|
|
|
|
|
|
Linval Dixon - 2003 USL1 Champion
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
9/14/2009 10:47:06 AM
Checking back with former Battery star and '03 champion, Linval Dixon - By Gunnar Berndt
Charleston, SC. Sometimes in the sporting history of a country, there comes a period that will be remembered for decades as that country’s golden age of soccer. For the small Caribbean island of Jamaica, the late 1990s may just be such a period, as it saw the Reggae Boyz shock the world by qualifying for France ’98. Then, only three months removed from that all-time greatest achievement, the Jamaicans famously reached the semifinals of the Gold Cup after tying reigning World Cup champions Brazil to finish ahead of them in the group.
It is during such times that legends are born. Legends like Jamaica’s most capped player Ian Goodison, 1998 qualifying goal-getter Deon Burton or creative midfield engine Theodore Whitmore. But the list doesn’t end there. Also on it is a former Battery star whose leadership qualities made him captain of Jamaica during the Reggae Boyz’ glory days and a national hero in the process. His name is one of the biggest to ever feature in the lineup of a USL side—Linval Dixon.
The defender with the powerful right foot contributed significantly to the Jamaicans’ rise as a regional power, earning 155 career caps with his country, nearly 100 recognized by FIFA as official full internationals. However, despite being a mainstay in the backline that helped Jamaica qualify for its first World Cup, Dixon tragically missed out on the finals due to injury before once again starting in 2002 World Cup qualifying.
Having first joined the Battery for the 1995 season, Dixon signed for a second time in 2002 after helping Jamaican club Hazard United FC win promotion to the country’s top-flight. During his second stint at Charleston, Dixon acted as a leader both on and off the field while registering 28 starts in 2002 and playing an integral part in winning the 2003 championship with some strong performances late in the regular season.
“The first time I went to play for the Battery, I was really impressed with the quality of the team, the management style and the coaching,” Dixon recently remembered via phone from Jamaica. “It was just an all-around fantastic experience for me to play under such great conditions, including the excellent facilities. Then, when I returned in 2002, winning the title was obviously a blast. During my entire time in Charleston, it was always a joy to be around such excellent players and coaches.”
But the reliable backline anchor did not just feel at home on the field in South Carolina, as one of the secrets to the team’s success may have lain in the great camaraderie among the players in between training sessions and matches.
“When I wasn’t playing, I was sometimes at home relaxing, watching movies or just hanging out by the pool,” Dixon recalled. “But a lot of times, the players would also go over to each other’s apartments and just relax by having a few beers and enjoying the friendship between all the different cultures. I had a couple of friends on the team who were from Trinidad and with whom I shared a Caribbean connection, but I was also friends with a number of players from the United States. As a team, we were just so close—almost like a family.”
Maybe that is part of the reason the now 37-year-old still tries to follow the Battery and the league despite the demanding schedule that comes with his new life as a coach in Jamaica. Thanks to Fox Soccer Channel broadcasting to the Caribbean nation, Dixon not only watches a lot of English Premier League and MLS but also the weekly USL first division game whenever he has the time.
“With all my commitments, unfortunately I can’t really follow the league too closely anymore,” Dixon admitted. “But I would say that—aside from the Battery—Montreal could actually go pretty far in the playoffs. Seeing them play, I believe they have a lot of potential and things just haven’t fallen their way so far.”
While “Rudi,” as the former Jamaica standout is often affectionately called, tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife of five years, Debbie, and his five daughters, he also enjoys the occasional game of dominoes with his friends. He admits that juggling his professional duties and his free-time activities is not always easy, as he has now held the head coaching position at first division outfit Portmore United FC for two years.
After immediately winning the Jamaican Premier League in his first campaign at the helm, Dixon saw disaster strike during the final four matches of last season, his team losing an eight point lead over league rivals Tivoli Gardens along with a title that had appeared all but won.
“Of course, we needed to score more goals and get at least three points form those last four games,” Dixon conceded. “But to me, the reason we didn’t was that we hadn’t been getting consistent scoring from our attacking players over the entire year. Sometimes we were actually lucky to score, and that’s where we fell short last season. That’s something we will take a close look at and hopefully learn from going forward.”
Located on Jamaica’s southern coast, the town of Portmore is a dormitory town to the neighboring cities of Kingston and Spanish Town. Its soccer club, Portmore United FC, had still been known under the name Hazard United FC when featuring Linval Dixon as a player. However, due to regulations requiring a minimum stadium capacity of 1,500, the team was forced to move to Portmore from neighboring Clarendon Parish. In 2002, the club’s name was officially changed in order to better assimilate into the new surroundings.
When it comes to last season’s disappointment, Dixon actually manages to take something positive out of it. “It does show that the development of the league is headed in the right direction,” he suggested. “In 2008, we wrapped up the title with three or four games still to play, but this season it was extremely close until the very last round and we ended up losing out not by one point but by one goal. We want the league to be as challenging as possible, with a lot of teams having a shot at the title. It’s a slow process, but we’re getting there.”
And the former defender continued by using the chance to make the case for the local players. “The typical player in this league is very skilful and likes to dribble and take opponents on. That’s just part of our football culture. Of course, when you talk about the A-League (now USL First Division), that’s a different game—especially in terms of its physical nature. But we do have the kind of quality players in our league who could not only compete at that level but probably also in MLS.”
A chance for Dixon to prove the accuracy of this assessment may just come in the form of the fairly new CONCACF Champions League. That is, if Portmore United should qualify for the 2011/12 edition by entering and finishing in the top three of the 2010 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship. The Champions League crowns the regional champion from a group of premier teams from all over CONCACAF, much like the UEFA Champions League in Europe.
“Playing in international matches is extremely important for players’ development,” Dixon offered. “And the Champions League is simply a great chance for teams who don’t usually receive a lot of exposure outside their own countries to play all over North and Central America. Our players are hungry to be seen by big clubs all over the world and prove that Jamaica has a good league. I really hope that we will qualify for the competition in the near future and use the chance to shine and one day become a superpower in the region.”
It appears that eleven years after tragically missing out on representing Jamaica in the World Cup, Linval Dixon has plenty to keep himself from mulling too much over the greatest disappointment of his playing career. However, when he does revisit the past, his pain is still clearly palpable. Not surprisingly so, considering the knee injury he suffered while training with the national team came not even two months before the opening match of the World Cup.
Nonetheless, the positive-spirited person that Dixon is, he tries to emphasize the memorable experience of traveling with the team to France. “Back then, it was extremely painful to look back at all the hard work put into qualifying and then not getting a chance to play,” he admitted. “I mean, playing in the World Cup is every footballer’s dream and it just felt so extremely frustrating to miss out on it despite getting so close. Still, I just really enjoyed being with the team and getting to be a part of the whole World Cup scene. All in all, I’m grateful for an experience that not too many people have in their lives.”
Of course, Dixon did play a crucial part in other historic national team moments. It was under his leadership that the Jamaican team shut out Brazil in front over 43,000 in Miami before beating both Guatemala and El Salvador to move on to the semifinals of the 1998 Gold Cup, where they went down, 1-0, to regional giants Mexico in a fiercely contested battle. While Dixon feels a tremendous sense of pride at his side’s performance in the entire competition, the Reggae Boyz’ opening match will always hold a special place in his memory.
“Drawing Brazil, the number one team in the world at the time, was definitely one of the best moments of my career,” the former Battery star remembered. “Knowing that we had matched our talent with such a world-class team just made all of us so proud. And as for me personally, I immensely enjoyed playing Romario and denying him a goal in the game. At the time, it had me looking forward to playing in the World Cup even more.”
These days, Jamaican soccer fans are desperate even for a little glory, following a drought that has included failed attempts to reach the World Cup finals and, most recently, even the final round of CONCACAF qualifying. Similarly, the Reggae Boyz were unable to advance past Gold Cup group play in their two most recent attempts, even failing to qualify for the competition altogether two years ago.
On the other hand, two fairly recent Gold Cup quarterfinal appearances (2003, 2005) and an August 13, 2009, scoreless draw with South American powerhouse Ecuador tell a slightly different story. So, while one might conclude from such glimmers of hope that Jamaica is sending mixed signals with regard to the state of its soccer, Linval Dixon offers an explanation that may just sound familiar to fans in the United States.
“We almost never have our overseas players available,” he suggested. “So it’s usually only the local players. And while those do have a great understanding between them because they are all from here and train together a lot, the European-based players are crucial to our performance. If we even have them available at all, they come in and join the team for two or three days. It’s just very difficult to build a real squad in that short period of time.
“That really showed in this year’s Gold Cup, where it became very obvious that we hadn’t been playing together and didn’t understand each other on the field. So we still have a far way to go, but hopefully we can get a strong team together in the coming years and qualify for Brazil 2014.”
And the 37-year-old may just play a central role in making that dream a reality. After the Reggae Boyz’ early exit from the 2009 Gold Cup under current national team coach Theodore Whitmore, the idea of a Battery alumni soon standing on the sideline for the Caribbean nation is not exactly far-fetched. However, Dixon was quick to defend his former Reggae Boyz teammate.
“Theodore is doing a great job,” he assessed. “Of course some of the results were not what we had hoped for, but it always takes some time to really get to know all the players and to get them to understand how you would like to play. So we should all be patient and give him a chance to show what he can do with some more time on his hands.”
Nonetheless, Dixon keeps his sights firmly set on the ultimate goal of professional soccer coaches all around the world. “Obviously, my dream is to coach the national team one day,” he fancied. “It just doesn’t get any better than winning titles like the Gold Cup and to qualify the team for a World Cup. But I do realize that I’m still a very young coach and that everything takes time. So if I keep learning the rules and doing a good job in the Premier League, then maybe someday that dream will come true.”
Then finally, after so much dreaming of a future that would only solidify his well deserved spot in Jamaican soccer history, Linval Dixon ended the phone call with a thought that exemplifies a simple truth—that inside every model professional and national hero, there remains a little boy who can’t wait to run out of the house everyday to kick the ball around with his friends.
“I just love this game,” he said. “When I was playing in the Jamaican Premier League, I enjoyed it so much—just as I enjoyed playing for the Battery. Sometimes I just really, really miss playing.”
Gunnar Berndt is a sports-writer based in Düsseldorf, Germany; you can contact Gunnar at gb@gun-soccer.com.
|
|
|
|
Linval Dixon - 2003 Champion
|
|
Linval Dixon
|
|
Linval Dixon - 2003
|
|
Dixon & Chris Ramsey
|
|
|
)
)
 Chris Ramsey'))