Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez scoring their way onto the U.S. National Team World Cup roster isn't quite a miracle, but it's damn close.


Two guys whom USMNT fans, and likely Bob Bradley himself, hadn't even considered a possibility just a few months ago are now two of the four strikers headed to South Africa. Putting aside what this means for the Americans and their chances in the tournament, the stories of Buddle and Gomez, and the out-of-nowhere nature of their making the team, are two amazing examples of hitting form at the perfect time.


Injuries and a dearth of proven talent at the forward position was enough to crack the door for Buddle and Gomez. Charlie Davies would certainly be there if healthy. Brian Ching's hamstring was apparently not as strong as Bob Bradley would like. Forwards Bradley ran through during the qualifying campaign, Connor Casey and Eddie Johnson among them, were of questionable quality at the international level. More accurately, their forays with the National Team did little to engender confidence in them.


So Bradley looks to what are essentially two unknowns. No, Buddle and Gomez are by no means kids, but they've been out of the picture for so long that they might as well be. Buddle's international career never got off the ground after a start-stop period that saw him make an off the field mistake and struggle to establish himself with a handful of teams. It wasn't until the arrival of Bruce Arena in LA that Buddle found a groove, living up to the talent many saw in him. Buddle's rampant form to start 2010 got him the headlines and a look for the World Cup, but he's actually played well over the course of the last three seasons. Buddle scored 15 times in 2008, and while he knocked in only 5 in 2009, much of his season was affected by injury. Whether it was playing with Donovan, under Arena, or just a sudden spark coming at the right time, Buddle's evolution into a better, more polished player has been in the works for some time. A dedicated effort to prepare for 2010 by staying in California and working through the winter, rather than heading back to his home in New York as had been his habit, certainly appears to have served him well.


Gomez' path has been even more rocky and fraught with dead ends than Buddle's. Gomez went from quality attacking MLS player to benchwarmer in Kansas City in the short span of a few years; moved out of his natural position and falling off as a goal scorer, Gomez' inclusion in the 2007 Copa America team failed to bring him additional opportunities with the National Team. Bob Bradley was auditioning a lot of players during the cycle, and Gomez' circumstance meant it was nearly impossible for him to get back into the mix. Only a renaissance in Mexico with Puebla, where he tied for the scoring title in the Clausura season with Puebla (usually coming off the bench), brought him back into the discussion.


A confluence of factors meant Bob Bradley could hardly ignore the amazing things these two players were doing. Credit him for ignoring their meager national team resumes and giving them a shot. Credit each of them more for performing well enough to make the dream come true.


Three months ago, none of us, let alone Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle themselves, would have though it possible they'd be representing the United States at the World Cup.

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?

As I write this, Herculez Gomez has just scored again for Puebla in the Mexican top-flight. That's five goals in five matches for the ex-MLSer, making Gomez far and away the hottest American forward in any league. With the dearth of forward options facing Bob Bradley, any player capable of scoring should be on the USMNT radar; the probably for Herculez is that his timing is truly and utterly terrible.


Gomez hasn't had an National Team cap since getting his only two during the Copa America debacle of 2007. Never a first choice option at his position, he didn't impress enough to merit Bradley including him in future squads. He continued his career in MLS, but didn't shine with Colorado or Kansas City, scoring just seven times in three seasons.


Making his explosion in Mexico all the more puzzling. Gomez was always a frustrating player in Major League Soccer, full of promise but unable to turn it into consistent performances on the field. His run of form at Puebla is amazing on many levels, and would, in almost any other year, make him an obvious choice for National Team duty.


Is Gomez a better choice than Eddie Johnson? Conor Casey? Robbie Findley? It wouldn't be difficult to make the argument that he is, especially considering that none of the those mentioned have done much when given the opportunity to make their World Cup cases. But Gomez is on the outside looking in both because his streak is so late in the game and because he showed little sign of its coming previously; if Gomez had been scoring like this in '08 or '09, wouldn't he have already had a chance to make his way into the team?


Maybe not, especially since Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies, both younger players with more potential, announced themselves in 2009. But Gomez can obviously score, and aside from Donovan and Dempsey, the Americans lack healthy players with good goal scoring records for either club or country.


Gomez is twenty-seven. If he was to have a shot at a World Cup squad, this one would have been it.


Congrats on all of your success, Herculez, but curse your terrible timing.


Hell, maybe it's not too late for some of you. Anyone want to see Bradley give Gomez a look?