February 21st’s Copa America draw threw up the intriguing prospect of Earthquakes returning hero Simon Dawkins representing his native Jamaica on what would be virtually home turf at Levi’s Stadium where they will face Uruguay on June 13. Here, sjearthquakes.com speaks to the pacy playmaker, who rejoined the club from English Championship side Derby County this offseason, about the draw, the Reggae Boyz chances and hitting the ground running come March 6.
SJEarthquakes.com: Levi’s Stadium!
Simon Dawkins: I saw it about an hour ago and didn’t realize the Uruguay game was at Levi’s. That’s amazing. I’ve never played there before – I’ve never even been inside!
SJEQ: Have you already made plans for the game?
SD: I have family coming over so I’m going to try and organize it so they can be there – it’s basically a home game. If I make it, then my family can come and see me play for San Jose and for my country which would be great. I’d be hoping to see a few Quakes fans so they can make it like a home game for me. You get extra support when you play for your national team in your home city and I can’t wait for it.
SJEQ: What are Jamaica’s chances of progression?
SD: It’s a hard group. It’s not impossible because we played some of the teams last summer. We lost in the last minute to Uruguay and we played Mexico in the final of Gold Cup. They had too much but we had chances to nick it. You never know. With the squad we have we should be confident.
SJEQ: You’ve looked sharp in pre-season. How have you found it?
SD: We’re gradually getting there. Our performances have been better every single game. Some results haven’t gone out way but you can definitely see improvement and the games can only help us. On a personal note I feel like I'm getting a lot fitter. On Saturday night, for the first time in a long time, I felt sharp for 70 minutes - it’s coming.
​
