Who wouldn’t love to see Herculez Gomez back in MLS – if only because it would strip away his ability to be such an MLS thorn in CONCACAF Champions League?
Seriously, there are so many reasons why most clubs would love for the U.S. international to fall into their roster. First and foremost, the guy can score; he’s a regular for a strong Liga MX side and a U.S. national team starter.
He’s a standup guy who has established great relationships with supporters through social media. The Santos Laguna man is an American who now enjoys tremendous respect in Mexico for his accomplishments there, so he carries a fantastic cross-over marketing value.
Gomez had his time in MLS – and it came and went with mixed results at Colorado, Los Angeles and Kansas City. Gomez got an opportunity in 2010 with Puebla in Mexico – at a time when the opportunities weren’t exactly flying in – and his career was suddenly off and flying.
The U.S. international is fairly diplomatic when he talks about his time in MLS and how things didn’t always fall his way. But never mind all that; not only does Gomez sound like someone who wants to get back into the league, he suggested during an interview with Soccer Today that day might not be long in coming. (Full disclosure: Soccer Today is a weekly radio show/podcast that I host along with ESPN’s Marc Stein.)
Gomez was in Dallas last week visiting with friends from his MLS days and watching the FC Dallas-LA Galaxy match. He spoke with Soccer Today the following morning, saying he loves his time in Mexico but mentioning that he has recently turned 31. Home is home, after all, and so many stars who find greater fortune in Europe or Mexico long for the chance to finish back in our country.
The question was about playing once again in MLS “down the road.”It might be sooner than you guys think. I’ve been enjoying myself playing [in Mexico]. But I’m at a point in my in my life right now where I have a lot more, and MLS is extremely attractive. What I’ve done in Mexico, I’m extremely proud of. It’s not just that I’m scoring goals, but I’ve been put in difference environments, other different situations, been kind of set up to fail, you might so, and I overcame. That’s something I’ve hung my hat on. …
I’d like to think somewhere out there, there is another opportunity somewhere out there for me in MLS. I’d like to be part of that, because I think that’s important.”When pressed about whether that “somewhere out there” might even be this summer, Gomez reacted the way a professional should – by reminding us that he’s a proud member of Santos Laguna, focused tightly on the team’s busy spring schedule and everything his club has on its target of accomplishments. He said it’s difficult to look ahead.
Gomez’s portion of the hour-long show linked above begins at about the 35-minute mark.
