Video: Gold Cup Team Member Jonté Smith
Gombey Warrior pride means “representing your country to the best of your ability,” Bermudian footballer Jonté Smith said in advance of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Mr Smith is one of the 23 members of our football team that will be making their debut in the Gold Cup, a prestigious regional competition which is set to get underway in a few days.
When asked about his earliest recollection of playing football, Mr. Smith joked that one may not quite consider it playing football, as when he was five he used to play for North Village, but he actually “sat in the middle of the field and watched everyone else run around.”
When asked what drove his passion to play football, Mr. Smith told Bernews, “Well, for me, the feeling that I got when I scored a goal was a feeling like no other and that’s what drove me to be a striker and continue my passion in playing football.”
Describing his first experience with the national team, Mr. Smith said, “I think it was in the under 17s, we played away to Bahamas and it was a feisty game, a fiery game that we ended up winning, but that was my first experience in the national team.”
When asked what ‘Gombey Warrior pride’ means to him, Mr. Smith said, “It means representing your country to the best of your ability,” and he also thanked his parents “because they’ve believed in my dreams from day one and they’ve always pushed me to be the best version of myself.”
Bermuda’s team includes Nahki Wells, Dante Leverock, Jonte Smith, Reggie Lambe, Dale Eve, Oliver Jalen Harvey, Calon Minors, Roger Lee, Kacy Milan Butterfield, Jaylon Bather, Lejaun Simmons, Donte Brangman, Chikosi Basden, Zeiko Lewis, Willie Clemons, Jahquil Hill, Osagi Bascome, Cecoy Robinson, Justin Donawa, Wendell Tre Ming, Liam Evans, Marco Warren, and Quinaceo Hunt.
The Gombey Warriors will take on Haiti on June 16th in Costa Rica, then Costa Rica on June 20th in Dallas, and then match up against Nicaragua on June 24th in New Jersey, and in an effort to provide comprehensive coverage, Bernews has a dedicated reporter traveling with the team, with the special coverage thanks to the support of Butterfield & Vallis, One Communications, and Bermuda Security Group.
