TORONTO — MLS Cup hero Macoumba Kandji, who sacrificed his body to send a shot that was deflected for the championship-winning goal on Sunday, told MLSsoccer.com that he will request a move from Colorado if the reigning champs cannot guarantee him playing time.
“I’m a type of player that I’ve never sat on the bench,” Kandji said. “I play everywhere I go. I came over here and the fact is that these two forwards [Omar Cummings and Conor Casey] have been doing well all season.
“So that is something I am going to think about for next season. To try to go somewhere I’m going to play if Omar is going to come back because I really don’t want to sit on the bench.”
WATCH: MLS Cup Highlights: Dallas 1, Colorado 2
There has been speculation swirling about the future of Cummings, the team’s 2010 leading scorer with 14 goals. There have been inquiries from Mexico regarding the Jamaican international, but the Rapids decided not to transfer him in the summer window. His future is also unclear.
[inlinenode:323924]“I’m just playing and we’ll see what happens,” Cummings said following MLS Cup. “When that decision comes, if it does, then I’ll make it. For right now, who knows?”
Although Kandji only recently moved to Colorado in a September trade from the New York Red Bulls, he has been close with Cummings over the years through mutual friend Bouna Coundoul, who, like Kandji, is Senegalese. Coundoul was a roommate of Cummings when he played with Colorado.
After Cummings suffered a thigh strain in the first overtime of the MLS Cup title game at BMO Field, Kandji was his substitute.
Nine minutes after entering the match, Kandji collected a pass from Conor Casey, used a nutmeg to get by one defender in the box and then beat another charging defender to the ball. He poked a shot that caromed off an FC Dallas' George John for the game-winning own-goal. In the process, however, Kandji hyperextended his left knee and will be subject to an MRI.
WATCH: Kandji's game-winning play
His teammates have called him a hero for the effort in his short stint during MLS Cup, but it remains to be seen if the MLS Cup gamebreaker will leave town or not.
“Once I get back to Colorado, I’m going to speak to them about that,” Kandji said. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to try to convince me to stay. But if Omar is going to stay, I got to do something best for my career and I hope also they will think about my career as well.”
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