Following his performance with the Jamaican Men’s National Team at the recently concluded CONCACAF Gold Cup, midfielder Omar Daley joined the San Jose Earthquakes on trial this week. The 30-year old right winger scored a goal for the Reggae Boyz in their Group B opener against Grenada, and made three appearances for Jamaica, including as a late substitute in their 2-0 loss to the U.S. in the quarterfinals.
“I’m delighted for the opportunity to train with the team,” shared Daley as he left the Stanford Stadium field on Thursday. “My first training session, I really enjoyed today. So we’ll hopefully see what happens over the next couple of days.”
Released from his contract with his prior club Bradford City at the conclusion of the 2010-11 English League Two campaign, Daley is looking to Major League Soccer for his next playing opportunity.
“I’ve played soccer in America before,” said Daley. “I played in the USL and traveled with their all-star team. Now, MLS is the top league that I want to turn my attention to at this moment.”
Prior to his four year stint with the Bantams, Daley played for the Charleston Battery of the USL. As a member of the Reggae Boyz, Daley has made 64 total appearances and scored seven goals. Overall as a professional, the winger has netted 18 times for three different clubs, and sees himself continuing that work for his next team.
“I’ve been playing in England the last seven years, so people know about me as a midfielder and that I can score goals as well.”
While his trial with San Jose is only expected to span two days, the team is very familiar with the play of the winger. In addition, Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop stated that the team has put a discovery claim on the Jamaican based on observing is play during the recent Gold Cup. If he were offered a contract with MLS, Daley would not be available to the Quakes until the summer transfer window opens on July 15.
“We have two days to have a look at him,” said Yallop. “I’ve seen him play at the Gold Cup and he did well for Jamaica. We wanted to have another look at him, so we’ll see.”
