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Khari Stephenson - file
TORONTO, Canada:
For someone who loves to score, and has notched a few spectacular goals in his career, it's odd to hear Jamaica international Khari Stephenson express distaste for the role of striker.
Yet he has found himself in the position for his Major League Soccer (MLS) club San José Earthquakes several times this season.
"No, I don't like playing forward," Stephenson flatly admitted following the Earthquakes' 1-1 draw with Toronto FC on August 27, when he appeared up front as a second-half substitute.
Stephenson, now 30 and armed with a new contract with the Earthquakes, knows his strengths - size (6' 1", 185 pounds), composure on the ball, passing ability and a thunderous shot - make him a tempting target man up front. He is also willing to make the sacrifice for the team. But his personal choice is clear.
"I tell the coach anywhere I am put I will be fine," said Stephenson. "I prefer attacking midfield, though I can handle the holding midfield as well."
Stephenson has consented to push forward from the comfort of his regular spot in the centre of the pitch to help a club hit hard by absences to key frontline players.
"It's just because we've had a lot of injuries," he explained.
The Earthquakes are struggling to make the MLS playoffs. But in mid-July the club traded Jamaica striker Ryan Johnson to Toronto FC. Without forwards Alan Gordon (surgery) and Steven Lenhart (leave of absence), the goals are drying up. Stephenson now occasionally finds himself partnering MLS All-Star striker Chris Wondolowski up front.
The Jamaican, who joined the Earthquakes on loan and signed a deal in February, has scored three goals and recorded two assists so far in 2011. Overall, he has played 23 games for the Earthquakes this season, starting 19 - mainly in midfield - and becoming a vital cog in the line-up. A thunderous 30-yard shot in May earned Stephenson a nomination for MLS "Goal of the Week". It is a quality the Earthquakes hoped he would bring.
"He's a different sort of midfielder compared to what we have," Earthquakes' coach Frank Yallop described Stephenson when the club acquired him from Aalesunds FK in Norway's top league.
"A big, powerful, strong-running offensive player. Not that he's going to score a ton of goals, but he's going to drive forward, with and without the ball. He's athletic. And I think it gives us a different look in there."
Stephenson has not disappointed Yallop on his return to MLS - he was drafted by the Chicago Fire and played for the former Kansas City Wizards - nor in his new role.
"I've been doing a good job (at forward)," Stephenson said, who also had a stint in Sweden. "The coaches have been pleased."
However, he wants to satisfy Jamaica's coaches as well. His last call-up for the Reggae Boyz was in March. Before that, he was invited for a game in August 2009.
But there have been long, dry spells away from the national programme. When Stephenson has played, the reviews have been mixed. For example, he was among Jamaica's best players at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States, but disappointed during a two game tour of England the following year.
He has watched players being rotated in and out of the national team, wondering when his turn will come again.
"I don't know," said Stephenson. "Coach (Theodore Whitmore) has been playing those he feels can do the job. So he calls them."
Stephenson's sporadic national appearances in recent times - more than 30 caps overall, but only four in the last three years - does not argur well for his participation in upcoming qualifiers for World Cup 2014. He senses there won't be many more chances to play in football's big show.
"I want to go," Stephenson said, "but it is not entirely up to me."
What he claims he is ready to do is make the required sacrifices and adjustments. So far he's proved that with the Earthquakes. As for the national team, it's wait and see.
