Oalex Anderson had himself quite a weekend.
Saturday, he broke the all-time North Carolina FC scoring record with a playoff-clinching goal in front of a packed WakeMed Soccer Park.
Then, on Sunday, the 28-year-old forward was named the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sporting Ambassador by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves during SVG’s Independence Day celebrations.
“To be recognized with such an honor is something I always dreamt of since I was a child just looking up to people who had themselves been honored. One day I wanted that for myself. It really is a special feeling. I still can’t truly believe it. From day one, since I stepped out of St. Vincent, I always want to represent my country at the highest level with respect, with love and with joy. I don’t do it for recognition. I just do it because that is who I am,” Anderson said.
Everything Anderson does is about more than himself. From breaking the NCFC scoring record to battling back from a serious injury that saw him sidelined for multiple years, Anderson wants what he does to be a demonstration of what is possible for the kids from his hometown of Barrouallie.
“It’s overwhelming. What I had to overcome and to be out for two or three years with a major injury and to be written off by doctors, basically everybody, teams, coaches, to come back and do this, it means a lot. I just want the kids to look at this moment for me tonight and use it to their advantage. Anything can happen in life. Especially kids from my hometown, I am trying to have them see that anything is possible out here in the big world. I am so happy for this moment,” Anderson said after Saturday’s playoff-clinching win.
Anderson said that own childhood drives him to make sure the children there and throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines know that anything is possible, even if that means stepping out of his comfort zone.
“Growing up, I wasn’t much of a big talker. I was on the quiet side. I used to do everything in private. I am still a little bit quiet, but I feel like I have a duty to help the kids from my community and not just my community but the entire nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. If I have to come out of my shell to do that, then I will because that is my duty and my calling,” Anderson said.
Anderson has also been a key part of the SVG national team over the years, with 25 goal contributions in 43 international games. This year Anderson was awarded the captaincy, another dream come true but also a role that comes with another level of responsibility.
“Even before I had the armband, every time I go home, it is my job to be a leader to these younger ones coming up, help them to know what it is like outside and get that professional environment instilled in their brains. Now that I have the captaincy, it is time for me to do more. I’ve made a commitment to the coach, to the nation and to myself from now to the end of my career that I am going to do everything possible to help us win and move up the ranks. That is the level I want us to be at,” Anderson said.
Anderson has been a pivotal piece for NCFC over his three seasons in Cary, but the move to the club was also a turning point for him as an individual. Anderson joined the team from the Richmond Kickers but was just two seasons removed from that multi-year hiatus. Despite that lengthy injury, NCFC Head Coach John Bradford brought Anderson in ahead of the 2022 season, something Anderson said he is appreciative for.
“My time in Richmond before that wasn’t really great, so for a coach to show that trust to bring me in, I am happy to give him back this night. Last season we won a championship and that is what it means for me. I am just happy to go out there and just work. Help the team, help the club, help the city,” Anderson said following Saturday’s game.
For Bradford, Anderson’s work ethic and drive has allowed him to continue to grow year over year and be a major impact player in both USL League One and USL Championship.
“I’m just so proud of him. Halfway through this year, you saw a rededicated Oalex on both sides of the ball and he is really doing whatever it takes for the team to be successful. For him to break the record tonight, it’s amazing,” Bradford said.
That level of effort at both games and training is not lost on his teammates.
“The whole team was just so happy for him. He is a guy that grinds every single day. His mentality and his attitude deserve that sort of reward. As a group, we see it day in and day out. To be here and enjoy it with him, especially at home with all of these fans, there was nothing sweeter than that for us this year,” NCFC captain Paco Craig said Saturday.
After scoring the record-breaking goal during first-half stoppage time, which also proved to be the pivotal game winner, Anderson pulled off his jersey to reveal a message, “Top 2 but not 2.” Confidence is a key part of Anderson’s personality both on and off the field, so his celebration had to reflect that bravado.
“If there’s one thing about me, I am always confident. It is a thing of mine. That is how I live my life, being confident. That was actually a last-minute thing. I was in the locker room and I was like you know what I am going to score tonight and I’m going to need to write something on my shirt because I’m going to take that shirt off. I am just happy to go out there and score that goal and win this game,” Anderson said.
Anderson and NCFC will be in action this Saturday in the first round of the USL Championship playoffs against top-seeded Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
