NOAH DAVIS – Three weeks ago, I opined that Herculez Gomez wouldn’t make the United States roster.
I was wrong.
When Bob Bradley announces the 23 men traveling to South Africa on Wednesday afternoon, Pachuca’s newest striker will hear his name called. Why? Because Gomez gets results, a skill prized above all others by the American coaching staff.
When asked if he would like Bradley to continue coaching the U.S. team after the World Cup, USSF president Sunil Gulati offered the following observation:
“This is a four-year cycle. A lot of measurement comes down to the three games we play in the first round and hopefully some we play in the second round. He knows that. He understands that. He accepts that. He agrees with that.”
Translation: Winning at the World Cup is what matters.
Which brings us to Gomez.
After coming on in the second half, the striker scored an opportunistic goal, the type of tally he frequently netted in his magical late-season run at Puebla. He’s destined to play a super sub role in South Africa, so proving he can come on and make a difference in a limited amount of time was of the utmost importance. After the match, Bradley alluded to this skill.
“When you have him in camp, you get to assess a lot of things,” the coach said. “I saw plays tonight that still need to be better, but obviously, he scored a goal and that’s very important in this whole thing.”
While Bradley is the ultimate “do the little things right” manager, those plays become less important for a person in Gomez’s role. What really matters for a striker who will come on for 15 or 20 minutes is the ability to score. By showing this ability last night in East Hartford, Gomez booked his ticket to South Africa.