To hear many who know the player and his talents, the goal scoring exploits of Herculez Gomez can be chalked up in part thanks to a return to his natural position. Anyone that recalls Gomez' last few seasons in MLS, and let's be honest, why would you, must be flabbergasted at his incredible strike rate in Mexico.
In both Colorado and Kansas City, Gomez was dropped into midfield, resulting in a slow decline in his play that eventually saw him collecting splinters on the bench in his final season with the Wizards. How could that have happened to a player who showed so much promise with LA in the early part of his career?
Talent doesn't always translate directly from league to league. Gomez' MLS path, one that saw him marginalized for unclear reasons by coaches who played him in midfield rather than at forward, stalled, giving him a chance to land in Mexico with Puebla this January.
Obviously, it was the right move to make.
The run Gomez just ended (he was sent off with a second yellow in Puebla's penultimate match, meaning he won't play in the season finale), like that of Edson Buddle, has him back in the US National Team discussion. If it comes down to direct competition for a World Cup spot with the Galaxy striker, Gomez does have a few marks in his column; Mexico's Primera Division is a better league, the run of games itself has been longer, and Gomez has more recently, while Bob Bradley's been at the helm, been called into the National Team. Add in a note that Gomez is more Davies-like than Buddle, and it's hard not to see him with the advantage.
Too many factors will come into play to analyze them all properly. Bradley's assessment of Buddle and Gomez, or Buddle v. Gomez perhaps, is as much wrapped up in each player's ability to fit in with a tight-knit group of internationals as it is in their play; once the two are called into camp (assuming they are), one wonders how much their performance there will be a factor as long as they're not abjectly poor.
Bradley will have two friendlies with which to test his team ahead of naming his World Cup roster, interspersed with training sessions that will include more players than he will be able to take to South Africa. Does that give him enough flexibility to see how Gomez plays in a system, and with a style, significantly different than the one he's part of in Mexico?
Where's the weight in the equation? How much does Charlie Davies' recovery play a part, and would his comeback eliminate Gomez (and perhaps Buddle) from consideration?
All important questions, and unless you've taken up residence inside of Bradley's Princeton-marinated noggin, it's doubtful you have any more idea than the rest of us.
What Bradley should absolutely do is give Herculez Gomez an audition in May. Form should count for something, after all, and it's not as though the ex-MLSer is hitting nets in the third division of some backwater footballing country; Mexico's first division is at least, and probably more, the testing ground that Major League Soccer is, even if you're of the opinion that a focus on defense is lacking south of the border.
Gomez has written his resume. It's impressive, and with a job available for South Africa, he has to be a candidate. Strikers are supposed to score goals, and Gomez has done just that.
It might be interesting to note that neither Buddle nor Gomez appears to have had USMNT-related contact with Bob Bradley (at least none that's been reported); does Bob not want to tip his hand, or is he simply waiting to see how things play out before making his decisions in a few weeks time?
