Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz Captain Andre Blake continued to make history in the US Major League Soccer (MLS) as he became the Philadelphia Union’s all-time leader in MLS regular season starts.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper has made 212 regular season starts for the Eastern Conference Champions, passing former teammate Ray Gaddis for the club’s all-time record.

The Jamaican has amassed quite the resume during the past decade with Philadelphia, where he has made 648 saves in nearly 19,000 minutes of league regular season action.

For 2022, the Jamaican international saved 79.4 per cent of the shots he faced, which is the most among MLS goalkeepers who have appeared in at least three games. With Blake in the net, the Union achieved the fewest goals ever conceded (26) by any MLS team during a 34-game season.

Blake is one of two Union players to play every single minute of their 2022 MLS regular season, and has led the league with 15 shutouts, another club record.

“I’ve loved watching his leadership in the locker room; when he speaks, everyone listens. He is a big part of the culture change at this club and us getting to our winning ways. I cannot say enough about Andre. To watch him grow and improve little aspects of his game every year. If you watch him now with his feet, he adds a layer to his game and he is never satisfied,” said the Union Head Coach Jim Curtin.

Blake noted this is yet another momentous achievement, thanks to hard work

“This is a very proud moment for me to pause and look at all the work I’ve done to be in the Philadelphia Union history books again. I’m humbled by this achievement and the hard work continues. I just have to keep going, keep doing my best, and to keep motivating the youth,” Blake said.

Blake has amassed four MLS All-Star appearances (another team record), three MLS Goalkeeper of the Year awards (the first player in MLS history to do so). In 2014 the then 23-year-old became the first goalkeeper in MLS history to be picked number one in the MLS SuperDraft.