COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Omar Cummings is welcoming his return to MLS this week with mixed emotions.
The Colorado Rapids striker is expected back in the mix when the team hosts the LA Galaxy on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, but it comes at the expense of playing with his native Jamaica when the Reggae Boyz face the United States in the Gold Cup quarterfinals on Sunday at RFK Stadium.
Cummings has played neither for club nor country since suffering a sprained ankle on May 4.
“This is the best I have felt since the injury and I’m hopeful I will be on the list at least,” Cummings told MLSsoccer.com after Rapids training Tuesday. “The US game would be a nice game but I will be here.”
Cummings was originally selected in the Reggae Boyz squad for the Gold Cup but, with the injury taking a while to heal and with no match practice, he withdrew from at least the preliminary stages of the tournament. Sunday’s game simply arrives too early for Cummings to be effective.
The lines of communication with Jamaica have remained open, however, and Cummings could still play a role in the tournament if his country were to progress by beating the US on Sunday. His Rapids teammate Tyrone Marshall is also an option for Jamaica down the road after he was called up before the tournament.
“I really wish we could meet up a bit further on,” Cummings said of the Gold Cup match-up against the U.S..
The Rapids snapped a six-game winless streak last weekend with a 1-0 win over Portland, and have lost to LA just once in the teams’ last four meetings.
“It’s always going to be a big game for us and for our fans,” he said. “I always love the challenge against LA; it’s one of my favorite games. Our guys are playing great and I back ourselves.”
