Robert Bailey, Star Writer

Jamaica's senior men's football team captain, Shavar Thomas, is now a free agent after being released by his Major League Soccer (MLS) club Sporting Kansas City at the end of last season.

The 30-year-old defender also had his 2012 option declined by Kansas City, which led to him re-enter the MLS Draft.

Thomas was not selected in the Draft.

Thomas, who has so far made 38 appearances for the Reggae Boyz, was used mainly as a substitute by Sporting Kansas last season. The sweeper has represented Jamaica at every level.

During his eight-year MLS career, Thomas has plied his trade for six teams - Dallas Burn, Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA, Kansas City Wizards, and Philadelphia Union.

Thomas was also the captain of the Reggae Boyz team which won the Digicel Caribbean Championship, after topping the Finals in Martinique in 2010.

Thomas also captained Jamaica at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup Finals in Argentina in 2001.

Meanwhile, former Bridgeport High Manning Cup star Darren Mattocks, who recently signed a three-year contract with the MLS, is scheduled to leave the island next week for the SuperDraft, which will be held on January 12.

Mattocks, who represented Akron University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One Championships this past season, has been tipped by many pundits in the United States as the number one prospect for the Draft. The expansion franchise Montreal Impact has the number-one pick.

Mattocks was the second leading scorer in the Division One championship with 21 goals in 21 games and in the process led Akron to the quarter-finals of the NCAA competition.

Fellow Jamaican Ashton Bennett of Coastal Carolina was the top scorer in the Division One Championship after netting 23 goals.

"It would be a great achievement for me if I am selected as the number one pick in the Draft because it will mean that all my hard work at Akron University would have paid off," said Mattocks.