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Real Salt Lake MF Omar Holness Called into Jamaica for Friendlies

January 31, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah- Real Salt Lake MF Omar Holness received a call-up for international duty this week, as Jamaica takes on the U.S. National Team on Friday (5:30 p.m. MT) in a friendly as the U.S. prepares for World Cup Qualifiers in March and Jamaica readies for the Caribbean Cup in June.

"Omar has made tremendous progress over the last year and to see his hard work rewarded in this fashion is a great credit to him," RSL General Manager Craig Waibel said. "It's a great opportunity for him to get some minutes in what is sure to be a unique environment, which will only help his continued development."

Holness, 22, has three caps for Jamaica and will join the Reggae Boyz for Friday's meeting with against RSL GK Nick Rimando and the U.S., who played to a scoreless draw with Serbia on Sunday. This will be the first meeting between the U.S. and Jamaica since the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal, when Jamaica topped the U.S. for the first time on American soil.

A product of the University of North Carolina, Holness was picked fifth overall in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft and made nine appearances in his rookie campaign, including three as a starter. In addition, Holness also made eight appearances for Real Monarchs in the USL. He is in the midst of his second training camp with Real Salt Lake, with the season opening March 4 at Rio Tinto Stadium against Toronto FC.

"As always I'm grateful for the opportunity to represent Jamaica," Holness said. "Playing against the USA is always a big deal. Obviously we are CONCACAF rivals and it's always a great feeling to play against the U.S."

He will join with Jamaica on Wednesday and return to RSL after the match in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in time to rejoin his club for the next leg of training camp in Portland.

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