Currently away from the Highmark Stadium pitch in his hometown of St. Louis, Tomas Gomez has taken up yoga and reading along with his normal workouts.
“It’s similar to the offseason when you have all that time to yourself,” Gomez said. “For the most part, I’ve done a lot of working out.”
Soccer is something that has been a part of Gomez’s life ever since he was a child. His father, who played the sport himself, had a large role of passing the love of the game on to the goalkeeper.
When he was about 5 years old, Gomez began playing soccer. And he started on the frontline instead of in the net. Once he reached high school, he was faced with a decision.
“I played baseball and soccer,” Gomez said. “I played both of those up until high school, and high school is when I decided to go with the soccer path. I always was ambitious and wanted to play Division I soccer. Fortunately for me, I was able to play at Georgetown University. My time at Georgetown is what made me realize I could be a professional.”
After his collegiate career with the Hoyas, Gomez was drafted by Columbus Crew SC with the No. 60 overall selection of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. He did not sign with Crew SC, but instead spent the 2015 campaign with the San Jose Earthquakes. He did not appear in a match for the Earthquakes.
So when Gomez arrived with the Rochester Rhinos under head coach Bob Lilley in 2016, he would get a strong taste of professional soccer. Off the bat, he showed tremendous success en route to winning the USL Championship’s Golden Gloves Award in 2016 and 2017.
The keeper will look to have similar success this year with the Hounds.
“I’m excited to join a club that finished very high in the standings last year and made a run at a championship,” Gomez said. “It’s good to reunite with coach Lilley because I’ve had success under him while I was in Rochester.”
In addition to reuniting with Lilley, Gomez will also rejoin a slew of teammates. While in Rochester, his path previously crossed with Steevan Dos Santos, Jordan Dover, Kenardo Forbes and Ryan James.
“Being able to play in a beautiful stadium on the waterfront with a beautiful view,” Gomez said about what he’s looking forward to in 2020. “I’ve heard wonderful things about the fans and how the following for Pittsburgh has grown tremendously over the last year or two. It’s exciting times around the club and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
