Indy Eleven’s Omar Gordon Plans To Make An Impact
Photo credit: Matt Schlotzhauer
Imagine spearheading your team’s run to within a whisper of a league championship, only to depart for a big opportunity before the final.
That is exactly the state of affairs experienced by Indy Eleven’s Omar Gordon, the leading scorer in Jamaica’s Red Stripe Premier League this season, who left the Caribbean island only days before his club team Montego Bay United captured the championship.
“It was really difficult,” said Gordon, 24, whose given name is Owayne. “I was the one leading the team and to tell them that you’re leaving in the last minute, it was a hard decision, but I knew I had to go. I told the guys to win the final.”
Gordon who won the league’s Golden Boot after scoring 20 goals in 35 matches for the league’s highest-scoring team, including one in the opening match of the two-leg semifinal against Arnett Gardens (one of his former clubs). He led Montego Bay to the final but then had to inform his teammates that he had accepted an offer to move on loan to the North American Soccer League with Indy Eleven.
“It was bittersweet,” he said. “I am definitely sad about it because after playing so well throughout the tournament, not playing a part in the final was a bit hard. It really meant a lot, but I was not there in physical presence, but my spirit was there.
“On the other hand, it is a big plus for me and my team, because I moved on to a bigger stage. It is good for my team, too, as it shows the work that we are putting in that someone recognizes that and has given me the chance to play in a different environment. Honestly, I am very pleased about that.”
At Indy, Gordon was reunited with Montego Bay’s former coach, Tim Hankinson, who remade the Eleven’s roster in his first season in charge. (In the offseason, Hankinson reached back to Jamaica and signed striker Dino Williams on loan, but the deal was canceled because of an injury.)
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Gordon, who wears jersey No. 91, which corresponds to the year he was born (1991) arrived in Indianapolis three games into the Spring Season. He was immediately tossed into the fray by Hankinson and has started and played the full 90 in Indy’s past two games.
“Coach Tim being here was a big part of my decision, it was a big plus for me,” Gordon said. “He saw me play in Montego Bay and said I’m a player who fits his system wherever he goes. That motivated me to keep on doing the work. After he went to Indy he asked me if I’m ready to come and play for him and I told him yes.”
In addition to winning the Golden Boot this season in Jamaica, Gordon was also named the league’s Most Valuable Player, the Tony Burrowes Personality of the Year (voted on by the news media), and was named to the RSPL’s Best XI.
“OK, those goals start from leadership,” he said. “I have a responsibility, I want to take the team on my back, I know I had a big job. I worked three times harder in training, that’s where the goals come from. I will fight for the goals, I’m all about determination and leadership. Now, all my focus is on Indy Eleven. To get some success and win the championship.”
After last weekend’s 1-1 draw against visiting FC Edmonton, Indy remains the NASL’s only unbeaten team in the Spring Season and is in fourth place, one point behind Minnesota United and three points adrift of the New York Cosmos and Carolina RailHawks, who are tied on points at the top of the table. Indy has scored only five goals in six matches ahead of Saturday’s match against Fort Lauderdale, and it is clear that Hankinson sees Gordon as potentially an important contributor from his wing position.
“Omar is an explosive player who is a finished product around goal,” Hankinson said. “He has the ability to score goals while attacking from either wing position, can help create assists and works just as hard on the defensive side as he does in attack. Being a former player of mine, Omar is familiar with the system I’ve installed and he’s been in-season with Montego Bay United.”
Gordon’s loan with Indy Eleven runs through the end of the NASL season, though he said he would “love to stay.”
“If the club is interested in me, I want to stay,” he said. “I’ve been here three weeks and it feels like home. I’m getting in my comfort zone. I’m not there yet, but I’ve only played in two games. I like it here. The atmosphere is amazing. It’s totally different. The fans rock with the players and the people are so amazing.
“In the first game, I was a little bit tense. Then the game at home was better. I started doing stuff I normally do. The only thing is I haven’t scored yet.”
