Damani Ralph Not Yet Capped for Jamaica?

[Karl K]

On today's ESPN Soccer Saturday broadcast of the Fire-Metros game, Ty mention that Damani Ralph, though a Jamaican native, had not "declared" yet for Jamaica.

In fact, I was actually dreading the time we face Jamaica in qualifying, thinking for sure this guy would start up top for them.

Well, I was somewhat shocked at this bit of trivia from Ty, so I checked the Fire web site, and there was no mention of Ralph ever playing for a Jamaican youth national team.

So, would this guy be worth capping for the USA?

He is listed as a transitional international, so he would have to become a citizen.

He is only a rookie in this league, and somewhat oldish for a rookie (he will turn 23 in November), but I have seen this guy three times in person, and a number of times on TV, and I have to tell you I am VERY impressed.

(a) he is a very hard worker, very active, lots of energy, goes all out, plays defense and wins balls on the tackle, makes runs all the time.

(b) he strong like bull. 6 ft, 170 lbs, can hold the ball with a tough mark draped over his back. He can play with back to goal.

c) he is fast (way faster than the current "gee, why isn't he called in" player of the moment, Ante Razov). He can jet by defenders, at least in MLS. So he can play both a target type forward, and a striker type role.

d) he is not afraid to shoot, and has a WICKED shot with EITHER foot.

e) he scores. Four games in a row now he has scored for the Fire. Moreover, he can finish on the move at very tough angles, as he did against the MetroStars in New Jersey.

There were folks whose opinion I respect who watched a lot of UConn games and said that this guy was the best forward at UConn in years. That he was the steal of the draft for the Fire, and would be a star in this league.

Well, it's happening as we speak.

So, interesting, eh?

[yellowbismark]

Yes, he is a good player and exciting to watch. I think he will be a star in this league.

I think he might be worth taking a look at in the Twellman role for the Natl Team, 4th-5th on the depth chart.

But I would feel bad if we took him from Jamaica.

[Ghost]

We should cap him if for no other reason than to make sure he doesn't play for a regional rival. Very talented player.

[Thomas Flannigan]

Damani Ralph may be the MVP this year or next and I would love to see him on the USMNT. This guy is for real.

[CbR]

Originally posted by Thomas Flannigan
Damani Ralph may be the MVP this year or next and I would love to see him on the USMNT. This guy is for real.

seriously, where did the fire get this guy? they sure did their homework

[johnh00]

Originally posted by CbR
seriously, where did the fire get this guy? they sure did their homework

He wasn't really hidden. He was an excellent striker on a very good team. The reason he slipped was because of his age and nationality. Not too many teams wanted to use a high pick on someone who was going to be an SI within a year. Now they are kicking themselves, as he has proven that he will be worth that slot.

I thought he would be a solid MLS player, but not a star. If he keeps playing like this, he will prove me wrong. He always had a lot of athleticism and a nice touch, but he is really working his butt off now. He seems to be getting better with every game. He's been in the country for several years, but I think it would still be a while before he could go for a green card and then citizenship, unless he finds a nice American girl to marry.

Lee

[Turk from Pigs Eye]

I believe he also went to Europe to try out, so MLS thought he might not want to play here.

He's in the same situation as Cunningham, I believe. Cunningham is Jamaican but was capped for us.

[lurking]

Originally posted by Karl Keller
On today's ESPN Soccer Saturday broadcast of the Fire-Metros game, Ty mention that Damani Ralph, though a Jamaican native, had not "declared" yet for Jamaica.

In fact, I was actually dreading the time we face Jamaica in qualifying, thinking for sure this guy would start up top for them.

Well, I was somewhat shocked at this bit of trivia from Ty, so I checked the Fire web site, and there was no mention of Ralph ever playing for a Jamaican youth national team.

So, would this guy be worth capping for the USA?

Well I think its up to him and what he wants to do. Im not a big fan of trying to recruit guys to become citizens solely so we can call them up, I really think it has to be their decisio. Which doesnt mean that I would turn him down if he decided to get US citizenship.

That said, I think hes a bit lucky to have as many goals as he does to this point. I expect him to fall off this goalscoring pace as the season wears on. He will definately be a good MLS forward, but I think defenses will adjust a bit, and he will just start missing more on his own.

[Karl K]

Originally posted by lurking
Well I think its up to him and what he wants to do. Im not a big fan of trying to recruit guys to become citizens solely so we can call them up, I really think it has to be their decisio. Which doesnt mean that I would turn him down if he decided to get US citizenship.

That said, I think hes a bit lucky to have as many goals as he does to this point. I expect him to fall off this goalscoring pace as the season wears on. He will definately be a good MLS forward, but I think defenses will adjust a bit, and he will just start missing more on his own.

Of course, he won't score a goal a game in MLS, as he has lately, but I can see him becoming a 25 point guy in MLS.

That, as they say in some circles, ain't chopped liver.

Also, of course, it has to be the playe'rs decision ultimately, and it has significant implications. I actually think Jeff Cunningham would have had a better chance making it to a World Cup playing for Jamaica than for the USA.

That's the advice I would have given him, for what it's worth.

Meanwhile, I believe that he Ralph is a better all around forward right now than Cunningham, given his defensive capabilties, work rate, and other factors.

Also, it is interesting that a poster above compared Ralph to Twellman. Like Twellman, Ralph is a very hard worker, extremely active, and has that burning desire. Yet, though they are both about the same size, Ralph is faster and stronger, and less of a poacher and positioning goal scorer than Twellman.

I think if Ralph does decide to "declare" for Jamaica, then he has to be considered among their top players there RIGHT now.

Anyway, it is indeed up to him.

But from what I've seen, there are some intriguing possibilities.

[edcrocker]

Karl, good posts. Ralph is a promising player. However, the one question is: All things considered, what would be best for Ralph? If he is in our pool, would he get lost in the shuffle? It seems like our pool of forwards is deeper than Jamaica's pool is. He seems to have the potential to play at the international level. He is going to have decide what situation makes the most sense for him.

[Karl K]

Originally posted by edcrocker
Karl, good posts. Ralph is a promising player. However, the one question is: All things considered, what would be best for Ralph? If he is in our pool, would he get lost in the shuffle? It seems like our pool of forwards is deeper than Jamaica's pool is. He seems to have the potential to play at the international level. He is going to have decide what situation makes the most sense for him.

I took a look at Jamaica's Gold Cup roster, and the only striker of note I saw was Kevin Lisbie, who plays for Charlton Athletic.

The other guys are in D1 or D3 in England, or in the Jamaican leagues.

I have gotta believe that Ralph is better than those guys.

If Ralph went to the USA, would he get lost in the shuffle?

Well, let's assume that McBride and Kirovski will be out of the picture in '06. That means you've got:

Wolff
Twellman
Mathis
Donovan
Buddle
Casey
Johnson
Cunningham

among others, including perhaps Adu, Magee, and others who are impressing but not on the radar screen.

Could Ralph assert himself in this company? Maybe.

[superdave]

I really like his game. And unlike, say, Cunningham and Lowe, he seems to have a great, great attitude. Hard working team player. Aside from his physical abilities, that would make him a great guy to have on your team. Either he or Sarachan or something seems to be rubbing off on Razov. He's always been able to score, but he just seems a markedly better all around player this year.

This is arguably the best striker partnership an MLS team has had. They're doing all of this damage without much of a midfield (since this was DMB's first match in a while.) It's not like Moreno and the various goalpoachers he paired with, who were the beneficiaries of the massive talents of Etcheverry, Harkes, Olsen, etc.

[Red Card]

An excellent forward on a very good team with 2 other high quality offensive players (DMB and Razov). He makes the others better because he is such a threat. Certainly the type of physical forward the US could use. I wish he would want to play for the US.

But realistically, if he is not going to be a citizen in the next 12 months, why should he bother to even consider playing for the US? At best he will be sub given the long list of current forwards, and the fact that qualifying will have already started.

[lurking]

Originally posted by Karl Keller
Of course, he won't score a goal a game in MLS, as he has lately, but I can see him becoming a 25 point guy in MLS.

That, as they say in some circles, ain't chopped liver.

Also, of course, it has to be the playe'rs decision ultimately, and it has significant implications. I actually think Jeff Cunningham would have had a better chance making it to a World Cup playing for Jamaica than for the USA.

That's the advice I would have given him, for what it's worth.

Meanwhile, I believe that he Ralph is a better all around forward right now than Cunningham, given his defensive capabilties, work rate, and other factors.

Also, it is interesting that a poster above compared Ralph to Twellman. Like Twellman, Ralph is a very hard worker, extremely active, and has that burning desire. Yet, though they are both about the same size, Ralph is faster and stronger, and less of a poacher and positioning goal scorer than Twellman.

I think if Ralph does decide to "declare" for Jamaica, then he has to be considered among their top players there RIGHT now.

Anyway, it is indeed up to him.

But from what I've seen, there are some intriguing possibilities.

Id say 25-30 point guy is about right for his MLS potential as well.

I think its 6 of one and a half dozen of the other on where Ralph's best chance to make a cup roster is.

Hes certainly an interesting player.

[Bruce S]

I would not put a cap on how far he can go in the world of soccer.The guy is quite an athlete and he has good skill too. He may be just another Onandi Lowe, but he also might be much,much better. Let's put it this way: I would not be looking forward to seeing him play against the USA.

[Bleacherbutt]

Originally posted by CbR
seriously, where did the fire get this guy? they sure did their homework

Yeah, the Rhinos drafted this guy for the A-League, but I am sure that Chicago and Saracan (A Rochester native) knew about his play at Connecticut. It was a great pick up for the Fire. Rochester's loss is certainly the Fire's gain.

FYI, I was hoping Ralph would slip through the MLS cracks and we would have gotten to see him in the Yellow, Green and Black.

[Stan Collins]

At this point, there's no debate about Sarchan for coach of the year. Question is, is this best coaching job since the league's been around?

[SoccerScout]

Sure lets CAP him and while we are at it lets cap a guy named Regis that lives in France. Oh and there are about 200,000 Brazilians that havent played on the Brazil Nat Team, lets naturalize all of them and see what we get.

This is absurd! Whats the point of having a winning team if its made up of a bunch of foreigners. I was always against the REGIS thing because he had no interest in the US except for a free ride to the WC. SOme other cases are more reasonable but Regis was rediculous and it wasnt even worth the hassle!

[Nutmeg]

Ralph reminds me of Mastroeni's situation. If he is interested in getting his US citizenship, he'll begin the process - if he hasn't already.

If not, there is really no point to the discussion. He can't play.

[St. Patrick]

Originally posted by Nutmeg
Ralph reminds me of Mastroeni's situation. If he is interested in getting his US citizenship, he'll begin the process - if he hasn't already.

If not, there is really no point to the discussion. He can't play.

I will state out front that I am against the US poaching players (cap-tying a player solely to keep him away from other countries). I felt this way when Ziadie's name was thrown around for a call-up, when the talk about Suarez was running (he's still not cap-tied IIRC since his only appearances for the US have been friendlies, like Cunningham who played a couple of matches for Jamaica and was then able to play for the US, becoming cap-tied at last year's Gold Cup), and I feel that way on Ralph. If he has a future with the USNT program, then cap him like we would any player who we think could be a productive member of the national side (once he has his citizenship), but let's not do it just to beat Jamaica to the punch.