Rave reviews for Ricketts in debut season
CARSON, California (CMC) — Big Jamaican goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has received rave reviews from the Los Angeles Galaxy’s coach and teammates over his rookie US Major League Soccer (MLS) season.
Signed from his Jamaican club Village United in December 2008, Ricketts enjoyed an impressive debut season in the 2009 MLS and the LA Galaxy coach, Bruce Arena, has admitted getting more than he bargained for from the 32-year-old.
“I expected him to be very good, but I’m not quite sure as good as he panned out to be,” Arena said in an MLS website story this week.
“He’s a great shot blocker, he’s obviously good in the air and he has excellent distribution. I thought he’d be a very good goalkeeper in this league. He’s better than I thought,” added Arena, who is also LA Galaxy’s general manager.
The six-foot-four-inch Ricketts also had stints in England with Bolton and Bradford City. He had 26 MLS starts last year and posted a 1.03 goals-against average, plus a Galaxy season record nine shutouts.
Attacking midfielder Eddie Lewis and defender Todd Dunivant also gave positive comments about the Reggae Boy, who played a key role in helping LA Galaxy to the runners-up spot.
“He’s just a massive presence in front of the net,” said Lewis.
“He covers a lot of ground and it’s hard to get the ball by him,” added Lewis, who previously confronted Ricketts as an opponent while he played for the USA against Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz.
Dunivant credited Ricketts for the huge impact on the team.
“It’s difficult for a foreigner coming into this league, especially a goalkeeper, making a big impact like he did. He really carried us in a lot of games and made the big saves when we needed them,” Dunivant said.
In the MLS Cup final in November against Real Salt Lake, Ricketts suffered a fractured hand and was forced out — in the 66th minute — of the game which LA Galaxy, also with English star David Beckham on their roster, went on to lose in a penalty shootout.
“It was very disappointing to come up short in the final. Hopefully we’ll get another chance,” Ricketts said.
The 2010 MLS season kicks off in late March.