Kemar Lawrence

Kemar Michael Lawrence (born 17 September 1992) is a Jamaican international footballer who plays for New York Red Bulls and the Jamaica national football team as a full back.
His nickname is Taxi. In January 2014, Lawrence was announced as a brand ambassador for PepsiCo as part of the 2014 FUTBOLNOW campaign featuring footballers such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero.

Lawrence is the son of former goalkeeper Orville 'Tutus' Edwards, who played for Santos FC and the Jamaican national team during the 1970s, and was rated among the best goalkeepers in the Caribbean during his career. He died in 2005 aged 53 from a kidney failure.

Harbour View

Lawrence began his career in the youth ranks of Rae Town F.C.. In 2007 he signed for Harbour View, and was part of their National Premier League-winning teams in the 2009–2010 and 2012–2013 seasons. Additionally, Lawrence was part of the residency program of the Vancouver Whitecaps, then of the American USL First Division in 2009, and was selected for the inaugural MLS Caribbean Combine in 2014. In July 2014, Lawrence went to the United States for a two-week trial with MLS club D.C. United. He concluded the trial without being offered a contract by DC United.

New York Red Bulls

On March 16, 2015 it was announced that Lawrence had signed with New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer after impressing during a preseason trial. On March 22, 2015, Lawrence made his debut for New York playing the full 90 in a 2-0 victory over rival D.C. United at Red Bull Arena. After strong performances at left-back, Lawrence beat out long time defender Roy Miller for the starting spot. On October 18, 2015, Lawrence scored his first goal for New York in a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia Union, helping the club clinch the Eastern Conference regular season title.

At the international level, Lawrence has represented the Jamaica under-17 team, the Jamaica under-20, and the national team of Jamaica, the Reggae Boyz.

Lawrence competed in the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Guatemala, taking part in Jamaica's two first-round defeats, and receiving a yellow card in the second match against Honduras.

After being part of national team training camps in 2013, Lawrence was first selected for the Reggae Boyz for the CONCACAF Fourth Round qualifying match against Panama in Panama City in September 2013. Lawrence received his first cap in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Montego Bay in November 2013.

Lawrence appeared in all four matches of the Jamaica national team's international tour in the summer of 2014, which saw them play 2014 FIFA World Cup-bound France and Switzerland, along with Serbia and Egypt.

In September 2014, Lawrence scored his first goal for Jamaica in a 3-1 friendly defeat against Canada. Later that year, in November, he scored Jamaica's first goal against Antigua and Barbuda, which came in the final group stage match of their 2014 Caribbean Cup-winning campaign.

Lawrence plays most often on the left side of defence, specialising in the role of a wing-back. Ian Burnett, writing for The Jamaica Observer, described Lawrence as "a feisty wide defender who is solid in defence and on offence", while Winfried Schäfer, manager of the Jamaican national team, said that Lawrence is a player with good pace and intelligence on the field, while stating his belief that he is a player with "a chance to play in Europe". Leicester City captain and Jamaica teammate Wes Morgan noted Lawrence's defensive abilities in dealing with Switzerland and Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri, and he was also praised for his technical quality and attitude by Jamaica teammate and Crystal Palace defender Adrian Mariappa.

As of 1 October 2016

International

Jamaica

• Caribbean Cup winner: 2014
• CONCACAF Gold Cup runners up: 2015

Club

Harbour View F.C.

• National Premier League: 2009–2010, 2012–2013

New York Red Bulls

• MLS Supporters' Shield (1): 2015