Gomez makes U.S. World Cup team

Raised in Las Vegas, Herculez Gomez knows how rarely long shots pay off.

But the former Las Vegas High School soccer standout overcame the longest of odds to earn one of 23 spots on the U.S. World Cup roster, which was unveiled Wednesday morning.

''It's something I've dreamt of since I started playing soccer, since I learned what the World Cup was,'' the 28-year-old Gomez said. ''To have the honor and privilege of playing for my country is something special.

''I can't really put into words what these last six months have been for me, what I've gone through and what I've seen. It's just been an incredible run.''

His future in doubt after Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards showed no interest in re-signing him after last season, the striker joined Mexican first division club Puebla in January to try to revive his fading career.

But Gomez did much more than resuscitate his game, willing himself onto the radar of U.S. Soccer by exploding for 10 goals in 15 games to become the first American to lead a foreign league in scoring.

Determination and hard work paved the way for his recent success and outweighed any doubt he might have had about whether he deserved a spot on the U.S. squad.

''There was no other way, to be quite honest,'' Gomez said. ''There's a lot of pedigree on this team, and that's maybe one thing I was lacking. But I've never lacked work ethic, never lacked heart and never lacked belief.''

Placed on the U.S. National Team provisional 30-man World Cup roster on May 11, Gomez made the most of his lone appearance for the Americans, scoring on a header in Tuesday's 4-2 exhibition loss to the Czech Republic at East Hartford, Conn.

Gomez's first international goal turned out to be the biggest of his life. U.S. coach Bob Bradley said that goal cemented Gomez's spot on the World Cup squad.

Bradley praised Gomez for taking advantage of the opportunity and working doggedly to earn a trip to South Africa.

Gomez, who moved to Las Vegas from his native Los Angeles when he was 10, graduated from Las Vegas High in 2000 and still lives here, as does his large family.

"I'm looking to get the key to the city soon,'' he said with a laugh. ''I don't know who's happier, me or my dad. He's been one of the happiest guys these last few months.''

Gomez and fellow forward Edson Buddle, who leads MLS with nine goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy, are considered two of the biggest surprises to make the U.S. team, which features 15 first-time World Cup players.

''Plain and simple, Edson and Herculez have had real good stretches, scored a lot of goals,'' Bradley said. ''Herculez has been on a great run in terms of scoring goals. Watching him every day, his movement, he works very hard, those are all things that go well for us.''

Despite scoring Tuesday in just his third international appearance, Gomez said he still wasn't sure whether he had made the team. But Bradley finally gave him the good news in a 2 a.m. meeting Wednesday in their Hartford, Conn., hotel.

''It was one of the most nerve-wracking couple hours of my life,'' Gomez said. ''Bob congratulated me as I walked in, and I realized I was sitting in a room with the final 23. It was a surreal moment, one of those pinch-me moments.''

Gomez, who has 23 goals in 120 MLS games attributes his recent success to returning to his preferred position of forward from wing and being fully healthy again.

After tearing the ACL in his right knee in 2007 and tearing cartilage in the same knee about a year later, he was moved to wing and struggled. But looking back, he said the injuries helped him become a better player.

''When I came back, I couldn't rely on my athleticism as much,'' he said. ''I had to adapt as a player, and I'm stronger for it now.''

So is the U.S. World Cup team, which will visit the White House today and take on Turkey on Saturday in Philadelphia before boarding a plane on Sunday for South Africa. The team opens the World Cup on June 12 against England.

Gomez has come a long way in a few short months.

''I wasn't good enough for the Wizards last year, so to be where I am today is amazing,'' he said.

Contact sports reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@
reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0354.