92713_gomezherculez_isi_usmntjt0604132487 John Todd/isiphotos.com
9.27.13

ASN Morning Read: Herculez Gomez Is Back

The United States national team forward, clearly aided by his sweet facial hair, scores three goals in his return to Tijuana; his teammate Paul Arriola exposes an issue with MLS; happy Friday, world.
BY Jesse Yomtov and Noah Davis Posted
September 27, 2013
8:19 AM
  • In his first game back from injury, Herculez Gomez did what he’s known to do and scored a hat trick in Tijuana’s 6-0 CONCACAF Champions League win over C.D. Victoria. All three goals came in the second half after he came on for Joe Corona. Paul Arriola scored too.
  • Speaking of Arriola, Kyle McCarthy talked to the youngster about his decision to sign with Tijuana, and wonders if the lack of opportunity for teenagers in MLS may make it a growing trend for players to get better offers from outside the country. Said the 18-year-old of turning down a homegrown contract with the Galaxy: “Bruce Arena was very straightforward with me during preseason and had told me that if I had signed that I would most likely be looking at zero minutes with the first team for 2013, fighting for a spot on the reserves and getting minutes with the academy.”

  • Returning from injury is so hard. Seattle Sounders fitness coach Dave Tenney on Steve Zakuani: “I think sometimes people underestimate the impact of the damage he had in the injury not just from a bone perspective, but from a circulation perspective, from a nerve/muscular-firing perspective—there are so many layers to all the stuff that he’s been through. It’s trying to relearn gaits and gait mechanics and ankle mechanics and leg drive and all those things. They’re all things that he’s had to go through. Some of the setbacks he’s had is just because his gait is a little bit different than it was before. It’s not just, ‘The bone is healed and I’m back out and playing,’ because there is a biomechanical and neuromuscular issues that we’ve really had to work through to, at the end of the day, maximize his strength."

  • You really should read Brian Sciaretta's look at Kevin Hoyos. Just click, yo.

  • T Boyd, man. T Boyd.
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