With much speculation going around that this blog is written by Richard Jata, I just wanted to bring some clarity to the situation. I(Ben Jata) started this blog when Richard was a Senior at Campbell University. I felt that CU wasn't getting any exposure and I wanted the rest of the country to know more about them. Gocamels.com is CU's athletic website and that is why I named this site gocamels.blogspot.com. After Campbell's season ended, I decided to put the focus mainly on Richard and follow his journey towards a career in professional soccer. His former coaches and teammates, along with friends and family, have really enjoyed the updates I have brought them through this site. I followed him to the combine to give all the readers a firsthand look of what I saw up close. Then he made the trip to the Superdraft, got selected and delivered his memorable speech.The Chicago Fire drafted Richard with the 58th pick and I made it a point to follow him closely through the 2009 MLS preseason as he fought for a position on the team. This gave the Chicago Fire fans a chance to follow his story along with the rest of the team. People from Chicago really enjoyed the updates because there wasn't a lot of information available at the time. Things started out great, but the ending wouldn't be the same. Denis Hamlett told Richard this as his time with the Fire came to an end; "I think I should give you the benefit of the doubt(because you were sick and injured), but I decided to stick with players I had last year." He said this because Richard had missed a lot of time in the preseason due to an injury and an illness he caught while in Mexico. Still, Richard was the last player in preseason camp to get released(#25 on the roster at the time). Ever since then I have watched my brother fight so hard to play the game that he loves, only to see him disappointed time and time again.
My brother has been training VERY hard the past few months. He has a lot of people in his corner rooting for him, hoping he succeeds, but we can only do so much. If you are a professional coach interested in my brother, talk to Joe Brown(Carolina Dynamo), talk to Doug Hess (Drexel Head Coach), talk to Tom Durkin at IMG Academy. They will all tell you the same thing; Richard Jata is a very talented soccer player with all the potential in the world. He has the raw natural ability needed to be successful at the professional level and his love for the game is extraordinary.
In closing, don't judge my brother by what you read on this blog! I am responsible for everything that is written. If you want to blame someone for being too confident, BLAME ME! The only reason I MAY appear this way is because I have witnessed his success and skill develop beyond belief and I know how great he can be. Richard lives for two things; God and Soccer! He believes it's God's plan for his life, a way for him to witness to others, and I agree. My brother prays before every game and he gives praise to God after every goal he scores. Because of my brother's faith in God and his belief in himself, I know(sooner or later) God will speak to a very lucky coach and say, "Sign this kid, with your help, he will accomplish great things"!
5 comments:
dude! Hang in there! this is why football is the greatest game in the world . It is just too unpredictable. Come to Asia Richard , you style of game suits the team here. Am sure you will be successful! Give it a shot ! God bless
Why not try some Scandinavian countries. Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Norway and Austria don't have any foreign restrictions. He could play in those countries.
Try Costa Rica as well. Little bit out of the ordinary, but might be worth it.
Thanks for all the feedback! Richard will be attending a joint tryout held by the Puerto Rico Islanders and Harrisburg City Islanders March 10-11 in Orlando, FL.
He's really determined to make it as a pro, so I'm expecting him to perform well. Let's just hope it's what these coaches are looking for!
Ben, thanks for doing the updates.
After watching Richard's draft speech, I've been rooting for him to land with a team.
Tell him to hang in there...it will happen soon enough...there's a time and place for everything
I hope the tryouts with Puerto Rico go good...they are a team going through some changes from last season so Richard should have a good shot at making the club.
God bless and keep the updates coming.
Post a Comment