Clarke off the turf

The desire to someday play Major League Soccer has taken senior forward Andrae Clarke from his Jamaican home to the Bronx and finally, to Buffalo.

It was the influence of a national soccer hero that introduced Clarke to the sport while growing up in Jamaica. Although none in his family share his passion for the game, a man named Peter Cargill helped mold Clarke. Cargill, who has since passed away, was a captain for the Jamaican national team. Cargill was also a member of the 1998 team that became the first English-speaking country in the Caribbean to make it to the World Cup.

"Growing up as a youth, Peter Cargill was always taking me around to places and games," Clarke said. "I basically picked it up through him."

In Jamaica, Clarke spent his time playing for his neighborhood team. But it was when his family moved to the Bronx though that he played in his first established league.

"I started playing organized ball here in the U.S. when I was 13," Clarke said. "In Jamaica, I played for my community. It was organized but not as a set team. We would pick up 11 players and play the team from down the street. So, I've been playing all my life, but it wasn't till 13 that I played in an organized league."

His years of dedication really began to pay off for him when he was a student at Dewitt Clinton High School. Aside from winning a gold medal in the Youth Olympics, soccer has allowed Clarke to tour parts of the country and world that he otherwise would not have seen.

"High school was great up here," Clarke said. "I played for the U.S. regional team and went to Europe. I played in France, Spain and Belgium. I've been to at least 30 states just traveling for soccer."

After breaking the records for goals and assists at Dewitt Clinton, Clarke moved on to the next step of his career and joined the Bulls in 2002. Since his freshman season, the Bulls have gone from winning one game in 2002 to eight games in 2003 to 14 in 2004.

"Basically I have no interest outside of soccer. It is all of my time," Clarke said. "Soccer and school twenty-four seven. If I am not on the field or at practice, I'm doing homework or in class. The only thing I can do other than that is eat or sleep."

Clarke, whose goal is to play professional soccer, made a promise to his mother before coming to Buffalo that he would finish college before pursuing the sport. After four years, that time is rapidly approaching.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Clarke said. "If you don't, and end up going to college for grad school, it's something that you could always regret. You can always go back to school. I don't say for most kids to leave school and go play soccer, but at 21 years old there are many younger guys leaving. I promised my mom I'd finish school and that's what I did. Now it's time for soccer; my time, my decisions."

Although he does not see them as often as he would like, Clarke is very close to his family. His mother, whom he speaks with on the phone four to five times a day, remains a strong influence in his life. It is because of her strength that Clarke believes he is where he is today.

"My mother is coming to senior day. It will be the first time she has been able to see me play in college," Clarke said. "It is going to be real good to see her at the game."

During his tenure in Buffalo, Clarke has achieved numerous accolades, including holding the school record for assists in a season with 11. Despite his recognitions, it is not the numbers that matter to him.

"Its important to see your name up there with some of the legends of Buffalo or NCAA soccer," Clarke said. "The best thing about it though is to get a 'W,' a win. None of it matters if your team is not winning, not getting to that championship game, that NCAA tournament. It's basically nothing without a win to show for it."

Despite having spent almost half of his life in the United States, Clarke refuses to forget where he comes from and who has helped him along the way. Along with coaching for the youth team he played for in the Bronx, Clarke hopes to return to Jamaica one day.

"I'm definitely going to go back and give back to the community," Clarke said. "Whatever way you make it, you always have to give back. There's always that drive, remembering where you came from so you can one day give something back."