A goal up against its bitter rivals, S2 entered the locker room at Merlo Field on June 29 in a familiar position, but with a few unfamiliar faces. One of those faces belonged to Ashani Fairclough, the new Jamaican centerback who joined the club via trade from Wilmington Hammerheads FC on June 15.
Fairclough, however, knows Seattle well. The 22-year-old signed his first professional contract with Sounders FC at the ripe age of 20, totaling 214 minutes in the Reserve League before signing with Wilmington the following year.
It was in the Merlo Field locker room that Ashani learned he would be making his debut for his new club, replacing Jimmy Ockford at the beginning of the second half.
“It was a great atmosphere to make my debut in Portland,” said Fairclough. “The coaching staff really prepared me and motivated me to go out there and do my best in the second half. A win over our rivals made it a perfect day to make a debut for me.”
A midfielder-turned-defender, Fairclough only played a total of 45 minutes, but he was part of an S2 defense that withstood 10 second-half shots and a late Portland onslaught of pressure to preserve the 2-0 shutout win.
“Given the First Team loss the day before, we felt like we needed to put in the extra work, motivation and tenacity to get the victory at any cost. The guys played so hard, so the clean-sheet was a bonus for the effort we put in.”
Fairclough joins fellow countrymen Damion Lowe and Oniel Fisher, who have both received minutes with S2 this season. Although he has only been with the club for a couple weeks, the new signing is finding it easy to fit right in the fold.
“The guys make it really easy for me to come on and play,” said Fairclough. “When you have a good relationship off the field, it helps so much on the field. The guys have been very supportive and friendly which has made it so easy to acclimatize and adjust to the new team.”
Fairclough played the final five minutes in Sunday’s loss to Vancouver, and could make his home debut this Sunday against Arizona United SC.
The new defender is still recovering from a hamstring issue picked up while still playing with Wilmington, but saw his minutes in both matches as an important step in his recovery, as well as his contribution to the team.
“I still don’t know how many minutes I’ll be able to play in a match, but I feel very healthy and happy to be working my way back,” he added. “The coaches know that no matter how many minutes they need me to play, I could go that long.”
Fairclough and S2 will host AZ United SC on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. PT. Tickets to the match are available here.
