Leverock in no rush to commit to Islanders
Danté Leverock is in no rush to sort out his future and will explore other options before deciding whether to remain at United Soccer League side Harrisburg City Islanders.
Leverock has made no secret of his desire to play in Major League Soccer and believes he is getting closer to achieving his ambition after two seasons with Harrisburg in the USL Eastern Conference.
At 24, Leverock realises time is running out for him to make the step up, although he has not ruled out extending his stay at the FNB Field after having “positive talks” with the team’s hierarchy.
“I will be leaving the United States soon to take a little vacation and assess the next move in my career,” Leverock said.
“There have been positive talks with Harrisburg about extending my contract. But with interest elsewhere I’ll take my time in making my decision and explore the best option for my career.
“Playing at the highest level is always the goal as a player and I feel I’m getting close to reaching that.”
A Bermudian has not graced the MLS since Reggie Lambe, now of Carlisle United, played for Toronto FC in the 2013 season.
Freddy Hall, the Limerick goalkeeper, also featured for Toronto FC in the 2012 campaign, while Khano Smith enjoyed two spells at New England Revolution from 2005 to 2008 and 2010.
“I do hope to see other Bermudians playing in this league [the USL] and I’m hoping to get a player involved in the Harrisburg set up for next season,” Leverock added.
Harrisburg missed out on the play-offs for a second successive season, finishing tenth with 37 points from 30 matches.
Leverock admits he endured his most challenging campaign after missing several games while on Bermuda duty in the Scotiabank Caribbean Cup and had to wait patiently to regain his spot.
“It’s been a difficult season and definitely challenged me as a professional,” Leverock said. “It also helped me mature as a player having to deal with setbacks.
“Not making the play-offs for the second season in a row is disappointing and a mid-season run of poor form didn’t help our chances.
“After international duty I had to win my place back and worked hard to get back into the team and helped us make a strong finish to the season.
“I gained a lot more respect from the team and around the league for how I helped us improve and lead the team during that time.
“We lost only two games in the 11 I was involved in during the end of season run so that’s a positive sign.”