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Originally Posted By: morefire1
I thought I read somewhere where Mattocks was down playing the injury but he's been out a few wks now and falling behind... Burns to shoulder must have been serious for him to miss this amount of time.
Darren Mattocks is expected to begin training while the team is on the road as he looks to begin a comeback after suffering burns during a cooking accident in late March. Rennie explained the Jamaican hasn’t been able to train up until now as the burned area needs to heal so he can sweat properly.
Martin MacMahon covers the Vancouver Whitecaps for MLSsoccer.com.
I keep checking the Vancouver website but not getting any real info on his progress.. the last time checked it was said that he's still recovering from the burn injuries.....
For some reason I don't have a good vibe with Jamaican players Vancouver. At the rate at which Mattocks been scoring goals going back to high school and through College there's no way in hell he's not a starter in MLS. They saiid Dever Orgill had disciplinary problems there but there's 2 sides to every story and just hope Mattocks doesn't get frustrated and get labled as undisciplined. He's ultra confident in his ability and that's good for a striker.
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Originally Posted By: morefire1
I keep checking the Vancouver website but not getting any real info on his progress.. the last time checked it was said that he's still recovering from the burn injuries.....
For some reason I don't have a good vibe with Jamaican players Vancouver. At the rate at which Mattocks been scoring goals going back to high school and through College there's no way in hell he's not a starter in MLS. They saiid Dever Orgill had disciplinary problems there but there's 2 sides to every story and just hope Mattocks doesn't get frustrated and get labled as undisciplined. He's ultra confident in his ability and that's good for a striker.
Darren Mattocks is expected to begin training while the team is on the road as he looks to begin a comeback after suffering burns during a cooking accident in late March. Rennie explained the Jamaican hasn’t been able to train up until now as the burned area needs to heal so he can sweat properly.
Martin MacMahon covers the Vancouver Whitecaps for MLSsoccer.com.
No. 2 pick Mattocks makes return to Whitecaps training APRIL 30, 2012 Martin MacMahon MLSsoccer.com
Courtesy of Vancouver Whitecaps BURNABY, B.C. – A familiar face has returned to Vancouver Whitecaps training: Darren Mattocks.
The No. 2 pick in January's SuperDraft practiced with his teammates on Monday and spoke to the media for the first time since suffering a burn injury on March 18.
“It’s been six weeks, so I’m really excited to get back,” Mattocks said at Burnaby Lake field. “I just got to get back to where I was in preseason in terms of match fitness. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I’ll be ready to go.”
The speedy forward has been out of action since that cooking accident, only returning to individual sessions on the sideline last week.
Mattocks said his burns have healed “100 percent,” and the plan is for the 21-year-old to resume full training on Wednesday alongside players not traveling to Edmonton for the midweek Canadian Championship match.
The Akron alum explained he was cooking a Jamaican chicken dish on the night of the accident, when his hand caught the pot’s handle, splashing oil over his right shoulder and arm.
“To be honest, it’s been [agonizing],” Mattocks said. “Seeing my teammates play out there – I want to play my part for the team. To be out for six weeks – hopefully I’ll [only] be out a couple more weeks, but it was really a pain because I love to play the game and to be out for so long it’s not really good. But I’m so happy to be back, and I can’t wait to get back on the pitch and get back to playing soccer.”
Despite only starting his professional career, it was expected the Jamaican would play an important role in stretching opposing defenses in 2012, or at least act as an impact substitute late in games against tired defenses.
Mattocks’ speed has been missed, with Vancouver’s attack looking static at times. They’ve only scored four times in the six matches since his injury – so his return to the first team in the next few weeks will give head coach Martin Rennie a much needed alternative in attack.
“It’s nice to have him back out here,” Rennie said. “He looks very fit. It doesn’t seem like [the accident] has done him any harm at all fitness wise. He just needs to get his sharpness back. Hopefully he’ll get fully cleared on Wednesday to start training and be in full contact again.
“So it will be great to have him back. He seems very bubbly and upbeat, and I’m very happy with how he’s come back.”
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Vancouver Whitecaps speedy rookie Darren Mattocks eyes prompt return after recovering from kitchen accident
By Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun April 30, 2012
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Vancouver Whitecaps rookie forward Darren Mattocks during a team training session in Burnaby in January.
Vancouver Whitecaps rookie forward Darren Mattocks during a team training session in Burnaby in January. Photograph by: Arlen Redekop , PNG files
VANCOUVER — Darren Mattocks is back on the soccer field, seemingly none the worse for wear but a little sheepish about a freak cooking accident that put his debut Major League Soccer season on hold six weeks ago.
“I was cooking and the oil splashed on my arm,” the speedy Vancouver Whitecaps striker said Monday after his first training session with the club since mid-March. “It's a bit awkward. My hand caught the handle of the pot and it spilled over on my arm.”
Mattocks, from Portmore, Jamaica, was cooking a Jamaican chicken dish on his own when the mishap occurred and he spent a week in hospital recovering from burns to his right arm and shoulder.
Family and friends from Jamaica arrived to support Mattocks in Vancouver within days of the accident and his mother is still in town.
“That was really good for them to be around for a couple of months,” Mattocks said. “That's huge for me.”
He recently spent six days in Jamaica visiting family and friends and assured them he has fully recovered from the burns.
“It's 100-per-cent healed,” Mattocks said. “It's like nothing ever happened.”
The second overall pick in the this year's Major League Soccer SuperDraft might be cleared for full-contact training this week and hopes to play for the Whitecaps again in about two weeks.
He said it has been agonizing to be on the sidelines while his teammates train and play.
"I want to play my part,” Mattocks said. “It was really a pain [to just watch] because I love to play the game. To be out for so long is not really good.”
The 21-year-old former Akron University star showed a nice scoring touch in pre-season play this year and the Caps — who have played well but scored just seven goals in eight games — could use Mattocks' pace up front.
Head coach Martin Rennie said Mattocks looks very fit now, despite his six-week layoff, and expects him back in the lineup soon.
“[It shouldn't be] long because he's very fit and very sharp,” he said. “It just depends on how sharp he gets on the ball but fitness-wise, I don't think it will be a problem.”
I thought I read somewhere where Mattocks was down playing the injury but he's been out a few wks now and falling behind... Burns to shoulder must have been serious for him to miss this amount of time.
He has been out since March 19, 2012 that is almost six (6) + weeks since he has played a match.
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Mattocks closes in on MLS return
GORDON WILLIAMS, Star Writer
Darren Mattocks - file
Heralded Jamaican rookie Darren Mattocks is back in training and may see action for his Major League Soccer (MLS) club this weekend after recovering from burns in a kitchen accident more than six weeks ago.
Mattocks, who starred at St Catherine's Bridgeport High and the University of Akron in the United States before being picked second overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, confirmed he has been working out with Vancouver Whitecaps since last Thursday.
The 21-year-old forward said he is improving his sharpness and could scrimmage with the team today in preparation for Saturday's MLS home game against San José Earthquakes.
"The doctor said I can have full contact," Mattocks said yesterday from his base in Canada. "Everything is back to normal as if nothing happened."
According to Mattocks, on March 18 "oil splashed on my hand" while he was cooking. After spending a brief period in hospital, he claimed he could have resumed playing by the end of the month.
"It was nothing serious," said Mattocks.
However, he was kept away from the game by the club as a precaution to avoid further complications.
"They were worried," Mattocks explained. "They didn't want me to have any contact. They never wanted me to sweat to get (the skin) infected.
"They invested a lot in me," he added.
"They don't want a short term incident to keep me out for the long term."
Mattocks, who played a minute in Vancouver's first game of the season but none in the second, was forced to sit out the six MLS games that followed. He also missed Vancouver's Canadian Championship game against FC Edmonton yesterday.
While disappointed with his extended absence, Mattocks believes he is ready to help Vancouver immediately. The club, despite sitting third in the Western Conference of MLS, North America's top league, has struggled to score, with only seven goals. Vancouver's leading scorer has three.
Much is expected of the quick, skilful rookie, especially after he scored three goals in three games during a preseason MLS tournament. Mattocks said he was primed to deliver before he got hurt.
"It may be easier for me to get in the team because the team is not scoring a lot of goals," he said.
"I was pushing the first team forward to the max before I was injured."
His current fitness, following the layoff, has surprised everyone, said Mattocks. He claimed he could play 75 minutes right now after winning five of nine training sprints against teammates last Friday.
"When the coaching staff heard that, they knew Darren is not far off," the 5' 10", 155-pound Mattocks said. "It's like I was there all along."
He's looking forward to suiting up against San José.
"They (coaches) are planning to include me in the squad," Mattocks said.
Mattocks is hoping to represent the Reggae Boyz in World Cup qualifiers, which begin next month. He was named among 14 overseas-based players for Jamaica's friendly international against Guyana on May 18.
"I will be more than ready for the 18th," said Mattocks. "It's up to Vancouver to release me."
He refuses to let the injury setback dampen his outlook.
"If you put in the work, God will open doors," Mattocks said. "Eventually it will pay off."
He said his two-year stint at Akron, guided by US under-23 coach Caleb Porter, prepared him for the step up to the pros.
"Nothing has shocked me," Mattocks said. "Obviously you go up against better players in MLS, but in terms of tactical awareness and discipline … it's the same (as in college)."
Mattocks said his teammates at Vancouver have been supportive and his mother is visiting from Jamaica to help with his transition. Now, he said, it's up to him in "at least 31 games (remaining) to make an impact.
Mattocks came back fit as a fiddle and schedule to get back full training yesterday Wednesday, May 2 the same day he schedule to see specialist. This kid is not joking around and working hard at his craft. Very proud of him. Even the coach was impress with how fit he was after not playing for so many weeks. Here is a link to the interview, http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2012/04/welcome-back-darren
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'Confidence booster' for Mattocks Published: Friday | May 4, 2012 0 Comments Mattocks Mattocks
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
Teammates of Vancouver Whitecaps' Darren Mattocks are sure to welcome him back tomorrow, but the rookie will not be the only Jamaican on show in Major League Soccer (MLS) this weekend.
Mattocks, who missed six MLS games after burning his hand on March 18, said Vancouver is planning to have him in the squad at home against San Jose Earthquakes and he has the team's support.
"They really rally around me," said the 21-year-old forward, a former star at Jamaica's Bridgeport High and the University of Akron in the United States. " ... That's a real confidence booster."
Mattocks played only one minute in two games he was available, after being selected second overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. San Jose is a stiff test. The Earthquakes lead the Western Conference (WC) of North America's premier football league, starting a team with strong Jamaican ties in midfielders Khari Stephenson and Simon Dawkins. They beat DC United 5-3 on Wednesday with England-born Dawkins collecting an assist.
Vancouver, third in the WC, scored only seven goals in eight games. The speedy Mattocks, who also missed Vancouver's winning start to the Canadian Championship on Wednesday, hopes to add offensive punch immediately.
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Darren Mattocks came on in the 72 min v. FC Edmonton in the Canadian Champion semi 2nd leg match, he scored his 1st professional goal late in the match!!!
Darren Mattocks came on in the 72 min v. FC Edmonton in the Canadian Champion semi 2nd leg match, he scored his 1st professional goal late in the match!!!
He looked lively indeed..
I was quite impress with Mattocks. Not only did he score he could have had a second if the pass from the midfielder was better, he was all alone on that run, the pass had too much pace.
He also assisted on the second goal with a deflected header to the feet of Letoux.
This yute is hungry and that coach would be an idiot to not give this yute quality minutes.
In 15 minutes of play, actually the last 7 minute of play he assisted on a goal scored one and could have had another; my goodness this yute a pure trouble pon the field.
All I can say is to Cummings, Johnson, etc. watch out unno spot kno safe with this yute that hungry.
Since his freshman mi preach pon the Forum sey Mattocks is the real deal, and the "Future". From the Swamps (Mosquitoes and crocs) of Portmore a star is born..
Darren Mattocks came on in the 72 min v. FC Edmonton in the Canadian Champion semi 2nd leg match, he scored his 1st professional goal late in the match!!!
He looked lively indeed..
Am so mad at myself for missing the second half of that game. The last thing I remember before falling asleep(was so tired) is the half time show, where they showed highlights of the Toronto vs Montreal game. Is there a copy of the game on any download site? Only highlights of match I see available on Whitecapsfc site. http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2012/05/whitecaps-fc-advance-ACC
Darren Mattocks came on in the 72 min v. FC Edmonton in the Canadian Champion semi 2nd leg match, he scored his 1st professional goal late in the match!!!
He looked lively indeed..
I was quite impress with Mattocks. Not only did he score he could have had a second if the pass from the midfielder was better, he was all alone on that run, the pass had too much pace.
He also assisted on the second goal with a deflected header to the feet of Letoux.
This yute is hungry and that coach would be an idiot to not give this yute quality minutes.
In 15 minutes of play, actually the last 7 minute of play he assisted on a goal scored one and could have had another; my goodness this yute a pure trouble pon the field.
All I can say is to Cummings, Johnson, etc. watch out unno spot kno safe with this yute that hungry.
Very good analysis HI. He really has a nose for the goal and very clinical.
Since his freshman mi preach pon the Forum sey Mattocks is the real deal, and the "Future". From the Swamps (Mosquitoes and crocs) of Portmore a star is born..
Yes, if only JFF did put together this group of U-23 which was at our disposal the team would been "The dream team." Imagine, Mattocks, McKauly Tullock, Aston Bennett, Marvin Morgan, the goalie at Uconn and other college base guys add to the other local base players and we would have had a hell of team! Mattocks ready and hungry to rub shoulders with the big dawgs.
