Catching up with Herculez Gomez

Wizards midfielder sits down for Q&A on upcoming season

KCWizards.com

Herculez Gomez helped to spark the Wizards attack after his mid-season arrival from Colorado. (S. Pribyl/Getty)

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Midfielder Herculez Gomez was acquired late in the 2008 season and quickly became a mainstay on the right wing for the Wizards during their strong push for the playoffs. He had surgery Thursday to repair a lateral meniscal tear suffered during the first week of preseason. Gomez hopes to be back fit and ready to play when the Wizards open the season March 21 against Toronto FC at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Kcwizards.com caught up with Gomez for his thoughts on the upcoming season for himself and the Wizards as a team.

Q: You've been on a lot of good teams in your career. How does this year's Wizarads team stack up?
A: I think we are a very good team. At the end of last season we were playing with a lot of confidence and intensity. We were winning games and I think the style we play is attractice to a lot of people. We are a young group but at the same time a very strong group. I think we can do a lot of good things this year.

Q: How about you personally, do you feel like you're settling in to a good situation here in Kansas City?
A: I feel it is a great situation for me here. From a personal standpoint, the coaching staff has given me a lot of confidence. The way the team plays here and the way I've become involved, I think I can have a great career here. I am very excited. I haven't been this excited about soccer in a long time. It's really refreshing, and I have been having a lot of fun. The last time I had that much fun with a team we won two championships in one year. I enjoy going to train every day and enjoy the guys on the team. This is definitely going to be a fun season, and at the same time it's going to be a statement season for our team.

Q: What do the Wizards have to do to become one of the top tier teams in MLS?
A: With any good team they know who they are....They have an identity. Towards the end of the last year I think we found that. We are a hard working team, we have some great players, fantastic players in special positions that can change a game. We just need to continue to make CommunityAmerica Ballpark a hard place to play and then win some more games on the road. That's our goal and we're going to be a hard team to play.

Q: How much does it help that the Wizards bring back almost everyone who was starting at the end of last season?
A: Obviously, it is a benefit if you know your teammates and every move they make. It helps develop consistancy. If you look at the good teams, their core line-ups haven't changed for years, teams like New England or Houston. They have a core group of players, they know each other and work for each other, they die for each other- and that's what we try to establish here. And I think the most important thing is nobody is bigger than the team, everybody is willing to put their piece in, everybody is willing to be a part.

Q: Are you enjoying living in Kansas City?
A: I love it, to be honest. I see people with Kansas City Wizards jerseys on everywhere. People here love their team and everybody knows who we are. I think we are gonna have a great season and people of Kansas City will have something to cheer about.