Herculez Gomez isn’t shy. Take a look at his Twitter feed and that becomes evident very quickly. He has opinions and isn’t afraid to share them.
“That’s just naturally my being,” said Gomez following training in Irvine, CA on Friday. “I’m a little out there, I enjoy meeting new people and I don’t mind having a conversation with anybody as long as I feel it’s respectful and intelligent. I see no reason why players wouldn’t want to let people know who they are. It’s a day when we have so many outlets and you actually have a voice, why let somebody tell people who you are when you can do it yourself?”
Gomez joined Toronto FC towards the latter half of the 2015 campaign and was used mainly as a substitute. He still managed to score on of the biggest goals of the year, putting the Reds up 1-0 at home against the New York Red Bulls on the night TFC would clinch their first ever playoff berth.
The 33-year-old is here from the start in 2016 and is using training camp in Southern California to prepare for the rigors of the upcoming season.
“It’s the same concepts,” said Gomez. “Get a good base of fitness, get the guys to recognize each other and feel comfortable with each other and building that bond. When you put this work in, this is what’s going to be, hopefully, carrying you throughout the season.”
The squad will have spent 12 days together when they prepare to head back to Toronto on Monday. At the end of the upcoming week they’ll be off to Orlando for two weeks and the final portion of the preseason.
“There’s no better way to get to know your teammates than actually being in a situation at training camp where you feel like you’re living with them,” said Gomez. “Tons of characters and personality on this team. I think it’s a great group of guys. It’s one of the better locker rooms I’ve been around. Having a good locker room will carry you through the difficult times of the season when your football isn’t at its best.”
With two major international tournaments set to take place this season the depth of this squad will be tested. Gomez will have a big role to play and is getting accustomed to the duties asked of him as a central forward in the 4-3-3 system head coach Greg Vanney is implementing this preseason.
“They want us to be harder to play against defensively. In that central forward role it is a little bit more work than we were used to last year,’ he said. “As a player you’re going to do anything the team asks of you. I think we’re going about it the right way. Everybody is putting their work in to make this a better environment."
A major part of toiling away in the middle of the TFC offensive attack will be pairing with the reigning MLS MVP, Sebastian Giovinco, on the left. That remains a work in process but Gomez isn’t worried. It’s a process that will take time.
“Anytime you have a player with that ability you want to do your best to get the most out of it,” he said. “Seba is no doubt an important player for us and we want to see him repeat what he did last season, and more importantly, we want the team to do well and I think that’s Seba’s ultimate goal as well.”
Be sure to follow Herc on Twitter. His thoughts on the game on a macro and micro level are unique and insightful. Just don’t ask him about Arsenal. Trust me.
