Gomez Moves to Pachuca

With the Champions League final front and center for most soccer fans today, there was one bit of news regarding a USMNT player that might have slipped under the radar.  After scoring 10 goals for Puebla in Mexico's Toreno Bicentenario, good for a tie atop the golden boot standings, Herculez Gomez will be moving to Pachuca.  Per the report, the terms of the contract have not been revealed, but the signings will be made official next week.

Gomez, who is currently in Princeton with the USMNT, will join fellow World Cup hopeful Jose Francisco Torres (and his brother Guillermo) with Los Tuzos.  Even if the duo don't make Bob Bradley's final roster, they'll still get an opportunity to showcase their talents on a global stage, as Pachuca will play in the Club World Cup this December thanks to their CONCACAF Champions League triumph last month.

While yours truly hasn't been able to get to Princeton for a couple of reasons, hearsay seems to indicate that Gomez is holding his own.  Today, Ives Galarcep tweeted,"Herculez Gomez wasn't talking about Pachuca today. Word is he's having a good camp," sentiments that have been echoed by a couple of other people on the ground in New Jersey.  At this point, I expect him to at least earn some minutes as a substitute against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, with his performance in that time likely playing a significant part in deciding his World Cup fate.

For those who didn't get to watch much of the goalscoring exploits that vaulted Gomez from MLS castoff to USMNT prospect in a matter of months, these two videos show all 10 of his tallies with Puebla:







With his club status now settled, Gomez can focus all his attention on international duty. (While I doubt he's been materially distracted by any club level negotiations, they must have been in the back of his mind.) Gomez's rise to national team relevance has been nothing short of meteoric, and he is now just one hurdle away from earning an improbable World Cup berth. We'll see if he can continue his magical run in Hartford and book his ticket to South Africa.

Even if he falls short, though, at least his recent run earned him a nice payday.  Not the worst consolation prize should he end up on the outside looking in when the final roster is announced.