TAMPA, Florida, CMC—Jamaica goalkeeper Jahmali Waite and former Bermuda left-winger turned coach Khano Smith earned places on the United Soccer League Championship Team of the Week after the seventh round of matches over the past weekend.
Waite, 25, made seven saves for El Paso Locomotive FC in a 1-1 draw against Tampa Bay Rowdies to snap a four-match losing streak and earn the goalie slot in the team, and Smith, 43, guided Rhode Island FC to their first win of the season against Las Vegas Lights FC to earn the coach’s selection.
One save showcased Waite’s impressive acrobatic and reaction ability, crucial to Los Locos’s keeping out the dangerous rowdies at A.I. Lang Stadium.
“It’s my job to save goals, and I’m there to help the team as much as I can, and hopefully, I can keep playing as well as I have been and even improve, and we can use that to get good results down the line,” he said in an interview on his club’s website.
Waite’s seven saves were the highest for El Paso in a single match this season after he joined the club from the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
“It was a good point for us on the road against a difficult team in a difficult atmosphere, so to ground out a point the way we did was very important to build momentum,” he said.
“It’s disappointing not having a win eight or so games in, but the United States Open Cup result—even though we did not get the win—was a good result and good performance from the team. Hopefully, we can get a point in Tampa, get some momentum, head into this weekend, and get all three points.”
El Paso is 11th in the 12-team Western Conference standings on two points, with only two draws to show from their seven matches, and they host ninth-placed FC Tulsa on Saturday on home soil at Southwest University Park.
Waite said it will be necessary for El Paso to make home advantage count and try to kick start their season.
“Every game is important, but when you’re at home, you’ve got to win your home games. On the road, it’s not easy to even get a point, so we have got to use our home advantage, ride the crowd support, and get our first win,” he said.
“Regardless of who we are playing and what they are doing, we have got to focus on our performance as a team and compete, and we have just gotta get three points this weekend.”
For Smith, who was named Rhode Island FC head coach and general manager on March 8 last year, the victory was his first in the USL Championship.
The former Bermuda captain’s leadership and experience have proven invaluable in the Ocean State’s inaugural campaign.
After four draws in the club’s first five matches, Smith wisely managed his personnel and tactics to check off another achievement in “Sin City.”
The match concluded a demanding week, during which RIFC traveled from Rhode Island to Charlotte to Las Vegas to play three games over eight days.
Smith has instilled a team-first mentality with his squad as he continues to create a winning culture on and off the pitch.
He will be hoping for further success when RIFC hosts Phoenix Rising FC, the reigning USL Championship title holders, on Friday at the Beirne Stadium. They aim to claim their first victory in front of their fanbase.
and then 