Jacob Madeiros On U-20 Call-up And More
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Jacob Madeiros only started taking football seriously when he was 14 years old but has earned his first international call-up just three years later.
It has been a meteoric rise for Madeiros, who was named in the Bermuda Under-20 squad for the Concacaf Under-20 Championship qualifiers in St Kitts and Nevis.
Although Madeiros is Bermudian born and bred, he moved to the United States with his family at age ten and began playing recreational football two years later.
“I was a competitive gymnast in Bermuda and didn’t have the time for soccer, but when we moved to the US, I noticed gymnastics wasn’t as big, so I joined my first recreational team in 2018,” Madeiros told Bernews. “I’ve been moving up [the levels] ever since.”
Madeiros captains the May River High School varsity team in Bluffton, South Carolina, was named MVP last season, and bestowed with All-State and All-Region honours.
The forward also plays for Bluffton Rush 05/06 and has previously represented the Tormenta FC Academy in the MLS Next, a North American youth league organised by Major League Soccer.
“I was soon playing on much better teams [in the US] and started to believe I could take this further,” he said.
“I’m concentrating on playing for my high school and Bluffton Rush this season.”
His achievements have not gone unnoticed by the Bermuda Football Association, with the youngster attending an under-20 training camp in December, playing three matches, including two against Premier Division side Dandy Town, scoring in both games.
“It was great news to hear I’d made the squad,” Madeiros added. “I think I did pretty well in the selection matches.
“It’s going to be a great experience, and I can’t wait [for the qualifiers]. It’s going to be something different for me.”
Coach Cecoy Robinson’s side start their campaign against Grenada on Saturday [February 24] before playing Martinique on February 26 and Jamaica on February 28.
All matches are at the SKNFA Technical Centre in Basseterre.
Squad
- Goalkeepers: David Martin, Nathaniel Swan
- Defenders: Brighton Morrison, Harry Twite, Jackson Henderson, Jekai Eve, Jutorre Burgess, Maxwell Mobray, Nayan Grant
- Midfielders: Aunde Todd, Daion Swan-Desilva, Enoch Joseph, Jannis Roberts, Riley Robinson
- Forwards: Andrew Armstrong, Gianni Burgess, Hayden Dill, Jacob Madeiros, Sachiel Mind, Xahvi DeRoza
