Cunningham ready for senior national colours
Arnett Gardens captain Joel Cunningham believes he is ready to wear the senior national colours after being called up in a 22-man local training camp by head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
A former schoolboy standout for Wolmer’s Boys, Cunningham is no stranger to wearing the national colours having already represented Jamaica at the youth level. But he said the national senior call-up was a ‘whole different ball game’.
“When you get the youth call-up, you can think forward and say it’s a possibility that you can get into the senior set-up but I think once you get into the senior set-up, it’s a whole different ball game. At the youth level, you’re in high school at the time and you’re not sure if you want to play professionally or if you want to just stop playing after college or high school.
“But when you’re in the senior set-up, you know that really opens doors as a professional player so it’s really different. You feel a lot better and that you’ve definitely accomplished something a lot bigger.”
Cunningham is optimistic that his performances in the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL), his recent call-up as well as his experiences internationally, will help his chances of getting into the Reggae Boyz final squad.
“I was elated. It was definitely one of my objectives when I came back to play for Arnett Gardens. I was very happy when I heard from my manager and then I was also excited with the opportunity to try and get into the final set-up. “I’ve spoken with the national team coach as I’ve played in Iceland and he’s from there. So I spoke with him about my time there and about other things as well. It definitely feels good that he thinks of me so highly within the local league, but I also want to make sure that I’m also respected in the final set-up if I’m called up.” Cunningham played for Fjardabyggd in Iceland for two years after joining from DC United’s academy. After his time in Iceland, Cunningham returned to the island and joined Arnett Gardens where he now wears the captain’s armband for the JPL club. Cunningham has been a stalwart in Arnett’s backline for the past two seasons, and he believes that his time overseas has helped in his ability to control the game and lead his team. “It has definitely given me a lot of insight in the world of football,” he said. “When you get to travel, you see different types of football, different ways in which teams set up tactically. I’ve grown when it comes to reading the game a lot since I’ve left Wolmer’s and I’m happy for the experience and to bring it back to share with local players,” Cunningham said.