Gabriel Gomez Called Up to Panama National Team: A Fan’s Reaction

Posted Sunday, May 27, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

After the Philadelphia Union played against the Toronto FC on Saturday, May 26, 2012, the Union will be temporarily losing one of the top players on the team. After that game, Gabriel Gomez is traveling back to Panama where he will play for the national soccer team in an effort to qualify for the World Cup. Gomez will be returning to the team after a game on June 12. Luckily for the Union, the team will not be playing any regular season games. The team will be playing in two friendly games and one tournament game during his absence. So far this season, Gomez has scored half of the goals the team has gotten. In addition to the four goals he has scored, the midfielder has played over 800 minutes in 10 games.

The player will miss one important game during his time away. On Tuesday, May 29, 2012, the Union will be hosting its first U.S. Cup game. The Rochester Rhinos will be traveling to face the Union in the third round of the tournament. The winning team will be advancing to the next round while the losing team will be eliminated. The Rhinos, a USL Pro team, have previously won the tournament in 1999. This may be a tough opponent for the struggling Union as the Rhinos have only one loss. The Rhinos also have one tie. The team is simply having a great season.

Playing in the World Cup qualifying matches is a great opportunity for Gomez and this is not as bad as it seems for the Union. The team will not be playing any regular season games so no matter how the team plays, it will not impact the regular season standings. The main problem is that the team could be using the break to be working on cohesion and teamwork but without one of the major players, that may be difficult. This is one of the problems that is almost inevitable when a team is stacked with international players. Hopefully, despite the player's absence, the team will be able to use the break to regroup and to play some great soccer against the Rochester Rhinos.

Kristin Watt lives in central Pennsylvania and has no local major league sports teams in the area. She has chosen to adopt many of Philadelphia's teams, including the Philadelphia Union, as her own home teams. Philadelphia is close enough to make a day trip out of the game and still not have to get a hotel room.