Donovan Ricketts looked intimidating. He was slightly hunched in goal, and when he charged out it always felt sudden and suffocating.
He was also the starting goalie for the Jamaican national team.
So when a young, lanky Jamaican shot stopper left UConn and took a Generation Adidas deal with Major League Soccer, he both looked up to and drew comparisons with Ricketts. "
I remember when I was with the [Jamaica] U-20s and he came back from England and that was the first time I came in touch with him and he came to a practice," Blake said of the Jamaican number one back at the 2014 MLS Combine. "I felt honored to practice with that guy. I really look up to him."
The rest of the players at the combine weren't talking about Ricketts, though. They were talking about Blake. "Andre Blake made a few ridiculous saves," Georgetown player Steve Neumann said. "And if you weren't a believer in Andre Blake, I guess now you are."
It's a #ThrowbackThursday, so let's revisit Blake's performance at the 2014 Combine that convinced the Union to trade up and make him the #1 overall pick.
Read on to find out
who predicted 'Dre would become a MLS All-Star.
After looking up to Ricketts, Blake has blazed his own path

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