FC Tucson midfielder Tevin Shaw had an unlucky start to the season, but he’s remained positive.
Shaw’s 2022 USL League One season was delayed when visa issues held up his return after he played for the Jamaican national team. Then a little over a 20 minutes into his first start, Shaw suffered a concussion and had to miss three matches.
“It was really frustrating after not playing, but mentally I was ready; I was doing stuff on my own physically,” Shaw said. “There’s a lot of nice guys here, a lot of great personalities, even the staff is brilliant, they’re giving us a lot of ammunition to go out and deliver I think for me I’m really enjoying myself here.”
He returned to the starting 11 in on May 28 only to be served with a red card, which resulted in a one-match suspension.
Still, “Tevin’s been excellent,” said FC Tucson coach Jon Pearlman. “Unfortunately he came a little bit late for us and had the concussion, but his games that he’s played in have been some of our best performances.
“He’s one of our primary ball-winners, he cleans up a lot of messes for us in the center midfield and, again, is a smart and seasoned player.”
After sitting out a week due to a postponement, Shaw and FC Tucson (3-9-4) return to action on Saturday, when they travel to face the Richmond Kickers. The Kickers (9-6-4) are 2-0 against Tucson this season, winning 4-0 in Richmond in the April 2 season opener and 1-0 in Tucson on June 29.
Shaw’s international competition is a point of pride .Pearlman said it’s great that Shaw made the so-called “Reggae Boyz” as Jamaica has many talented midfielders.
“It’s probably one of the best things an athlete can ask for,” Shaw said. “It means a lot and you have to set a lot of example and you have to bring that with you and also bring a level of professionalism.”
Corner kicks
FC Tucson will host a watch party for the Kickers match starting at 3:30 p.m. at Home Plate, 8579 N. Silverbell Road in Marana.
Pearlman said FC Tucson is working on setting a new date for the North Carolina FC match that was postponed last week. It will likely be in September.
