‘He’s an amazing talent’
Rademakers has high hopes for Jamaican MLS draft pick
Published:Thursday | December 21, 2023 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
KINGSTON FOOTBALL Academy (KFA) director and coach Eric Rademakers says Matthew Bell, who was drafted as the 16th overall pick in the recent 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) Draft, is an amazing talent and hopes he can make his mark in the MLS.
Bell, who played locally at Real Mona, with whom he won the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) under-17 title, also represented Kingston College in the Manning Cup but wasn’t a first-team regular during his time at North Street.
He joined the Kingston Football Academy in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he and Rademakers travelled to Boston, where he began to play with Valeo FC, which eventually led to an opportunity to play for Marshall University.
Bell, named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Freshman of the Year and included in the 2022 All-Sun Belt Conference First Team, had a stellar sophomore year this term.
The 20-year-old’s eight goals and 10 assists earned him the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year title, and he was named in the Sun Belt Conference first team.
He was also named to the MAC Hermann Watch List, as his 10 assists, the third most in the nation, and his eight goals, accounted for 26 points and 16th in the country, the same as his draft pick would suggest.
Bell’s goals included three game-winners, a tie for second in the Sun Belt Conference, and he was the only player to receive the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week award twice.
He averaged 1.2 goal contributions per game, with four multigoal contributions in 15 matches. That included a hat-trick and a pair of three assists.
“Matthew Bell is a very lively, explosive forward who had been making his mark every step of the way,” Rademakers told The Gleaner.
“He’s an amazing talent, and I really hope to see him do well in his next adventure in the MLS.”