GORDON WILLIAMS, Star Writer
GEORGIA, United States:

Jamaica may have carelessly tossed aside one of the greatest scoring talents produced by the country when it overlooked St James native Jeff Cunningham, who is now just two goals from setting a new all-time record in North America's top professional football competition.

Preparing to start his 14th Major League Soccer season, which begins this month, Cunningham sits on 132 regular-season career goals, one shy of tying retired Bolivian Jaime Moreno's MLS mark, and more than any other Jamaica-born pro, except John Barnes and possibly Lindy Delapenha.

But, the striker explained, Jamaica never gave him much opportunity to shine.

"Jamaica dash mi weh," Cunningham said bluntly on Tuesday while preparing for an MLS preseason tournament involving his club Columbus Crew.

The 34-year-old striker from the district of Albion, near Montego Bay, played his only game for Jamaica during a two-match friendly international tour of Africa in 2001. Despite enquiries about his international status, Cunningham said he was never again invited by Jamaica.

In December 2001 he became an American citizen and played 14 times for the United States, scoring one goal.

In 2004, with Cunningham in the US squad preparing to face Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier which eventually eliminated the Reggae Boyz from football's big show, one senior national coach, who made the Africa trip, admitted he did not know why Cunningham was never recalled to the Reggae Boyz.

Yet the speedy, skilful marksman, who has played for several MLS clubs and returns to the Crew for a second stint this season, was not overly critical of Jamaica's decision.

"In all fairness, it was a transitional period for (Jamaica's) national team," Cunningham said. "Where the national team had to regroup and bring in fresh players and push for the next World Cup. And I think I was in that mix, that period of time, where, you know, they didn't have a pool of players where they were drawing from and I just got caught up in that cycle."

He wasn't burdened by that experience and simply moved on.

"No regrets, man," Cunningham said. "Life is what it is."

Cunningham set about a torrid goalscoring run at the professional club level. Twice - in 2006 (16 goals for Real Salt Lake) and 2009 (17 with FC Dallas) - he won MLS's Golden Boot, the award for the season's top scorer.

Now at an age where most players slow down, Crew coaches believe he is as lethal as ever.

"He's an amazing player," said Ricardo Iribarren, a former Crew teammate, now an assistant coach at the club.

Over the last three seasons, spent with FC Dallas, Cunningham scored 33 goals in 66 games, including 11 in 2010 while appearing in many games as a substitute. He has not been held up as a 'poster child' of MLS, but earned the respect of colleagues.

"Anybody who scored over a hundred goals in this league is a great soccer player," said US international goalkeeper Matt Reis of the New England Revolution.

"Jeff's got a very unique quality where he's very crafty, very great on the ball, where he can slip guys and he can pick on three, four guys and that's the thing that's a bit of an 'X' factor that you don't know."

"He's a great player and I think he still has a lot more goals left," added Reis's teammate Shalrie Joseph, a Grenada international.

Cunningham said he is getting ready not just to break the MLS record, but score consistently in 2011. He has set a season target of 20.

"For me, it's getting strong, good conditioning and staying healthy," he said.

The Crew, which selected Cunningham in the MLS Re-Entry Draft after FC Dallas surprisingly declined to sign him, believes the striker will continue to find the net.

"He's doing what every forward in the world wants to do," said Iribarren.

Somehow, Jamaica overlooked that.