Stellar Form Earned Lance Laing A Return To Reggae Boyz; Now Looks To Become Permanent Fixture In Team

It took three years, but Lance Laing is back wearing a Jamaican national team shirt. The speedy FC Edmonton midfielder will be a member of the squad that will become the first Caribbean nation to play in the Copa América.

Laing’s call-up comes on the heels of a stellar run of form that dates all the way back to the early part of the 2014 Fall Season, when Eddies head coach Colin Miller decided to deploy him as an outside midfielder as opposed to an outside back.

Since making the switch, the humble 27-year-old has taken the NASL by storm, racking up goals and assists at a quicker rate than anyone else in the league. Through nine Spring Season matches, he has scored four times and added four assists. He finished last season with seven goals and six assists.

“It was a bit of a surprise, but the form that I’m in, I think I deserved a call-up to the national team,” Laing told NASL.com.

The Reggae Boyz will meet Uruguay, Paraguay, and Lionel Messi-led Argentina in the group stage in the tournament, which will take place in Chile starting on June 11. Laing isn’t concerning himself with who he’ll face, but more so about his own play.

“It will be an honor to be a part of the tournament,” he said. “I’m expecting, personally, if I get my chance, to do what I have to do. I’m not thinking about the names, I’m thinking about myself and what I can do to help my country and represent myself and my league as best as possible.”

The last time Laing received a call-up to the national side, he was a member of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and he started and played a half against Panama on May 27, 2012.

The FC Edmonton midfielder will now get a chance to impress down in South America with a chance to earn further call-ups for this summer’s Gold Cup, and possibly become a regular for the Reggae Boyz under head coach Winfried Schäfer.

“I don’t know if the same players will be used in the Gold Cup,” Laing said. “I guess it all comes down to performances. If players perform then they will stay, and if not then they will go home.”

Laing noted that his call-up, as well as many others around the league, continues to show the strides the NASL has made in quality.

“The league is growing; it’s very competitive,” he said. “There are no easy games in the NASL. We played against Vancouver and I really thought - and I don’t know if it was just a mindset - that we had an easier time than if it was an NASL game. I know they made some changes, and even that we lost, we had the better of the chances for 90 minutes over both legs.”

It has come down to Laing’s teammates and the positional switch that has earned him another shot at the international stage. The Jamaican cited the understanding between players such as Tomi Ameobi and Sainey Nyassi for his success this season. The switch to midfield last season has only increased his comfort and confidence in the side.

“I’m closer to goal,” he said. “I feel more confident going forward than defending. For me personally, I like to attack. Defending from midfield comes easy to me; I feel like I still do my job defensively.”

Laing added, “There is still a lot to learn, and I’m not the perfect midfielder, but I do create and score goals myself. A lot of that is down to my teammates because the understanding is very good.’

If he gets an extended run with the Reggae Boyz, it will undoubtedly leave a hole on the left side of midfield. Laing, however, feels confident that there will be players who that can step in and fill the void.

“Anyone who steps in will be ready, I can tell you that,” he said. “We have a very good squad and there’s still players that this league has yet to see that can definitely cause problems for other teams.’

How great will it be to once again put on the green and gold kit for Jamaica?

“It should be good, right?” Laing added. “I haven’t represented the country in awhile.”