Better late than never?
Cavalier Soccer Club president, Rudolph Speid, is blaming organisers and outside influences for goalkeeper Jeadine White missing the MLS Caribbean Combine last week.
White arrived late for the Combine in Fort Lauderdale last week and could not participate as a result.
Speid said that this was because the club received no invitation for the player, as it did for his teammate Alex Marshall, leaving him with little time and information to make travel plans.
“The MLS Combine never indicated to the JFF (Jamaica Football Federation) or Cavalier that Jeadine was invited,” Speid told STAR Sports. “For Alex Marshall, they sent the invitation through the JFF and the club bought the ticket, and then sent the itinerary through the JFF.”
“It was Jeadine who told me they invited him through the school. We were not responsible for Jeadine’s invitation,” Speid said.
Former national player and an assistant MLS Combine coach, Tyrone Marshall, could not say exactly what caused White to arrive late. However, he said that he was baffled by the time he showed up.
“We heard he was supposed to come Tuesday. Everyone was to report Tuesday. Wednesday we didn’t hear anything. Oneil (Anderson, of Arnett Gardens FC) came up Wednesday and that was the big game that scouts were watching. Everybody played in an 11 v 11 situation,” he explained.
“The next morning, (Thursday) we held a practice session just to give the boys an opportunity to play in front of the scouts before they took off that afternoon. I got a call from one of the coaches on the sidelines, saying he was very good friends with the goalkeeper (White) and that he was at the airport.
“And I am like, ‘Why is he at the airport when the Combine is over? Why he is still coming, when he should have been here Wednesday?’” he said.
Marshall said that he was informed of some mix-up in travel arrangements and speculated that White’s participation in his team’s Red Stripe Premier League game the Monday could have contributed.
UNFORTUNATE
“He stayed back to play a game on Monday night. He didn’t travel when he was supposed to. His visas and passport was an issue, so he didn’t get on the flight the Wednesday and had to push for Thursday.
“But the training was over on Thursday, so it didn’t really make sense to come. The session was in the morning and everyone was in. We got done between 10:30 and 11a.m. And he was getting off the flight around noon.
“It was unfortunate. I don’t know what was the cause of it. But why waste your money or ticket on the Thursday when the Combine was over?” Marshall asked.