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Gomez powers Santos Laguna to win over Jaguares

Santos Laguna is off to a winning start in March, and they can thank Herculez Gomez in a big way for that.

Gomez lifted Santos to a 3-1 win over Jaguares de Chiapas on Friday night and he was involved in all three of his club’s goals, scoring twice (his second tally included a well-timed nutmeg) and assisting another in a span of eight minutes in the first half. Gomez, who played 74 minutes in the match, now has three goals in the Clausura campaign.

The U.S. Men’s National Team forward’s Man-of-the-Match-worthy performance ends a scoring drought that dated back to January and comes in the same week that Jozy Altidore also had a two-goal, one-assist performance for AZ Alkmaar in a KNVB Cup semifinals clash with Ajax.

Here are the match highlights:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS3ctEttKrU?feature=player_detailpage]

What do you think of Gomez’s performance? How many times have you watched his second goal? Whose two-goal, one-assist outing was more impressive, Gomez’s or Altidore’s?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. …how has no one said anything about that embarrassing keeping by the Santos keeper? Tell me they dropped him after that…ey yiyi. Nice match Herc

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    • Santos’s goalkeeper was clearly paid to ensure that this game hit the “over” on goals. I’m only half kidding. No middle school goalie should let in that goal, let alone a professional.

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  2. Gomez had a nice touch, that paid off, on that nutmeg. Nice to see he got a goal out of it. Gomez makes good runs OFF the ball that shifts defenders. Good mix of unselfish play away from the penalty area and selfish near the penalty area. Gomez allows the USMNT midfielders to link up into the final third and penalty area. If the USMNT can get more possession, a more compact and shifting midfield, Gomez does his best work. Nearly every goal Gomez has scored was a result of hard work OFF the ball. Nice to see him score. Congrats Gomez.

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  3. —-Jozy——Gomez—-

    ———Dempsey——-

    -Jones——-Bradley—-

    ———-Edu————-

    Trust; we will score goals in Denver and Mexico City.

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    • I dig, but I might move Jones back to Edu’s spot, bring Fabian up to left mid and have Castillo step in at LB. So:

      —- Jozy – Gomez —–

      ———- Deuce ———–

      F Johnson — Bradley–

      ———— Jones ———-

      Castillo – CB – CB – Chandler (Dolo if he’s healthy)

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  4. I think the picture is from the friendly they played in the US. It’s not from this game in any case, as Gomez has a different hair cut now from the picture.

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  5. And want to add that if Klinsmann against Costa Rica and Mexico decides on an attacking line-up that can use only Jozy or Herc as a starter, then my vote goes for Herc, with Jozy on the bench as a potential second-half substitute.

    Herc has shown in WCQ games since June that he can produce offensively and defensively. Like Jozy at lot, but in a US shirt the past 18 months he had been a total a flop. I think Jozy has trouble with the speed and intensity of the international game and he might be more effective as a sub in the second half when the opposing team has lost some of its energy.

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    • I don’t rate this at all and think your comments about Jozy are completely off base.

      Jozy has performed well at times on the international stage. He just hasn’t performed under Klinsmann.

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      • this. it’s inarguable that jozy has not performed well of late (for the usmnt), but to say it’s because he can’t cope with the int’l game is to ignore his usmnt career before klinsmann.

      • I share the frustrations of other USMNT fans with Klinsmann’s d-mid heavy rosters. But despite the general lack of attack under Klinsmann, other players have nonetheless been able to score goals. Clint and Herc and MB and Eddie Johnson (when it counted big-time) and others.

        I have not gone back and looked at all of Jozy’s goals, such as were they made in friendlies or high-pressure games or did he do two or three hat tricks against some little countries in meaningless friendlies. But whatever he did years ago is irrelevant to geting the USMNT qualified now for World Cup 2014. He has gone 14 games — count ’em — since scoring a non-PK goal, a dismal recored stretching back 2011. If Jozy would get it together and start scoring for the USMNT like he does for AZ, then I would be the happiest fan in the world and cheer him like crazy. But right now I prefer both Herc Gomez and Eddie Johnson, both of whom have produced under Klinsmann, to Jozy. At some point, if Jozy can’t produce in a US shirt, Klinsmann is going to have to pull the plug. These next games or simply to important.

      • Not to belabor the point, but I fail to see any instances of a cohesive attacking unit under Klinsmann. Goals have come in fits and starts from various sources, as you’ve noted, but I don’t think it qualifies as a system in which any played has “flourished”.

        One thing Klinsmann has done is stopped the defense from leaking goals early on in matches. I don’t know if it’s due to the focus on the midfield, but the emphasis on possession has not lead to increasing number of goals, as has been shown by a few statisticians looking at, ironically, the Dutch league.

        Bottom line: Klinsmann had better get both sides of the ball on poInt. it feels like he’s cramming the best XI on to the pitch instead of developing tactics that play to the strengths he has available. His playbook is tired and wearing thin.

      • I couldn’t agree more. Eddie Johnson had a two goal game and before that game, nobody, probably not even Eddie Johnson, that the goal scoring was going to come from Eddie Johnson,

        We were all like, thank goodness Eddie Johnson had a good game. Nobody was calling for Eddie Johnson over Herc or Altidore before that game.

        The midfield needs to get its sh1t together and keep some possession and play the final cutting ball at the right time. That isn’t happening and that is why we are struggling. We are back to begging for set pieces hoping for a headed goal……arrgh

      • Mr. Dollars,

        Jozy before JK : 13 goals, 6 assists from Donovan

        Jozy with JK : 0 goals

        Clint does not score goals the same way Jozy does.

        Some guys just play better when certain people are around. Makes you wonder what will happen if and when both Jozy and LD get back on the USMNT.

  6. Both are sweet, sweet goals that Herc had to earn with some fancy footwork.

    Can someone please give a logical explanation why 1) Gomez did not start against Honduras and/or 2) why Klinsmann did not inject Gomez into the game as a sub in the second half?

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    • 2 stk’s would leave our mid too open and vulnerable was his thinking maybe.Anyways it didn’t work.Should have gone with the vertical attack that 2 fwds can provide by playing early through balls to them and bypassing a mid that gave almost no quality service to them the entire game.

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    • Klinsmann mismanaged the game so badly that he had already used up his three subs. And he totally failed to change the game with the moves he did make. The guy is a joke.

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  7. great timed run on the first goal (and atrocious defending), and perfect header on the assist. wonder if he and jozy can start together; might have to take off a d-mid to make it work.

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    • the goal keeping was poor on the first, had he let his defenders do their job, he would have at least been in a position to attempt to stop the shot from a poor angle.

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  8. With the right service, with the right midfielders, in the right formation, playing for the right coach……OUR STRIKERS SCORE GOALS. wow…..

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    • Both Gomez and Altidore:

      Two goals…. an assist…..in a game that ended 3-1…….way to end the week!!!! Now if only Freddy Adu can find a team I’ll be in Heaven…lol

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  9. This guy has been in crazy good form since he tied for top goal scorer in Mexico a few years ago (Puebla was amazing). Shame Bradley didnt start him in WC. What a baller.

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      • Watch much soccer? Jozy and Herc have almost the exact same goal to game ratio for the USMNT. Find another argument

      • Pele scored alot of goals for Brazil would you play him now for the Brazil national team? Altidore used to score goals for USMNT but he hasn’t scored for a year and a half. The next games are too important to play a striker that can’t score for you. Whatever your love affair is with Altidore should not bias you to the detrimant of the USMNT.

      • The US isn’t scoring. The fault doesn’t alway lie with the striker. If Altidore was missing chances for the US you could make that argument. The chances are not being created because of a lack of service.

        Gomez got service on both of his goals, he did fantastic with that service, no doubt, but it had to be there first. Both strikers are making great runs off the ball. I think it would be a huge mistake to exclude either of them. Your bias appears to flow at least as much in the opposited direction.

        We can not play a lone striker with defensive minded midfielders and expect service to come from width provided by the fullbacks. That usually ends with a long ball into the box.

      • Am I biased against Altidore? Maybe. However, 2 or 3 years ago i was fine with Altidore starting. In my opinion our most impressive game in a while was against Jamaica with Gomez and Dempsey up top. I would rather see Gomez play over Dempsey. I would also like to see Boyd given the same opportunity for playing time as Altidore.

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