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There was no pressure, says Waite
September 13, 2023
Going into last Friday's Concacaf Group B Nations League match against Honduras with six international caps under his belt, goalkeeper Jahmali Waite said he felt no pressure playing his first competitive game at the National Stadium.
Waite was first called to the squad last September for an Argentina friendly and made his debut two months later against Cameroon.
Although he knows national captain Andre Blake remains first choice for the immediate future he said he is always ready to be called upon.
"No I was not feeling any pressure (ahead of Honduras game). I have a good relationship with Andre. He talked to me before the game and he told me to just be myself. It was good. It is always good to keep a clean sheet and we won the game," he said.
At 32, national captain Blake is entering the latter stages of his career and the goalkeeper position for Jamaica appears to be in safe hands with Waite and Conner Boyce-Clarke waiting in the wings.
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds shot stopper has been outstanding since joining the United Soccer League club last year, with numerous Man-of-the-Match awards.
He showed his quality against Honduras last Friday wit,h a couple of outstanding saves to help the Reggae Boyz to a 1-0 win, and he said playing regularly with his club prepared him for his unexpected start.
"I have been playing at my club and playing regularly and playing well and that helps me when I come in. Getting game regularly and getting minutes really helps with these situations," the 24-year-old player said.
His wait to become the nation's number one might take some time but the impressive goalkeeper said his focus at the moment is just ensuring that he is prepared whenever called on.
"It's all about staying sharp and staying ready. This is football and you need to know that things can happen. You have injuries and other things like that. So for me it's staying sharp and when my name is called be ready to play," said Waite who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
