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Burning desire keeps Cummings advancing
Rapids rookie working on nuances to improve as force in MLS
By Brian Forbes
Special to The Denver Post
Omar Cummings' outstanding speed has helped him account for three goals and two assists this season. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post )
COMMERCE CITY — Rarely does an apartment fire serve as a motif. When striker Omar Cummings learned the Rapids had drafted him in 2007, he didn't have much time to reflect on a journey that began in Bodles Crescent, Jamaica. That's because firefighters were rushing past his window and ordering him to the street.
Not long after watching part of his apartment complex burn, Cummings was on the phone with Rapids general manager Charlie Wright, welcoming him to a team in need of goals.
"I look forward to scoring lots of goals for the Rapids" was Cummings' reply.
Blazing speed is Cummings' unrivaled asset, as is a mind-set that has allowed him to survive and thrive after being cast into the furnace of first-team soccer when the Rapids were beset by injuries.
As Colorado (5-7) looks to snap a two-game losing streak Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park against the two-time defending champion Houston Dynamo (4-4-5), Cummings is set to start for the 12th time in a career that might soon catch fire.
Simpler times
Cummings vividly remembers his first pair of soccer cleats and how he got them by deception at age 13. His older brother's club team furnished its players with preseason and regular-season cleats, so the preseason pair was ordered in Omar's size.
"I took very good care of them. They were Adidas," Cummings said, his eyebrows arcing over a thoughtful gaze.
Cleats or no cleats, Cummings played the game with a mentality and style unique to a player competing against older brothers and cousins, some of whom made it onto the Jamaican national team. The typical proving grounds for Omar were a field by his house or his cousin's yard, where stumps and stones left lasting marks.
In the backyard, they would meticulously construct goals out of wire, then race to see who could score first.
"We spent hours making the goal and the net, and one shot would tear it apart," Cummings said.
He was first recruited to play at Cincinnati State before he moved on to the University of Cincinnati. He was a first-team All-American at both levels. He would have never come to the United States had he listened to his mother. He thought about running away when everyone asked him incredulously why he left a Caribbean island for Ohio.
"I was like, 'What's wrong with this place?' " he said laughing.
Then winter came.
"My first cold game was an experience," Cummings said. "I had gloves on and it felt like I had nothing on. It felt like I was naked all over. It was awful. I couldn't feel my fingers or my toes for 45 minutes afterward."
Cummings is five classes short of a degree in criminal justice and promised his father he won't come home without it. His parents have never seen him play soccer in the U.S., which is one of the reasons he wants to play at home with the Jamaican national team.
Already scouted by head coach Rene Simoes, Cummings' form with the Rapids has him perched on the edge of achieving a lifelong dream of joining the Reggae Boyz. He knows, however, there are holes in his game to correct.
Getting his chance
The mental highlight reel began in March. Cummings and a host of second-year players were thrown into the starting lineup to open the season against David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy before a record home crowd.
Cummings was cast as the lone striker and danced around a sprawling Steve Cronin to score in the 4-0 rout.
Cummings' burst and dribbling are hard to stop and can stretch defenses. Opponents are now trying to get to Cummings before he can release, or push him into corners, where he tends to put his head down rather than scan.
Cummings knows his weakness is working with his back to the goal because he finds himself concentrating on fending off bigger defenders rather than passing. But coach Fernando Clavijo is quick to praise Cummings' better movement off the ball, chemistry with teammates and improved finishing.
Since scoring a dagger goal in a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on May 15, Cummings has logged 254 scoreless minutes. He had at least two clear chances go for nothing last week as the Rapids lost 3-1 to Toronto FC.
"If he has three or four clear chances, he needs to finish one," Clavijo said.
Cummings is often reminded by coaches not to be so hard on himself, to relax, have confidence in his runs and be lethal around the penalty area. Each of his five career goals has come in the second half.
A goal Saturday? A multigoal game? An invitation to join Team Jamaica? That would be catching a fire.
Omar Cummings
RAPIDS STRIKER
Age: 25.
Height: 5-feet-10.
Weight: 165 pounds.
This season: Three goals, two assists.
Background: Grew up in Jamaica before becoming an All-American at the University of Cincinnati. Fast, smart and skillful, Cummings has all the tools to emerge as a consistent scoring threat. Brian Forbes, Special to The Denver Post
Rapids rookie working on nuances to improve as force in MLS
By Brian Forbes
Special to The Denver Post
Omar Cummings' outstanding speed has helped him account for three goals and two assists this season. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post )COMMERCE CITY — Rarely does an apartment fire serve as a motif. When striker Omar Cummings learned the Rapids had drafted him in 2007, he didn't have much time to reflect on a journey that began in Bodles Crescent, Jamaica. That's because firefighters were rushing past his window and ordering him to the street.
Not long after watching part of his apartment complex burn, Cummings was on the phone with Rapids general manager Charlie Wright, welcoming him to a team in need of goals.
"I look forward to scoring lots of goals for the Rapids" was Cummings' reply.
Blazing speed is Cummings' unrivaled asset, as is a mind-set that has allowed him to survive and thrive after being cast into the furnace of first-team soccer when the Rapids were beset by injuries.
As Colorado (5-7) looks to snap a two-game losing streak Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park against the two-time defending champion Houston Dynamo (4-4-5), Cummings is set to start for the 12th time in a career that might soon catch fire.
Simpler times
Cummings vividly remembers his first pair of soccer cleats and how he got them by deception at age 13. His older brother's club team furnished its players with preseason and regular-season cleats, so the preseason pair was ordered in Omar's size.
"I took very good care of them. They were Adidas," Cummings said, his eyebrows arcing over a thoughtful gaze.
Cleats or no cleats, Cummings played the game with a mentality and style unique to a player competing against older brothers and cousins, some of whom made it onto the Jamaican national team. The typical proving grounds for Omar were a field by his house or his cousin's yard, where stumps and stones left lasting marks.
In the backyard, they would meticulously construct goals out of wire, then race to see who could score first.
"We spent hours making the goal and the net, and one shot would tear it apart," Cummings said.
He was first recruited to play at Cincinnati State before he moved on to the University of Cincinnati. He was a first-team All-American at both levels. He would have never come to the United States had he listened to his mother. He thought about running away when everyone asked him incredulously why he left a Caribbean island for Ohio.
"I was like, 'What's wrong with this place?' " he said laughing.
Then winter came.
"My first cold game was an experience," Cummings said. "I had gloves on and it felt like I had nothing on. It felt like I was naked all over. It was awful. I couldn't feel my fingers or my toes for 45 minutes afterward."
Cummings is five classes short of a degree in criminal justice and promised his father he won't come home without it. His parents have never seen him play soccer in the U.S., which is one of the reasons he wants to play at home with the Jamaican national team.
Already scouted by head coach Rene Simoes, Cummings' form with the Rapids has him perched on the edge of achieving a lifelong dream of joining the Reggae Boyz. He knows, however, there are holes in his game to correct.
Getting his chance
The mental highlight reel began in March. Cummings and a host of second-year players were thrown into the starting lineup to open the season against David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy before a record home crowd.
Cummings was cast as the lone striker and danced around a sprawling Steve Cronin to score in the 4-0 rout.
Cummings' burst and dribbling are hard to stop and can stretch defenses. Opponents are now trying to get to Cummings before he can release, or push him into corners, where he tends to put his head down rather than scan.
Cummings knows his weakness is working with his back to the goal because he finds himself concentrating on fending off bigger defenders rather than passing. But coach Fernando Clavijo is quick to praise Cummings' better movement off the ball, chemistry with teammates and improved finishing.
Since scoring a dagger goal in a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on May 15, Cummings has logged 254 scoreless minutes. He had at least two clear chances go for nothing last week as the Rapids lost 3-1 to Toronto FC.
"If he has three or four clear chances, he needs to finish one," Clavijo said.
Cummings is often reminded by coaches not to be so hard on himself, to relax, have confidence in his runs and be lethal around the penalty area. Each of his five career goals has come in the second half.
A goal Saturday? A multigoal game? An invitation to join Team Jamaica? That would be catching a fire.
Omar Cummings
RAPIDS STRIKER
Age: 25.
Height: 5-feet-10.
Weight: 165 pounds.
This season: Three goals, two assists.
Background: Grew up in Jamaica before becoming an All-American at the University of Cincinnati. Fast, smart and skillful, Cummings has all the tools to emerge as a consistent scoring threat. Brian Forbes, Special to The Denver Post
- T.K.
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