ALVAS-POWELL-061113.JPG

Alvas Powell (bottom) battles Honduras' Mario Martinez during a World Cup qualifying match June 11 in Honduras.

(The Associated Press)

grew up in Danvers Pen, a small farming community in the Eastern part of Jamaica, where he dreamed of one day heading abroad to pursue his professional soccer career.

"I had always wanted to get an overseas contract," said Powell, a defender the Timbers

. "You have to start from somewhere and I got a contract here."

More than 3,000 miles from home, the 19-year-old has found comfort in seeing some familiar faces among his Portland teammates --

and

both play with Powell on the Jamaican national team.

"They have encouraged me a lot and told me to keep focused," Powell said.

There are currently 15 players born in Jamaica competing in MLS. That number has nearly doubled over the past five years from eight in 2009, according to data provided by MLS.

Some of that increase is due to the league's growth, with MLS adding five teams since 2009. But, even though Jamaica is a small island with only 2.7 million residents, it ranks sixth among the nations with the most players in MLS.

"Clearly, for a country of its size, Jamaica is sending some of its best players to the MLS," said Will Kuhns, MLS director of communications. "And that's something the league is proud of."

In 2009, at the age of 31, Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, who had been playing professionally in Jamaica, decided to make the jump to MLS. He said the league is attractive to Jamaican players because it is relatively close to home, and they don't need a work permit to compete.

"My career has been revitalized since I came to the MLS," Ricketts said. "I've worked with good coaches, good goalie coaches, and I have been around good teammates."

The three tenacious Jamaican players on the Timbers have been critical to Portland's success this season. Forward Ryan Johnson is tied for the team lead in goals with eight, Ricketts made the All-Star team and is arguably having his best MLS season as Portland's starting keeper, and Powell has started four games at right back in his three months with the team.

When the Jamaican national team -- nicknamed the Reggae Boyz -- decided to call up all three players for its World Cup qualifying games against Panama and Costa Rica at the beginning of September, it left an obvious void in the Timbers' lineup.

Portland coach Caleb Porter does have a history of bringing Jamaican players to the United States. He scouted forward Darren Mattocks in Jamaica and recruited him to the University of Akron when Porter coached the Zips. In his first MLS season in 2012, Mattocks scored seven goals for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Timbers also recruited Powell from watching him play with the Jamaican national team. But before they signed the young defender, they consulted the veteran Ricketts.

"He said he was a great kid and very coachable," Porter said. "That went a long way for us."

Being around fellow Jamaicans has benefited all three Jamaican Timbers. It's comfortable being around players who speak the same island dialect, and the three have been resources for each other, Ricketts said.

Johnson, who has been in MLS since 2006 and also played at Oregon State, has been an important asset for Ricketts and Powell. Before Powell signed with the Timbers, Johnson spoke with him in Jamaica and told him about the lifestyle and culture of playing in the U. S.

"When you're here, away from your family, it's good to be around people like myself and Donovan, guys he's already familiar with," Johnson said. "Anywhere else in the world, who knows how it would have been for him? Here, I knew he would have a really good support group."

Powell said he's happy in MLS, and the faster pace has only helped improve his game. He doesn't want to leave anytime soon. And Ricketts said he expects more Jamaican players to continue to turn to the league, just like Powell.

"Once people see that Jamaicans are doing well in the MLS, then they'll tend to look for more Jamaicans," Ricketts said. "So, I see more coming in the future."

-- Jamie Goldberg