After six years and six different clubs Hercules Gomez is finally returning to MLS. Toronto FC announced this Friday morning that they signed with the
After six years and six different clubs Hercules Gomez is finally returning to MLS. Toronto FC announced this Friday morning that they signed with the former U.S. National Team player, buying his rights from Sporting Kansas City in return for allocation money. Hercules left Sporting Kansas in 2009 to go to Mexico.
[quote_box_center]“Adding a player with Herculez Gómez experience and ability was very important at the deadline,” said Toronto FC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “He is a proven winner having won both the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup with LA Galaxy. He has also won domestic titles and played in the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League while playing in Mexico. [/quote_box_center]
[quote_box_center]“He is an accomplished goal-scorer and we will benefit from having someone of his pedigree join Toronto FC.”[/quote_box_center]
Hercules, who was born is Oxnard, California, spent the last 6 seasons in Mexico scoring a total of 37 goals in the Liga MX, play for clubs like Puebla, Pachuca, Estudiantes Tecos, Santos Laguna, Tigres and Tijuana. His most recent appearances in 2015 were with the club Pueblas (8 appearances and 1 goal) while he was on a loan from Tijuana.
The 33-year-old first club at MLS was LA Galaxy in 2002. He only played a small number of games there as he was constantly sent on loan to minor league clubs, including USL Seattle Sounders in 2003. He made it to LA Galaxy first team squad in 2005, when he scored 11 goals and 2 assists playing 22 games in the regular season, including the game-winning goal in the US Open Cup final.
In 2006, Gomez was traded to Colorado Rapids where he scored 6 goals in 37 games before going to Kansas City Wizards in 2008. At Wizards he helped the team qualify for the 2008 playoffs, scoring his first and only goal with the team against the San Jose Earthquakes. In 2009, he left the club to go to play for Puebla in Mexico.
In Mexico, his career took off and that is where he had the most success so far. He had great records, for example in his first season with Puebla he scored 10 goals in 15 games and won he Golden Boot in the Liga MX in 2010. His performance was getting attention, so much that it allowed him to be a part of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Eventually, he was able to make it to the 2010 World Cup squad. As far as appearances with the national team, Hercules played 3 out of the 4 games in the World Cup, with 24 appearances and six goals total.
Hercules switched clubs many times while in Mexico. In 2010 he went to Pachuca, in 2011 to Estudiantes and Santos Laguna later that year and continued with Santos in 2012. He was also a key player at the CONCACAF Champions League finals in 2012, scoring 3 goals in the semifinal. In 2013 he moved to Tijuana Xolos and played there for an entire year, and then went on loans to Tigres and Puebla.
Hercules is the only player to win both the MLS Cup and Liga MX tittles. As far as MLS, he has 124 appearances and 23 goals.
