Andre Blake

Andre Jason Blake (born 21 November 1990) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.

Andre Blake
Blake playing for the Philadelphia Union in 2017
Personal information
Full name Andre Jason Blake[1]
Date of birth (1990-11-21) 21 November 1990
Place of birth May Pen, Jamaica
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Philadelphia Union
Number 18
Youth career
Sporting Central Academy[3]
Harbour View F.C.[3]
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Connecticut Huskies 68 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014– Philadelphia Union 145 (0)
National team‡
Jamaica U17[3]
Jamaica U20[3]
Jamaica U23[4]
2014– Jamaica 45 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 November 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21 May 2020

Club career

College

Blake spent three years playing college soccer at UConn, before signing a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer.[3] He registered 37 shutouts over his three years in goal for the Huskies, winning the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2011 and 2012 and the AAC Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2013. He was named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy in 2013.[2]

Professional

Blake was selected by Philadelphia Union first overall in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.[5] Originally anticipated to be the Union's starting goalkeeper, he was deputized to the bench when the Union signed designated player, Raïs M'Bolhi.[6] Blake made his first appearance for the Union in a friendly match against Crystal Palace in July 2014.[7] He made his first competitive start for the Union in a 1-0 win against Montreal Impact who debuted Didier Drogba as their new designated player.[8] Blake started for five of the remaining eight matches in the 2015 season. On 26 September 2015, playing against New England Revolution, Blake set a Union team record for saves in a match with 10 stops to preserve a 1-1 draw.[9]

During the 2016 season, Blake cemented himself as the clear starting goalkeeper for the Union. In July 2016, he was included in the roster for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game.[10] He was also selected to the 2019 MLS All-Star Game as the Union's only representative.[11]

During the 2020 season, Blake earned accolades for his performances including the Golden Glove for the MLS is Back Tournament, his second MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award, and second selection to the MLS Best XI.[12] Blake posted a 77.8 save percentage and allowed only 18 goals, leading the league in both stats for goalkeepers with 20 or more appearances. He also led the league in wins (13) and posted eight clean sheets.[12][13]

International career

Blake made his debut Jamaica national football team start on 2 March 2014, versus Barbados, a 2–0 win.[14] Blake earned his first medal for Jamaica later that year, winning the 2014 Caribbean Cup and earning the Golden Gloves award in the process.[15]

Personal life

Blake earned his U.S. green card in the summer of 2015. This status also qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[16]

Career statistics

Club
As of 9 July 2019[17][2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League US Open Cup League Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Philadelphia Union 2014 MLS 10200030
2015 60100070
2016 3202010350
2017 2600000260
2018 3304010380
2019 1300000130
Career total 111090201220

International
As of 21 May 2020[18]
Jamaica
YearAppsGoals
201490
201540
201690
201790
201840
2019100
Total450

Honours

Club
Philadelphia Union[17]

International
Jamaica[17]

Individual

References
  1. "Jamaica's 40 player provisional list to Copa Centenario". Jamaica Football Federation. 3 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  2. Philadelphia Union Player Profile
  3. "UConn Andre Blake Profile". UConn Athletics. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  4. "Olympic Qualifying 2012". CONCACAF. 3 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  5. "Union take Andre Blake in 1st pick". ESPN FC. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  6. "How Union GK Andre Blake conquered hurdles to become a star". MLSSoccer.com. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  7. "Union showcase a few new faces in Friday night friendly against Crystal Palace at PPL Park". Philadelphia Union. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  8. "Andre Blake makes strong claim for Philadelphia Union starting goalkeeper job after win in Montreal". MLSSoccer.com. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  9. "Union draw with New England as Blake sets single-game club save record". Philadelphia Union. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  10. "Villa, Pirlo and Kaka headline MLS All-Star squad to face Arsenal". FourFourTwo. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  11. Ralph, Matthew (24 June 2019). "Andre Blake will be lone Philadelphia Union representative at MLS All-Star Game". Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  12. "Season in Review: Andre Blake". philadelphiaunion.com. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  13. "Philadelphia Union's Andre Blake voted Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year". MLSsoccer.com. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  14. "Union rookie goalkeeper Andre Blake called up to Jamaican national team for pair of friendlies". Philadelphia Union. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  15. "Andre Blake and Jamaica defeats Trinidad and Tobago in shootout to win 2014 Caribbean Cup". Brotherly Game. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  16. Marc Narducci (22 July 2015). "Union will face Red Bulls in U.S. Open Cup matinee". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  17. Andre Blake at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  18. "Andre Blake". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  19. "Philadelphia Union win 2020 MLS Supporters' Shield on regular season's final day". Major League Soccer. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  20. Quillen, Ian (12 August 2020). "Philadelphia Union's Andre Blake wins MLS is Back Tournament Golden Glove presented by Allstate". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  21. "MLS is Back Tournament Best XI presented by BODYARMOR". MLSsoccer.com. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  22. "2019 MLS All-Star Roster". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  23. "Andre Blake named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year". Goal.com. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  24. "MLS Best XI revealed: Who was the best at each position in 2016?". MLSsoccer.com. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  25. "2020 MLS Best XI presented by Home Depot". MLSsoccer.com. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  26. Gold Cup (26 July 2017). "Gold Cup Golden Glove Presented by Allstate". Retrieved 4 February 2019 – via Twitter.
  27. "TSG reveals Gold Cup Best XI". goldcup.org.
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