Onandi Lowe

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Onandi Lowe
Personal information
Full name Onandi Lowe [1]
Date of birth (1974-12-02) 2 December 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth Kingston, Jamaica
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) [2]
Position(s) Forward, utility player
Youth career
1993–1996 Harbour View
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1996–1997 Montreal Impact 26 (16)
1997–1998 Waterhouse 30 (14)
1998–1999 Arnett Gardens 10 (8)
1999 Richmond Kickers 16 (15)
2000–2001 Rochester Raging Rhinos 19 (5)
2001 Kansas City Wizards 13 (4)
2001Port Vale (loan) 5 (1)
2001–2002Rushden & Diamonds (loan) 12 (7)
2002–2004 Rushden & Diamonds 78 (42)
2004 Coventry City 2 (1)
2004–2005 Arnett Gardens (2)
2005–2007 Portmore United
2006Miami FC (loan) 0 (0)
2008 Arnett Gardens (2)
Total211+(114+)
International career
Jamaica U17
Jamaica U20
Jamaica U23
1995–2004 Jamaica 65 (27)
Managerial career
2010 August Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Onandi Lowe (born 2 December 1974), also known as Nandi, [3] is a Jamaican former international footballer who played in every outfield position, but was best known as a prolific forward. He spent some of his career in the top flight Jamaica National Premier League and had stints in North America and England. He scored 27 goals in 65 international appearances and appeared at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, he found himself on the wrong side of the law with drugs in the latter part of his career and has been described as "one of Jamaica's most controversial players". [3] His son, Damion Lowe, is also a professional footballer. [4]

Contents

He started his career at Harbour View, before joining Canadian side Montreal Impact in 1996. He returned to Jamaica with Waterhouse the following year before signing with the American side Richmond Kickers via Arnett Gardens in 1999. He then helped Rochester Raging Rhinos to win the A-League in 2000. He joined Kansas City Wizards the following year and also had a brief spell on loan at English side Port Vale. He signed with Rushden & Diamonds in February 2002 and hit 49 goals in 90 league games. He transferred to Coventry City in March 2004 before returning to Jamaican side Arnett Gardens later in the year following his arrest by British police. He later played for Portmore United, Miami FC, and Arnett Gardens again, before he retired in 2008.

Club career

After leaving Dunoon Technical High in his hometown of Kingston, [5] Lowe joined Harbour View, a top Jamaican club, in 1993. A big, versatile free-kick specialist who could play anywhere on the pitch and was known for his strong left foot, [6] Lowe moved to Canada in 1996 to join Montreal Impact. He helped Impact to the A-League's Northeast Division final in 1997, scoring twice against Toronto Lynx in the semi-finals. [7] He returned to Jamaica after two seasons with Impact, joining Waterhouse and then Arnett Gardens. He moved back to the A-League with Richmond Kickers, scoring 15 goals and gaining seven assists in 1999. He played for Rochester Raging Rhinos in 2000 and scored in the tournament's final, in a 3–1 win over Minnesota Thunder at Frontier Field.

In 2001, he tried his luck in Europe, joining Port Vale on loan for the end of the 2000–01 season. However, his deal at Vale Park was not made permanent after he quit the club when chairman Bill Bell refused to provide him with a car; when a reporter asked if he was upset about paying the wages of a player that had absconded, Bell replied "dunner worry kid, we won't be paying him". [8] He scored two goals for Port Vale, the first against Darlington in the Football League Trophy; [9] Vale would go on to win the trophy in his absence. He scored once in a league game against Cambridge United. He spent the rest of the year with Kansas City Wizards and scored eight goals in 20 games.

Lowe joined Rushden & Diamonds of the Football League Third Division on loan in December 2001, then signed permanently with "Diamonds" in February 2002. [10] He spent two years with the club, during which time he made close to 100 appearances, keeping a goalscoring rate of better than one every two games, making him a crowd favourite at Nene Park. This record includes a hat-trick against Mansfield Town at Field Mill on 30 March 2002, as part of the club's run to the play-off final, which ended in a 3–1 defeat to Cheltenham Town at the Millennium Stadium. [11] He went on to score 16 goals in 42 games in 2002–03, as the club finished as the division's champions. Moving on to Coventry City in March 2004, [12] he got off to a bad start with manager Eric Black after failing to report for duty following an international game. [13] He scored once against Crewe Alexandra [14] in two matches before he was released at the end of the 2003–04 season due to his ongoing drug trial.

Returning to Jamaica with old club Arnett Gardens, he attempted to return to England with Peterborough United in March 2005 and ran into problems gaining a work permit; [15] rejection for his permit also prevented him a move to Oxford United later in the year. [16] He started the 2006 season with Miami FC in the US, [17] only to be released after a month because of disciplinary problems. [18] After two years with Portmore United he rejoined Arnett in the Jamaica National Premier League during the January 2008 transfer window.

International career

Lowe debuted for the Jamaica in 1995. He went on to play at the 1995 Caribbean Cup, scoring in a 2–1 win over Saint Lucia at The National Stadium. He also scored at the 1996 Caribbean Cup, winning Jamaica's consolidation goal in a 3–1 defeat to Suriname at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. He formed a prolific strike partnership with Walter Boyd in the "Reggae Boyz" "Road To France Campaign" in 1998. He then found himself in and out of the team for mainly disciplinary reasons. He played two matches at the 1998 World Cup, the 3–1 defeat to Croatia and the 2–1 win over Japan, after being selected by coach René Simões. [19] [20] He went on to score twice in his country's success at the 1998 Caribbean Cup, against Netherlands Antilles in a group win, as well as the only goal of the semi-final clash with Antigua and Barbuda.

He featured in qualification for the 2002 World Cup, scoring against Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago in June 2001. He featured in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored and was then sent off in a 2–0 win over Guatemala at the Miami Orange Bowl. [21] Jamaica went on to lose 5–0 to Mexico at the quarter-final stage. His last international was a March 2004 friendly match against Honduras in which he also scored a goal. During his 2004 drug trial, he was suspended from international duty, and despite being cleared of the charges in 2005, the 31-year-old Lowe was not selected again. He earned 65 caps for his country. [22]

British police arrested Lowe in April 2004 for trafficking £117,000 worth of crack cocaine; he denied the charges. [23] The exact charge was 'attempting to possess 1.17 kg (2.5 lb) of crack cocaine with intent to supply'. [24] The Prosecution claimed he signed for the package under the fake name of "Kevin Brown" and intended to profit financially from knowingly trafficking the drugs. Lowe countered that the fake name was to avoid paparazzi and that he had no idea about the contents of the package: "I am Jamaican, maybe you think differently. If I am a mate and you said, 'can you do that for me', I am not going to think anything bad of you." [25] Lowe said in a police interview: "I thought he was a friend". In February 2005, he was cleared as the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence. [26]

He was arrested and charged in St Catherine in December 2007 for possession of marijuana. [27] He had been driving a car with 42 marijuana cigarettes, he posted the $300 bail and was released from custody. [28]

Coaching career

After completing his JFF coaching certification, Lowe coached briefly with August Town in the National Premier League.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition [29]
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Montreal Impact [30] 1996 A-League 149
1997 USISL A-League 127
Total2616
Waterhouse [30] 1997–98 National Premier League 3014
Arnett Gardens [30] 1998–99 National Premier League108
Richmond Kickers [30] 1999 USL A-League1615
Rochester Raging Rhinos [30] 2000 USL A-League195
Kansas City Wizards [30] 2001 Major League Soccer 134
Port Vale (loan) 2000–01 Second Division 51001161
Rushden & Diamonds 2001–02 Third Division 251910312920
2002–03 Third Division391521104216
2003–04 Second Division261500112716
Total904931529852
Coventry City 2003–04 First Division 21000021
Miami FC [30] 2006 USL First Division 00

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year [30]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Jamaica 1995103
1996173
199720
1998162
199960
2000109
2001105
200210
200373
200422
Total8127
Scores and results list Jamaica's' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lowe goal.
List of international goals scored by Onandi Lowe
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
119 July 1995 National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Saint Lucia (1979-2002).svg  Saint Lucia 1–02–1 1995 Caribbean Cup [31]
21 August 1995 Varsity Stadium, Toronto, CanadaFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 1–01–3 Friendly [32]
36 December 1995 Warner Park Sporting Complex, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and NevisFlag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis 3–03–0Friendly [33]
428 May 1996 Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and TobagoFlag of Suriname.svg  Suriname 1–31–3 1996 Caribbean Cup [34]
54 September 1996National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 2–02–0Friendly [35]
64 October 1996 Estadio Bellavista, Ambato, EcuadorFlag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 1–11–2Friendly [36]
724 July 1998National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986-2010).svg  Netherlands Antilles 1–03–2 1998 Caribbean Cup [37]
829 July 1998Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and TobagoFlag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda 1–01–01998 Caribbean Cup [38]
95 July 2000National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Barbados.svg  Barbados 2–05–0Friendly [39]
103–0
118 July 2000Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and TobagoFlag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 1–14–2Friendly [40]
122–1
134–2
1416 July 2000 Arnos Vale Stadium, Arnos Vale, Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesFlag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1–01–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification [41]
1523 July 2000National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Honduras.svg  Honduras 2–13–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification [42]
1616 August 2000National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 1–01–02002 FIFA World Cup qualification [43]
173 September 2000National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2–02–02002 FIFA World Cup qualification [44]
1827 January 2001 Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United StatesFlag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia 1–03–0Friendly [45]
1910 June 2001National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 1–04–1Friendly [46]
204–1
2120 June 2001 Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa RicaFlag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 1–11–22002 FIFA World Cup qualification [47]
2230 June 2001 Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and TobagoFlag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 1–12–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification [48]
2312 February 2003National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1–21–2Friendly [49]
2425 May 2003National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 1–03–2Friendly [50]
2515 July 2003Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United StatesFlag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 1–02–0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup [51]
2618 February 2004National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 1–02–0Friendly [52]
2731 March 2004National Stadium, Kingston, JamaicaFlag of Honduras.svg  Honduras 1–02–2Friendly [53]

Honours

Jamaica

Rochester Raging Rhinos

Rushden & Diamonds

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