Joshua Grant Joins Jamaica's Unity Cup Squad

Joshua Grant’s rise has been quick. It just got very real.

The 18-year-old FC Naples goalkeeper has been called into Jamaica’s squad for the Unity Cup in London, England, a selection that puts him on the brink of his first senior cap as the Reggae Boyz open the four-team tournament against India. Nigeria and Zimbabwe complete a field that will offer no hiding place for a teenager still easing into professional life.

For Grant, this is a leap from promising prospect to international option.

Only days ago he was banking his first professional shutout in USL League One, a composed, two-save display in Naples’ 1-0 win over Westchester SC at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex. It was just his second league appearance of the season, working behind established starter Lalo Delgado, yet his numbers already hint at a keeper ahead of schedule: a -0.32 Goals Prevented mark that underlines his sharp positioning and decision-making in limited minutes.

His impact has not been confined to league play. On May 17, in the Prinx Tires USL Cup against Sporting Club Jacksonville, Grant stepped into the spotlight during a tense penalty shootout and delivered the decisive save in the fourth round, dragging Naples over the line. Those are the sort of moments national team coaches remember.

Now Jamaica has come calling.

“It’s a huge deal,” Grant said of the call-up. “My senior national team, playing with guys who are way older than me and captaining my under-20 team. The momentum is great. I love it here in Naples, and I love my country. Both of them, it’s an amazing feeling.”

That blend of club confidence and international ambition is exactly what this Jamaica squad is built on. The group heading to London is experimental by design, a chance to test emerging talent and deepen the player pool. Among the fresh faces is another name with American ties: former Richmond Kickers Academy standout Nicholas Simmonds, now with FC Dallas, who has earned his first senior Jamaica call-up.

For Simmonds, the Unity Cup offers a first taste of the senior international stage. For Grant, it could be the moment his rapid climb takes its next step, from backup in Naples to a Reggae Boy between the posts under the London lights.