Shouting commands over the din of a deafening chorus. Organizing the defense so his team holds a lead. Urging players upfield to press an attack. These are just some of the scenarios that goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts oversees from the back - and all with the the calm, steely look of a seasoned professional.
“I hope to bring calmness, no matter what is going on around us,” a serene Ricketts recently told OrlandoCitySC.com. “The scoreline doesn’t matter, because the game is for 90 minutes - and the game turns quickly. Every play is important in this league.”
You could say that Ricketts’ transcendent demeanor comes from his experience. Six years playing professionally in MLS, 13 total, in addition to 100 international caps for his native Jamaica. But Donovan would cite another reason.
In Depth | Drafting Donovan Ricketts
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“I think that comes from being Jamaican,” Ricketts said, breaking into laughter. “Because us Jamaicans, they say we’re laid back. You can’t get too high and you can’t get to low. You just try to stay even keel and pass that on to the team.”
Ricketts grew up on the Caribbean island nation as a part of a big soccer family. “I was a soccer baby,” Ricketts laughed. He had two brothers who played for the National team before him, but his story of climbing the soccer ranks was not without a dash of good fortune.
“I was a striker, not a goalkeeper,” said Ricketts with raised eyebrows. “In U-13s I tried out for the team as a striker and didn’t make it, but my brother did, so I had to sit and wait [for him] at practice. One evening the goalie didn’t show up, so the coach said I should stand in goal because there was nobody else. So I went in goal and here I am today.”
Who could have guessed that night that Donovan Ricketts would one day wear the Captain's armband as the goalkeeper for the Jamaican National Team.
“Once I’m on the field, I’m hands on. I shout information and everything. Captain or not, that’s how I am on the field,” Ricketts assured. “It was my job to organize from the back because it’s important that you have a solid base if you want to launch an attack. You have to have someone organizing pushing left, pushing right, going forward, pulling people back, so that’s my role.”
But don’t let that composure fool you, the Iron Lion (a nickname given to him by the Timbers Army), can roar with the best of them.
“Sometimes I shout,” cautioned Ricketts with a grin. “But I try to remain calm.”
His experience, guidance and wisdom on the field will be invaluable as the Lions prepare for their home opener on March 8, 2015 against New York City FC.
