BALTIMORE, Maryland — Jermaine Taylor did not wake up Wednesday morning a happy man.

In fact, he had a restless night Tuesday.

The 30-year-old Reggae Boyz veteran is disappointed that his CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign has ended prematurely after he suffered a quadriceps tear in the team’s game against El Salvador in Toronto on Tuesday. The Boyz won the bruising contest 1-0.

“I am very disappointed as this is one of the things I told myself I didn’t want to happen to me in the tournament, but these things are sometimes uncontrollable.

“I am very much frustrated right now with myself, pinching myself every minute how I am going to miss out on this tournament and again for my club, and while very upset, I am just trying to stay focused and positive,” said the Houston Dynamo player.

But looking back, Taylor concedes that he has given much thought to the play that resulted in his injury, thinking perhaps he could have done things differently.

“I thought about it last night (Tuesday) that maybe I could have done something different, but in the game you just make up your mind to probably do one thing in one place, but that’s just it. I decided to make a sprint and try and do something on the defensive side,” Taylor explained.

Though he may not be totally happy with himself, the former Harbour View man had done his job. And though he paid a high price, Taylor prevented the breakaway Salvadorean player from breaching his goal.

The Boyz veteran, apart from grappling with the letdown of ending his Gold Cup a game too soon, is equally concerned that he will not be able to turn out for his MLS club for some time.

“I know they are going to react a way as probably I am one of their best centrebacks, but nevertheless we have other good players who can come in and do the job as well.

“I know they are going to be upset, but now I have to just start working on my treatment and to get back on track as quickly as possible,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

In the match on Tuesday, goalkeeper Dwayne Miller was also injured, and team doctor Ivor O’Connor gave a cursory assessment on both.

“Jermaine Taylor sustained a quadriceps strain, and after all the initial investigations, it’s serious enough to rule him out of the rest of the competition.

“In the case of Miller, he challenged the El Salvador player for the ball, he took the boot to the face, but he did not lose consciousness, but he complained of severe neck pains, so he was taken off the field as a precautionary measure, so he was sent to hospital… his injury is a whiplash type one, and we are treating that, and we hope he will be ready for the game on Saturday,” said O’Connor.

Taylor had told the Observer that he could be out for between “six and eight weeks”, although it could be a shorter time depending on the effectiveness of the treatment.

“As you know how muscle injuries go, but all I have to do is pick myself up and stay strong, and stay with the group and try and sort myself out,” he said.

— Sean Williams