Burke chips in brace for Jamaica in Nations League win

Cory Burke’s goal-scoring form in Major League Soccer continued on Sunday night for his country with the 26-year-old registering a brace in a 4-0 win over Cayman Islands back home in Kingston.

After D.C. United forward Darren Mattocks opened the scoring in the second minute, Burke doubled the lead in the 34th minute.

Mattocks completed his brace with a goal in the 58th minute to make it 3-0 before Burke added his second in the 66th minute.

Burke’s Philadelphia Union teammate Andre Blake started in goal and recorded the clean sheet, his 12 in his 32nd cap for Jamaica.

Burke earned his 14th cap and doubled his goal-scoring record for the Reggae Boyz. He last scored in Caribbean Cup qualification against Suriname in November 2016, after scoring in the same competition against Guyana a month earlier.

Burke has 15 goals in all competitions this season, leading the Union with eight goals in MLS play. He has three goals in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and a pair of goals on loan with Bethlehem Steel FC.

Sunday’s match was the first for Jamaica in qualification for the 2019-2020 CONCACAF Nations League. The Reggae Boyz next travel to Bonaire on October 14 before hosting Suriname on November 17 and visiting El Salvador on March 23.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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