Christopher Dawes (born 31 May 1974) is a retired

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He was known to be very disciplined, a good passer of the ball and a tight man-marker.

Club career

Nicknamed 'Simba', Dawes has played as a defender or

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, starting his career at Jamaican club Galaxy F.C. and having a brief spell at Belgian Fourth Division club SVD Handzame in 1996. In 2001, he signed for

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

club MetroStars only to be traded to

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

for a 2002 draft pick. Dawes returned to Jamaica in 2002 joining

May Pen May Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, Clarendon in Middlesex County, Jamaica, Middlesex County, Jamaica. It is located on the Rio Minho river, and is a major market centre for the parish. The popula ...

based club

Hazard United Portmore United Football Club is a Jamaican professional football team in the top flight Jamaica Premier League. With 7 Jamaica Premier League titles, 5 JFF Champions Cup and 2 Caribbean Club Championships, Portmore United is the most decorat ...

and had a brief stint with Village United before returning to the previous club, now relocated and called

Portmore United Portmore United Football Club is a Jamaican professional football team in the top flight Jamaica Premier League. With 7 Jamaica Premier League titles, 5 JFF Champions Cup and 2 Caribbean Club Championships, Portmore United is the most decorat ...

. He retired in 2006 to become a coach.

International career

He also played for the

Jamaica national football team The Jamaica national football team, nicknamed the "''Reggae Boyz''", represents Jamaica in men's international Association football, football. The team's first match was against Haiti national football team, Haiti in 1925. The squad is under ...

and was a participant at the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...

. He played his last international in 2001 against

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and earned over 60 caps for the Reggae Boyz. He scored once in a 2000 friendly match against

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...

, which Jamaica won by 6–0.

Coaching career

He is currently manager of Jamaica National Premier League side

Sporting Central Academy Sporting Central Academy or otherwise known simply as Sporting is a Jamaican Football (soccer), football club based in the Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, Clarendon, Jamaica. Sporting Central plays in Clarendon Major League, the third tier of Jamaican ...

but is currently on an educational sabbatical working on his coaching badges in the United States and England.The Jamaica Star :: Sport :: Coaching carousel continues at Sporting
In 2010, Dawes returned to coaching

References

1974 births Living people Footballers from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican men's footballers Jamaican expatriate men's footballers Jamaica men's international footballers 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 1998 FIFA World Cup players 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Colorado Rapids players Portmore United F.C. players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Major League Soccer players Men's association football midfielders Men's association football defenders 20th-century Jamaican sportsmen {{Jamaica-footy-bio-stub