“Nothing In Life Ever Gets Done By People Who Half-Ass It”: Herculez Gomez On Passion, Pride, And Perseverance

Herculez Gomez (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

What Does It Mean to Be a Chicano?

If you’re César Chávez, who helped countless laborers achieve better wages and working conditions by organizing strikes and boycotts, it means standing up for your people. If you’re Ellen Ochoa, who became the first Latina woman to go into space after serving on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, it means shooting for the stars. If you’re Herculez Gomez, it means putting 100% into whatever you set your mind to.

“Nothing in life ever gets done by people who half-ass it; you have to be fully invested,” stated Gomez in an exclusive RG interview. “I am overbearing with my children in that if they’re going to do something, I don’t want them to half-ass it. I want them to understand that you need to have a passion for something.”

If there’s anybody who knows about the importance of passion, it’s Gomez. It’s this passion that took him from an unheralded prospect out of high school, making just $40 a month and living with his parents, to winning scoring titles in Mexico and competing on the biggest stage in all of sports. And it’s this passion that has seen him emerge as one of ESPN’s most revered soccer pundits, both in English and Spanish.

Growing up on the West Coast

The oldest of five siblings, Gomez was born in Los Angeles but raised in nearby Oxnard by his parents, both of whom left Mexico for the U.S. during their adolescence in search of a better life. Known for its rich agricultural production of lima beans, strawberries, and other crops, it was here in Oxnard where Chávez helped gather field workers and register voters, laying the groundwork for his future activism. And it was here where various fighting prodigies like Fernando Vargas and Robert Garcia polished their skills at La Colonia Youth Boxing Club before racking up titles at the professional level.

Whereas his brother Ulysses made a name for himself as a professional fighter in MMA and the UFC, Herculez had his head turned by soccer since day one. On Saturdays, he’d play for his team, and on Sundays, he’d cram into the bleachers of ‘El Parque del Sol’ alongside 600 other spectators to watch his father’s amateur team play.

“My dad stopped playing at a fairly young age and started coaching; that was his passion. My most vivid memories were going to watch my dad’s team. For as long as I can remember, that’s all you did.”

When Herculez was eight, his family headed east for Las Vegas, where he started to take his soccer skills to a new level thanks to the father of one of his teammates, who served as his benefactor and paid for all of the astronomical costs associated with U.S. youth soccer—be that registration fees for Olympic Development Program camps or travel expenses.

Gomez’s story is one of grit, perseverance, and deep community ties—rooted in his Chicano identity. Today, he uses his platform to advocate for reform in the youth system and to inspire others to give back, just as others once did for him.

Trying His Luck in Mexico

Desperate to kick off his professional journey, Gomez decided to eschew collegiate soccer and move to Mexico. He started playing for Cruz Azul’s reserves in 2001 before transferring to fellow second-division team Aguilas Blancas de Puebla and eventually making the move to Liga MX side Durango.

“Going to play in Mexico, I felt technically and tactically deficient because I didn’t have that soccer background. I was playing catch-up because I wanted to play in the first division, whereas these other players were playing catch-up because they wanted to feed their families. This Colombian player, Andrés Rentería, joined me on the Santos first team – at 16, he was the head of the household for 20 people who moved with him to Mexico; everyone depended on him.”

“I still feel that the average American player lacks resilience. The biggest culture shock for American players going abroad is finding a cutthroat soccer culture outside of this market: ‘Oh, this is a job! Somebody else’s livelihood and families depend on what they’re doing on the field.’ When I got to certain teams in Mexico, they’d treat you not just as ‘El Gringo’ but as the outsider. Some guys wouldn’t talk to you or pass you the ball on the pitch or in practice sessions, and you realize that you’re taking somebody’s spot—one of their friends, or maybe themselves. You’re taking food off their plate or somebody else’s plate.”

With playing opportunities hard to come by, Gomez decided to return to the USA and join USL D-3 Pro League side San Diego Gauchos, where he finished as the team’s top scorer with 17 goals and attracted the attention of MLS powerhouse Los Angeles Galaxy, who signed him to their squad.

“It was a little strange when I was 19 and playing in MLS because I was a good four years younger than everybody else.

The norm was, ‘You go to the draft, and after you finish your senior year, you’re playing Major League Soccer as a rookie.’ I didn’t do the draft; I started trying to play professionally day in, day out in Mexico. I didn’t have a spring/fall schedule since leaving high school at 18. When I was 19, I got to the Galaxy; we had 24 guys on the roster, there was no reserve team or academy, so I was basically a practice dummy—whether that was crossing the ball to Carlos Reese or receiving balls from Mauricio Cienfuegos or trying to win headers off Alexi Lalas.”

Making a Name for Himself in MLS

Gomez was then loaned out to United Soccer Leagues side Seattle Sounders, only to break his foot and endure a lengthy recovery process. After playing for San Diego Sockers in the Major Indoor Soccer League, Gomez returned to the Galaxy on a developmental contract and eventually earned a place in the first team. The striker was forced to bide his time on the bench until finally getting a chance in the starting line-up after Landon Donovan was called up for the USA for the Concacaf Gold Cup. Gomez gripped the opportunity with both hands by scoring four goals and an assist in July 2005, going from a complete rookie to one of the most in-form players in MLS. He scored 18 goals in 30 appearances, none more important than his sensational scissor kick in the Galaxy’s 1-0 victory vs. FC Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup Final. Two months later, he completed the domestic double by winning the biggest prize in American soccer: the MLS Cup.

After being traded to the Colorado Rapids in December 2006, Gomez scored the first goal in the history of Colorado’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and quickly became an integral fixture in the Rapids’ attack. It was more than enough to pique the interest of USMNT head coach Bob Bradley, who called him up for the 2007 Copa América. For the first time ever, Gomez was going to be playing for the Stars and Stripes—and he was going to be doing so in the oldest international tournament in the game, playing 21 minutes vs. Argentina and 45 vs. Colombia. Little did he know it, but his upward momentum would quickly come to a halt after tearing his ACL in a training session in September 2007.

“Nowadays, if you’re a young player who’s showing quality and capacity, your team will want to lock you into a long-term contract and ensure a proper transfer fee. Back then, MLS didn’t care: I was a developmental player making $1,200 a month with the Galaxy. They said, ‘Congratulations on being the team MVP and winning two trophies, we’re going to pick up your next four option years at $2,000 per year,’ so I’m going to fulfill a 5-year contract with MLS until I can get out. I then go to the Copa and think, ‘I’m a national team player now, my contract’s going to get better,’ and I come back from the national team, and within a week, the knee snaps. You hear this sound in your body, a loud crack, you’re naive at 25, you think your career is over, you’re never going to be the same player again. It’s seven months of solitude; it really takes a toll on you mentally, but it’s one of those things where you gotta go through it to get out to the other side and really appreciate it.”

One year after rupturing his ACL, Gomez was traded to the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City), where he made 42 appearances. Whilst negotiating a new deal with Wiz’s general manager Peter Vermes, the head coach Curt Onalfo got fired, and Vermes put the contract talks on hold in order to coach the team. By the time the 2009 season ended, Gomez got a letter from the Wiz stating that the original offer was off the table; instead, it was a $20,000 increase to take his annual earnings to $70,000. He was released from his contract and spent the next month holed up in a 24 Hour Fitness gym, hoping and praying that the phone would ring. Eventually, an old contact from Mexico called him up about a potential move to Puebla. It was only a five-month contract, but it was nevertheless a raise that took his monthly wages to $10,000. Gomez quickly asserted himself as one of the best players in Liga MX and became the first American to finish as top scorer of a foreign league after bagging 10 goals in 15 Liga MX appearances for Los Camoteros. It’s why Bradley decided to recall him after three years out and give him a chance at the biggest tournament in sport, with Gomez playing in all four of the USA’s matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

He bounced around from Mexican sides Pachuca and Tecos before joining Santos Laguna, where he scored 11 goals in his first 12 appearances to lead the Laguneros to the 2012 Primera División Clausura title; in doing so, he became the first player to win the highest honor in American and Mexican soccer. He followed that up by helping the USA win the 2013 Gold Cup and testing his skills at Tijuana, Tigres, and Puebla—where he won the 2015 Copa MX as the tournament’s top scorer—before returning to MLS. He spent a few months with Toronto FC before making the move to Seattle Sounders and emerging as a key veteran presence in what would prove to be a historic 2016 season.

Going from Playing to Punditry

In the summer of 2016, Gomez decided to work as a TV analyst during the Copa América, and he did well enough to earn a full-time job offer. Instead, Gomez decided to restructure his contract to enable him to accept the league minimum and be able to leave Seattle during international windows in order to work for Fox. Gomez stuck around for a few more months in the Pacific Northwest and helped Seattle win their first-ever MLS Cup before hanging up his boots and transitioning into punditry, moving to Connecticut in January 2017 to work for ESPN. He would later move back to Los Angeles in order to take part in a new show before returning to Connecticut shortly after, although he regularly travels across the United States to cover a multitude of sports for ESPN—from soccer to baseball to UFC to F1—he recently flew to Miami in order to cover the Miami Grand Prix.

“I’ve had an interesting footballing upbringing. I know what it’s like to be the lowest-paid guy on a team and the highest-paid guy on a team. I’m one of 70 million+ Chicanos who live in the US, I’ve been on both sides of the US-Mexico rivalry. On any given day, I can piss off two different nations and a plethora of teams. That just comes with the territory—if you don’t want to be criticized, then just say nothing. If I say something in detriment of Mexican football, even though another Mexican pundit may say the same thing, it carries a little bit more weight because I played for the rival country. If I say something in detriment of MLS or US Soccer, it may come across the wrong way—‘You defended these colors, you defended this flag, you’re supposed to defend the US.’ I take a lot of responsibility for what I say and how I say it. I’m very calculated. You’re not the owner of the truth, you’re the owner of your own opinion, and sometimes your opinion can be wrong.”

The past decade has seen Gomez transition from playing soccer to talking about it on TV, but it’s also seen him go from a bachelor to a family man. He married Televisa reporter Elsie Vargas in 2016 and has since fathered two children: Santiago (4) and Gianna (7).

“From the time she was 4, Gianna could strike a hell of a ball. They both hate soccer right now because it’s what takes away from watching Paw Patrol and Bluey on TV, but I’m trying to push them to play a little soccer right now. I’ll get there eventually.”

“I try to disconnect when I’m not at work: my world revolves around my kids and taking them to school and their weekend activities. I’ve had coaches call or text me, ‘Can we talk?’ and I tell them: ‘Yes, on Monday. Weekends are for family.’”

Back when Gomez was growing up, there weren’t any Hispanic pundits on the main English-language sports networks like ESPN and NBC; if he wanted to see a guy who looked like him talk about sports, he’d have to turn on the Mexican channels. Fast-forward three decades, and Gomez is now providing a voice for the millions of Chicanos (Mexican-Americans) and other Latino kids in the USA. He’s a regular on ESPN, where he co-hosts the English-language Fútbol Americas with Sebastian Salazar, providing equal focus on MLS and Liga MX, shining the spotlight on women’s soccer leagues in both countries, and interviewing North American superstars like Christian Pulisic, Guillermo Ochoa, and Megan Rapinoe. He’s also working as a Spanish-language pundit for ESPN Deportes’ Ahora o Nunca, which received an Emmy nomination in 2024 for Outstanding Studio Show in Spanish, and he also delves into the biggest stories in Concacaf with his VAMOS podcast on the Men In Blazers network.

“The cool thing about a show like Fútbol Americas is that when we first started it, I’d go out to Galaxy games or LAFC games, and I’d have teenagers yelling out ‘Yo man, I watch your show!’ and it felt like a full-circle moment. What I’ve done is a little bit relatable because they’ve consumed sports that way for so many years in a different language. I’m contributing to more like-minded people who feel I’m a reflection of themselves, and that’s important to me. I open doors in Mexico because of what I did. I’m an extremely hard worker, and that’s what I want to be remembered for. The same way that I was inspired to do something in soccer or media, I want to continue that. I want others to feel represented by me and say, ‘That’s possible.’”