Associated Press
Puebla’s Herculez Gomez, right, celebrates his goal while playing for Puebla during a Mexican soccer league match against Cruz Azul. Gomez is part of the United States World Cup roster.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 | 4:21 p.m.
Former Las Vegas High soccer player Herculez Gomez is one step closer to making the United States' World Cup team.
Gomez was selected Tuesday for the 30-man U.S. preliminary roster, from which coach Bob Bradley will select his final, 23-player team. The team will begin training camp Saturday in Princeton, N.J. They leave for South Africa on May 30 and open June 12 against England.
Gomez, 28, was the first American-born player to lead Mexico's Premier Division in scoring, tallying 10 goals this year for Puebla F.C. He has played twice for the national team for a total of 67 minutes three years ago in the Copa America.
Gomez, one of seven strikers on the preliminary roster, was considered a surprise addition to the player pool. However, Bradley couldn't ignore his goal-scoring surge in the Mexican league.
"Herculez was an important player with Puebla and scored a lot of goals," Bradley said in a statement. "(He has) shown enough for us to take a look at (him) as we start the camp."
Bradley's deadline to submit the final roster is June 1.
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