Guyana's Omari Glasgow energizes NYC crowd
QUEENS, N.Y. — The New York City neighborhood of Jamaica is more than 2,500 miles away from the South American nation of Guyana. It’s more than 700 miles away from Chicago, too. But when Chicago Fire II’s Omari Glasgow converted his penalty kick in an MLS Next Pro game at NYCFC II, a portion of the crowd erupted with one of the loudest cheers of the night.
There is indisputably no city in the Western Hemisphere that comprises such a blend of cultures as the Big Apple, and just a few minutes down the road from Belson Stadium, where the match was held, the community of Little Guyana represents the largest concentration of Guyanese people in the United States. In fact, there are more Guyanese people in New York City alone than in the country’s capital, Georgetown.
Fire II’s Glasgow – the bright young star of the Guyanese national team – brought a share of that population out to the humble college soccer field in Queens.
“We come from a small country that isn’t really recognized for a lot of things,” said Stephen Pires, who now resides in Virginia but traveled to watch the game. “For the younger folks and the young kids, it shows that there's a lot of potential for us to go on and do great things. [Omari] puts us on the map, and we're all proud to support him.”
Pires was one of roughly 40 supporters who attended the match to cheer on Glasgow, and they were rewarded with a solid performance. Though he didn’t get on the scoresheet in 90 minutes, the 20-year-old was able to convert his penalty in the shootout following the Fire’s two-goal comeback in the final minutes of the game.
Glasgow is close to completing his third season in the United States and has emerged as one of the top players at the Next Pro level. It has translated into success on the international level, as the dynamic attacker is now the centerpiece for the Golden Jaguars – a team enjoying one of the most exciting spells in history after Gold Cup qualification in 2019, promotion to CONCACAF Nations League A, and a solid start to 2026 World Cup qualifying.
In light of the crowd in New York, Glasgow says the backing from the fans at home and abroad has been an important part of ensuring they receive the resources they need to continue their period of growth.
“I would say that we have taken a big step, but it's the support we need,” Glasgow said. “Now we are getting it. We are getting the equipment and stuff to go over and perform, and now we are doing well.”
“I think right now the team is confident, the coaching staff is super, super good, and we’ve got a good bunch of guys with the national team to perform.”
Back stateside, though, Glasgow could find himself at a crossroads in his club career. While his three seasons with Fire II have been successful, and he loves life in the Windy City, the next step is, of course, to play first-team soccer, specifically in Major League Soccer. He’s made two appearances in MLS this year, the maximum allowed for second team players, with both coming off the bench in the spring.
Glasgow appeared for the Fire one further time this summer, coming off the bench in the second half of the Leagues Cup loss to Sporting Kansas City. He’s now locked into Fire II action for the rest of 2024 but hopes it will be his last spell on a Next Pro contract.
The consensus from the Guyanese contingent in New York echoed that too; that their countryman has earned a shot at first team soccer after close to three seasons playing at the reserve level.
“I personally think he should be on the first team, and I think everyone else here thinks he should be on the first team,” Pires said. “He had a great game tonight and showed everyone what we can do. We got a lot of Guyanese supporters coming out today and he made everyone proud.”
