'This may be the tipping point' – Herculez Gomez on Mauricio Pochettino's impact, the USMNT's 'wide-open' striker race, and a player pool 'that lacks accountability'
With an analyst's view he calls 'as cold as they come' the ex-USMNT striker joins Mic'd Up to discuss the state of the national team
When Herculez Gomez is critical of the U.S. men's national team, it comes from a place of familiarity, experience, understanding and hope. Like many others in American soccer, he wants this team to succeed, especially because he was actually part of it. With six goals, 26 caps, a World Cup run and a Gold Cup trophy on his USMNT resume, he has the proper credentials, knowing all of the highs and lows that come with playing for this program on the international level.
Gomez, though, understands that there's a difference between being optimistic and being a cheerleader. His post-playing transition to a soccer analyst is a way for him to keep pushing the game forward and, at times, that means telling hard truths. He tells plenty of them as part of his work with ESPN, and that's largely because, over the last few years, that's what has been required of anyone covering the USMNT.
"I try to be as unbiased as I can, so I'm very desensitized to it," Gomez tells GOAL. "If the U.S. men's national team wins or loses, it's not my problem. I couldn't care less. I'm there to analyze the situation. From my job perspective, that's the way I treat it. From an ex-national team player's perspective, I'd like to be known for being part of a winning program.
"I'd like to be known for representing certain values and being part of something that meant something so that when you wore that jersey, you knew the importance and the weight of it. I'd like to see the same responsibility held by today's generation and tomorrow's generation and those before that or after that. But when it comes to my job, I'm as cold as they come. I'm very far removed."
That objectivity takes time to establish, especially since passion is such a vital part of being a successful athlete. But he knows that the ability to step back and fairly assess players, coaches and teams is a requirement for a sports media role.
"It did take time, and it will for anybody," he admits. "I think that's the importance of doing your job: to separate yourself. Everybody's going to have friends who play in leagues, who play in teams and play a match or whatever the case may be, but you can't do your job properly unless you do it the right way.
"I'm not trying to do this for the short term. I got into this business because it's what I want to do for a very long time, and the only way I can properly do it is by being that way."
Gomez, host of ESPN's Futbol Americas and the Vamos podcast, has a unique perspective on the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettio's arrival, the striker position, and how American soccer should continue to progress. He discussed all of that and more in this edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
Getty Images SportON THE USMNT STRIKER COMPETITION
GOAL: You're a former USMNT No. 9, so you know what is required of that position at this level. What do you make of the striker race right now?
GOMEZ: I still think it's a wide-open competition. I think people waited for Folarin Balogun for a while, and right when they were about to give up on him, he scores a banger against Panama and gave people something to latch on to. The reality is not one single nine, whether it's Balogun, Haji Wright, Josh Sargent – who's never really available for the U.S. men's national team and when he is available just can't find the back of the net – or Ricardo Papi, who can't find the field, whether it's club or country although, when he does, he scores … Nobody's made it their own.
Haji is probably the guy that I would say has the biggest claim. One, because he's played for the U.S. men's national team in a big tournament, the World Cup, and he's scored a goal in the World Cup. Then when he comes in, in moments of need, he's been there. He's a guy that has a big frame. You can play multiple ways but for some reason, whether it's club and now at country, they put him out wide. I don't know what to make of it. What I will say is it's a wide-open competition. It wouldn't surprise me if any of these guys were who Pochettino made his nine. I don't think anybody has made that position their own. It's crazy because U.S. Soccer really has not had that consistent nine since….
GOAL: Since Jozy Altidore.
GOMEZ: Yeah, and people say Clint [Dempsey], but Clint wasn't a pure nine. Clint was a serviceable player at the nine position, a very good player, but that wasn't his position. That wasn't the one where you'd say he was at his best. It really is since Jozy. I mean, if we go back to it, pre-Haji Wright's goal at the World Cup, the last time a nine scored at the World Cup was Brian McBride?
AdvertisementGetty Images SportON MEXICAN AMERICAN REPRESENTATION
GOAL: When you're a Mexican American playing for the USMNT, you represent more than just yourself. A weight comes with that. As someone who shouldered that, what was it like?
GOMEZ: I had Ricardo [Pepi] on my podcast Vamos, and we spoke about him being the closest thing to a Mexican superstar that U.S. Soccer has had. That's a reality. There are millions of Mexican Americans in the continental United States, and he may be the closest thing that U.S. Soccer ever had, and he's still very young. It says something, whether it's the lack of Mexican Americans able to break in or the lack of opportunities for them, but it just hasn't happened.
I can tell you, because I think I'm the only one who does this in North America – I'm in a unique position because nobody else has done it. There are no other Mexican Americans that cover both leagues, both national teams, the way I do it. It's a weird territory to be in because it's by default. When Mexico and the U.S. play or when there's a Leagues Cup, I'll be a trending topic in Mexico. I'll be on both sides. It's just a weird kind of sensation when it's really by default. By no means did I beat out 100 other Mexican Americans. I'm the only one right now. I'm pretty sure that's how Ricardo feels, too.
GettyON POCHETTINO AND DUAL-NATIONALS
GOAL: Mauricio Pochettino is here, and that'll change many things. One that is obviously worth discussing is dual-nationals. The USMNT has done a great job on that front over the last few cycles, but Pochettino gives this team something they haven't really had before: a Spanish-speaking figurehead. What kind of difference will that make?
GOMEZ: It's a massive difference. I think it may be the tipping point, if we're being honest here. It's one thing to – and with all due respect – send Joe Schmo and get him to make a phone call, but it's another thing if it's somebody who's been there, done that, and it's a known commodity. Oh, and he speaks your language.
When you're talking about the Hispanic American players, or any dual national prospect, there are two sides, or let's say three. There's whatever countries are at play, and then there's the individual, but you need to get to all three – whether that's the parents and the individual – but you need to make everybody have common ground. That also includes the person making the phone call. If you can't reach these kids, if they can't see and feel comfortable with you and a future, it doesn't matter who it is. It's very important.
I think it's a good thing to have a coach that's reachable, that has a wide net, not just with the players, but with media and fans. People want to be represented in everything.
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GettyON USMNT LEADERSHIP
GOAL: When looking at your national team era, you were surrounded by dogs. Guys like Jermaine Jones, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard set a tone. Right now, it doesn't seem like the USMNT really has many of those guys who can really hold their teammates accountable. Is that how you see it?
GOMEZ: My national team days, It was Michael Bradley, Jermaine, it was literally everyone. You could name the whole team, and everyone was very unafraid of telling people that stuff. They didn't have to tell you; it just wouldn't happen. Accountability across the board, that comes from the coach, whether it's Bob Bradley or Jurgen Klinsmann, there's accountability across the field.
I see a group that lacks accountability because they shouldn't need one guy cracking the whip, keeping him in line. If that's what we're clinging on to, that there's not one leader… you don't need to have one guy yelling at you to make sure you do a good job. You do your job and be accountable. Be a professional.
A lot of these kids don't have the minutes anywhere, and I don't care if it's Major League Soccer or Europe or whatever, they're not having these type of moments where they learn from it and then they transmit that and they carry on. So yeah, it's nice to have a Tyler Adams. It would be nice to see Christian Pulisic every once in a while, or Weston McKennie be that guy, even though that's not their personality.
But the reality is, you shouldn't have to have that. There should be accountability with the national team. All these players are great players in their own right, and that's why they're there. They don't need to be babysat by anybody.