PRO DREAMS
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Having netted his first international goal for Jamaica in their 1-1 tie with Honduras in the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games on Wednesday, national Under-22 attacking midfielder Ronalda Webster is aiming for lot more as he ultimately targets a professional contract overseas.
Webster, who plies his trade for Cavalier SC in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), netted a beautiful curling effort to give the junior Reggae Boyz 1-0 lead in the match in the 43rd minute before the Hondurans equalised four minutes into second half of stoppage time.
The 21-year-old Webster, who had a good season for the Cavalier in this year’s JPL competition, said this goal means a lot to him and his career because the CAC Games tournament is one of the biggest competitions in the region and there are a lot of overseas football scouts that are here.
“This goal means a lot to me and my career because a lot of people are watching this competition, and so this is good for me,” Webster said.
“As you know there will be a lot of eyes on me in this tournament after that goal, and so I am going to keep working hard so that I can get more goals in this competition,” he said.
“Our coach has told us that a lot of Jamaicans get contracts from this tournament, so it is a good tournament to use to get an overseas contract out of Jamaica and so I am working on that,” Webster added.
The Westmoreland native outlined that one of his goals also is to represent the senior Reggae Boyz team at the 2026 World Cup tournament.
“I am looking to go play overseas this summer in Europe, and so this is my aim right now. I want to score as many goals as possible in this tournament, because once they come, I am going to put them away.
“My aim is to participate in the 2026 World Cup and that is my dream right now and to play professionally overseas and so I am working very hard towards these dreams,” he said.
The former St Elizabeth Technical and Wolmer’s Boys’ football standout scored five goals for the Cavalier in last season’s JPL competition while providing two assists. Webster pointed out that he is not 100 per cent fit at the moment, but he has been working assiduously in training to ensure he returns to tip-top shape.
The Jamaicans are scheduled to face Costa Rica in their second match of the tournament on Friday, and according to Webster, the team is pumped up and ready to go. The match is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm. (6:00 pm Jamaica time).
“I am feeling like 80 per cent fit because as you know we were off from the Premier League season and so now I am getting back my fitness and I know I will get a lot fitter as this competition goes one,” he said.
“The confidence in the team is high because as you can see that the team is a good team and we are playing on a good surface, and I am feeling confident that we can win a medal in this tournament,” Webster concluded.