-year-old pulled off a remarkable inflight, one-handed save going across his body, getting the slightest of touches to keep Guadeloupe’s Edwing Malpon stinger– from 25 yards – out of the top right-hand corner.

Still in the first round, the effort is already being heralded as the potential save of tournament.

Blake fell awkwardly from the high leap, and grimaced as he clutched his rib cage.

That looked like the end of the evening for the Jamaica goalie but, as he has often done, he rose, brushed himself off and went straight back into the fight where the Concacaf Gold Cup game was deadlocked 1-1.

“I fell on my rib [area] as I was pretty much fully extended, so I didn’t get a chance to cushion my landing, which is a part of goalkeeping. I am still here and I am feeling okay…I am a little bruised, but I should be good,” Blake said.

But throwing himself up, down and across the face of the goal, and even charging down runaway forwards, is all in a day’s work for the Clarendon native.

“It’s my job and I am committed to it, and I would never intentionally hurt myself, but I will put myself on the line to make a play for my team, and that’s just who I am.

“I am a competitor and a fighter and I am always going to fight, and I am never going to back down even if I am going to come out of it with a few knocks here and there,” Blake told the Jamaica Observer.

He said he puts his heart, soul, and body into his goalkeeping for the love of it. There are many things in life that people love, but there aren’t many who are willing to shed blood for or sustain broken limbs over their passion.

Then again, Andre Blake is not your ordinary goalkeeper.

“Andre is the one that I would classify as an elegant goalkeeper as he is easy on the eye – he does everything well and he is catlike in his movement, very agile, moves through the air gracefully, strong on crosses, uses his feet well,” said Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Coach Warren in his assessment of the outstanding custodian.

Blake says as experienced as he is, his endearment to the sport is as strong as it was when he was a young man dreaming of the proverbial big break.

“It’s the passion I have for the sport…I play this sport because I love it and I always want to get better, and I always want to remain a student of the game. So for me, I am always trying to learn new things and I think we are very fortunate that we get to play this sport,” he said.

Blake, who joined current club Philadelphia Union back in 2014, says he transforms into a different beast when he puts on his gloves.

“For me there is this switch that flips on every time I get on the field, and it’s just about going out there and just having fun and doing everything I can to help my team to win.

“You just need to have a clear head and be ready to react to the ball, and that’s why we train the way we train.

“We need a lot of repetition so what you do becomes instinctive; and all you need to do is present yourself, have a clear mind, relax and don’t try to anticipate too much and don’t doubt yourself, and the instinct will take over,” he shared.

Blake, who kept goal for Jamaica when they were beaten finalists at the Gold Cup in 2017 and semi-finalists in 2019, thinks his two wingmen at this year’s tournament are “very good goalkeepers”.

Humble Lion’s Dennis Taylor and Queens Park Rangers’ Dillon Barnes are the other two goalies.

“I have been with Taylor from [National] Under-17 days, so I know him very well. We used to train together but the difference is I was able to get out and get more structured training, which really helps with one’s development.

“Dillon is also a good goalkeeper and I have had the privilege to work with him. We are a goalkeepers’ union, and we work with each other and we push each other in training – and it’s good competition,” Blake ended.