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Former Portugal international Nuno Gomes training with Cosmos

Nuno Gomes of Portugal

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Thanks to the extensive network of contacts in New York Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese’s Rolodex, the club welcomed a hugely experienced striker to training on Thursday.

In conference call on Thursday, Savarese confirmed to reporters that former Portugal international Nuno Gomes took part in Cosmos practice and is using the club to help regain fitness while he’s on vacation in New York. The 37-year-old forward spent last season with Blackburn, scoring four times in 18 appearances as the club staved off relegation. In June, Gomes and Blackburn agreed to part ways and mutually end his contract.

“The rumors about Nuno Gomes training with us, they are true,” Savarese said. “He’s trained today for the first time, he’s going to continue training with us for the next few days and next week.

“He’s visiting New York and through a mutual friend he asked to see if he could come and train, and we accepted the interest because he’s a quality player and he’s a player that’s been in the highest level playing for so many great teams and the Portuguese National Team. It’s great to have somebody like him in training.”

Savarese did clarify that Gomes isn’t in New York for a trial with the club, but admitted that down the road, perhaps if Gomes doesn’t find another club to play with, it’s a possibility for him to join the Cosmos.

“It’s not a trial, he just contacted us to train with us,” Savarese said. “He wants to get back into shape after finishing with Blackburn last season. New York is a city that we have the pleasure of so many great players coming in and through a mutual friend he decided to come in (to training).

“That being said, you never know what can happen in the future.”

Over the course of his career, Gomes scored 29 goals in 79 matches for the Portuguese National Team, representing his nation in Euro 2000, 2004, and 2008 as well as the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Gomes spent the majority of his club career in Portugal, making nearly 300 appearances for Benfica between 1997-2000 and 2002-2011.

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What do you think of this news? Would you like to see Nuno Gomes in a Cosmos shirt? Do you see him potentially signing with the club?

Comments

  1. When are these U.S. soccer business people going to realize that “have been” players carry no weight with real footballers. I’m so sick of guys like Henry dancing around the pitch and doing next to nothing and getting very big money. These guys do nothing to improve the game in the U.S.A. Guys like Henry only matter to guys who show up at a Red Bull game with their Jets jersey and 8 year old daughters. This Nuno Gomes clown sucked at Benfica (and I love Benfica) for many years and now he’s trying to find another Goose to lay a golden egg. Unfortunately soccer in America just can’t move forward because they keep looking back instead of forward. Too many opportunists and incompetent people with British accents in the way of American soccer moving forward.

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  2. Former players go and train with the ny cosmos because they know that this club is valueable to ny and it has lots of history. They know that training with the young players will get them in better shape and learn to become better players and bring ny cosmos back from its historic roots to new history. Any comments write back to atk2@optonline.net go cosmos

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  3. How long before these Euro agents realize the Cosmos are in the 2nd division in the US? I give it a year and a half….well if the organization lasts that long.

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  4. Wow another guy whose best days were some time around the turn of the century joining Hempstead Cosmos? Nah, only if he can’t find anywhere else in the universe to play.

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