Herculez Gomez

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Herculez Gomez
Herculez Gomez takes a throw-in for the Kansas City Wizards
Gomez as a player for the Kansas City Wizards
Personal information
Full name Herculez Gomez Hurtado
Date of birth April 6, 1982 (1982-04-06) (age 29)
Place of birth Los Angeles, California, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club Santos Laguna
Number 16
Youth career
Cruz Azul
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2002 San Diego Gauchos 17 (17)
2002–2006 Los Angeles Galaxy 53 (16)
2003 → Seattle Sounders (loan) 17 (1)
2004 → San Diego Sockers (loan) 10 (5)
2007–2008 Colorado Rapids 37 (6)
2008–2009 Kansas City Wizards 34 (1)
2010 Puebla 15 (10)
2010–2011 Pachuca 29 (5)
2011 Estudiantes Tecos 16 (7)
2011– Santos Laguna 0 (0)
National team‡
2007– United States 8 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 15, 2011.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of November 22, 2010

Herculez Gomez Hurtado (born April 6, 1982) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Santos Laguna in the Primera División de México.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Gomez, the oldest of five children, was born in Los Angeles, California to Mexican-American parents.[1] He grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and played on the soccer team at Las Vegas High School.[2]

[edit] Professional

Gomez started his soccer career in 2001 with Cruz Azul of the Mexican First Division on their second-division squad, and transferred to second-division team Aguilas Blancas de Puebla later that year. The following season, he returned to first-division soccer with Durango. However, playing opportunities were scarce for him there, so he left, thinking he would quit soccer, but instead he joined the San Diego Gauchos of the USL D-3 Pro League in 2002, where he excelled, scoring seventeen goals in seventeen appearances. The Los Angeles Galaxy staff noticed him during a friendly match and he joined the team in September.[3]

Gomez broke his foot while on loan to the Seattle Sounders of the United Soccer Leagues, and recovery took a long time. When he was able to play again, he joined the now-defunct San Diego Sockers of the Major Indoor Soccer League.[4] He returned to the Galaxy for the 2005 season on a developmental contract, but played well enough to make it to the first team. His big chance came when Landon Donovan was called up to the national team. Donovan's absence gave Gomez many more starts at striker, and he was able to shine as a breakout goal-scorer.[5]

He scored the game-winning goal in the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, then helped the Galaxy to a rare Cup 'double' when they also won the 2005 MLS Cup. Gomez ended the 2005 season with eighteen goals scored for the Galaxy (in all matches), and was voted by the local L.A. media as the year's Most Valuable Player.[6]

Early in the 2006 season, Gomez was moved to the bench with then-coach Steve Sampson. Sampson used Gomez as a midfielder to see if he could score goals running at defenses. After Sampson's firing, however, Gomez scored several times under new coach Frank Yallop, and ended that season with five goals.[7]

On December 1, 2006, Gomez was traded to the Colorado Rapids along with Ugo Ihemelu in exchange for Joe Cannon. He scored the first goal in the history of Dick's Sporting Goods Park in his first game for Colorado, a 2-1 win over D.C. United on April 7, 2007. Gomez tore his ACL during training with the Rapids in September of that year and was forced to undergo a lengthy recovery process.[8]

On September 3, 2008, Gomez was traded to Kansas City Wizards in exchange for allocation money, a fourth round 2009 MLS SuperDraft pick and a first round 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft pick. His first goal for the Wizards was an injury time winner against San Jose Earthquakes, a must win game in their 2008 play-offs push.[9]

Gomez signed with Mexican club Puebla F.C. in January 2010.[10] He scored ten goals in the 2010 Mexican season[11] to tie for the lead for most goals; this feat marked the first time any American player led a foreign league in goals.[12]

[edit] Estudiantes Tecos

Pachuca placed Gomez, along with its entire squad, on the transfer list.[13] During the transfer window he moved along with teammate Braulio Luna to Estudiantes Tecos.[14] Gomez scored his first goal for his new club in the second game of the Mexican Apertura season, coming in a 2-1 loss to San Luis.[15] Following this good performance, Gomez was included in the starting lineup for his side's next game against Club América at the Estadio Azteca. Gomez played the full 90 and hit the post with one shot, his side won 2-1 and gained their first points of the season.[16]

On August 19 Gomez started from the bench as his side faced former club Pachuca. Pachuca went up 1-0 in the 22nd minute but Tecos equalized in the 49th. Gomez came off the bench in the 67th minute and led his side to a 2-1 win, striking it past the onrushing goalkeeper after receiving a nice through ball.[17]

[edit] Santos Laguna

Cash-strapped Estudiantes Tecos were forced in to selling Gomez to league rivals Santos Laguna, who Gomez joined on December 10, 2011[18].

[edit] International

Gomez was named to the United States roster for the 2007 Copa America, and earned his first cap as a second-half substitute against Argentina, with his first start coming against Colombia.[19]

On May 11, 2010, Gomez was named to the U.S. national team's provisional 30-man 2010 World Cup roster. He scored a goal for the U.S. national team in a 4-2 friendly defeat to the Czech Republic on May 25, 2010. The next day he was named to the 23-man roster for the 2010 World Cup.[20]

On June 5, 2010 he scored a goal for the U.S. National Team in a 3-1 win over Australia in the United States' final friendly match before the World Cup.[21]

Gomez played in 3 out of the 4 games for the United States at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including the round of 16 game against Ghana.

[edit] International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
01. May 25, 2010 Rentschler Field, East Hartford, USA  Czech Republic
2 – 2
2 – 4
Friendly
02. June 5, 2010 Ruimsig Stadium, Roodepoort, RSA  Australia
3 – 1
3 – 1
Friendly

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Club

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
2003 Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2003 Seattle Sounders A-League 17 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 21 1
2005 Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer 22 11 4 6 4 1 0 0 30 18
2006 30 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 31 5
2007 Colorado Rapids 20 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 21 5
2008 17 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 2
2008 Kansas City Wizards 8 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 9 1
2009 26 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 28 0
Mexico League Cup League Cup North America Total
2009–10 Puebla Primera División 15 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 10
2010–11 Pachuca 29 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 5
2011–12 Estudiantes Tecos 16 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 7
2011–12 Santos Laguna 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total USA 124 24 8 7 9 1 0 0 141 32
Mexico 60 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 22
Career total 184 46 8 7 9 1 0 0 201 54

Last updated December 10, 2011

[edit] International

National team Year Apps Goals
United States
2007 2 0
2008 0 0
2009 0 0
2010 6 2
2011 0 0
Total 8 2

Statistics accurate as of match played November 15, 2011

[edit] Personal

Herculez is the brother of MMA fighter Ulysses Gomez.[22] He is of Mexican-American heritage.

[edit] Honors

[edit] Club

[edit] Los Angeles Galaxy

[edit] Individual

[edit] Puebla FC

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/2010-05-11-gomez-worldcup_N.htm
  2. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-phillips/herculez-gomez-represents_b_592032.html
  3. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/luis_bueno/02/12/herculez.gomez/index.html
  4. ^ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/06/a-road-to-world-cup-paved-with-heartache/
  5. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5063896/ce/us/herculez-gomez-lights-nets-mexico?cc=5901&ver=us
  6. ^ http://hispanic-americans.com/blogs/news/archive/2010/04/26/herculez-gomez-wins-mexican-league-scoring-title.aspx
  7. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/05/26/2010-05-26_final_us_world_cup_roster.html
  8. ^ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/may/11/las-vegas-gomez-makes-united-states-preliminary-wo/
  9. ^ http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/08/2003091/former-wizard-gomez-takes-improbable.html
  10. ^ http://www.downthebyline.com/2010/01/herculez-gomez-to-puebla-fc.html
  11. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-pachuca-gomez
  12. ^ http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/gomez-likely-train-chivas-usa
  13. ^ http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/114/mexico/2011/05/04/2471127/mexican-team-pachuca-puts-entire-squad-up-for-sale
  14. ^ http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011/6/1/2201486/mexican-primera-transfer-rumors-fmf-pachuca-estudiantes-tecos-herculez-gomez-demarcus-beasley
  15. ^ http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/114/mexico/2011/08/01/2600704/mexican-apertura-2011-round-2-free-scoring-monterrey-santos
  16. ^ http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/04/gringo-report-gomez-tecos-stun-am%C3%A9rica-azteca
  17. ^ http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/20/gringo-report-gomez-scores-last-minute-winner-tecos
  18. ^ http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2011/12/herculez-gomez-santos-laguna.html
  19. ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/usa/story/040110-galarcep-gomez-reignites-career-in-mexico
  20. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/sports/soccer/17soccer.html
  21. ^ http://o.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/worldcup/2012063945_gomez09.html
  22. ^ http://www.onthemat.com/blogs-posts/big-month-may-gomez-brothers

[edit] External links

Club Santos Laguna – current squad


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