It was a week of new frontiers for Real Salt Lake midfielder Omar Holness when he left the team for international duty recently. Although already capped for Jamaica, Holness had only played once in a friendly against Canada while still in college at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Joining the Reggae Boyz for a pair of World Cup qualifiers in Panama and at home against Haiti would be a new experience altogether. But thanks to some help from some veteran players with Jamaica in camp and some others with Real Salt Lake whose opinions carry a lot of weight for the young rookie, it wasn’t a voyage he felt unprepared for.
“It was a great experience for me to go to Panama and play in Jamaica,” said Holness, who played 15 minutes in the final match, a 2-0 defeat against Haiti on September 6. “Obviously it’s not the results we wanted but I think it’s something that I can take and look to the future.”
Although Jamaica lost both matches and did not advance to the Hexagonal Round, which starts in November, Holness was able to spend time around some of the more veteran players in Jamaica’s squad and used the opportunity to learn as much as he could about playing the international game.
With players like Wes Morgan from Leicester City, captain and Watford defender Adrian Mariappa and JeVaughn Watson from the New England Revolution taking him under their wings, Holness never lacked for lessons on and off the field from his Jamaican teammates.
“I lean on the more experienced guys to help prepare myself more and more. I look to them for advice. I’m always asking questions, trying to better my game and trying to improve every day,” Holness said. “They play an integral role because they’ve been there and they’ve been through it. They know what to expect. They relay that information to me and in turn, it helps me be more prepared and ready.”
The 22-year-old Kingston native is no stranger to veterans of the Jamaican National Team offering him advice. With Real Salt Lake, he is teammates with Demar Phillips, who can impart wisdom gained from 62 caps with Jamaica over the last 12 years. He also has former Jamaica captain Tyrone Marshall on RSL’s coaching staff talking to him on a regular basis, telling tales of his 83 caps with Jamaica. If that weren’t enough, RSL Head Scout Andy Williams appeared 97 times, scoring 20 goals in his career.
With all of the Jamaican influence with the Claret-and-Cobalt, Holness can also turn to a veteran in red-white-and-blue to learn his craft at the MLS and international levels. Sharing a midfield with Kyle Beckerman – he of 401 career MLS matches and 58 caps with the U.S. National Team – has meant the world to Holness.
And while the lessons learned from Beckerman aren’t taught with a chalkboard or long-winded conversations, they are just as valuable to the aspiring young midfielder.
“Becks, for me … it doesn’t have to be said. He’s a big deal in America and at RSL. I just watch his actions and I learn from that. He’s the lion. For every soccer player, I think that’s the respect you that want from everyone,” Holness said. “Kyle has inspired everyone on this team. 400 games – that’s an incredible accomplishment. It’s something that you have to look up to. Kyle has set the standard high. For me being so close to him, I now know that’s possible.”
Holness now has two caps with Jamaica under his belt. But whenever his third comes he knows that he will be ready for any environment or situation thrown his way.
