Mic'd Up: The ESPN analyst says La Liga match in Miami will benefit a U.S. soccer fan base that is more passionate than some believe
Herculez Gomez likes the idea of an official La Liga match being played in the U.S., at least, in theory. But it's not for the reason you might think. Some say it's about money, some say it's about soccer imperialism - throwing a product in front of people who don't know what to do with it.
Gomez's perspective is that the December game between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami reinforces a simple fact: America is a soccer country.
"If anybody tells you the United States, is not a soccer country, they're dead wrong. It's a massive soccer country. It's just not a U.S. men's national team or Major League Soccer country," the ESPN+ analyst and host of Futbol Americas tells GOAL.
In some senses, this is a good thing. There are fans here who will pay high prices to watch soccer. But the issue, Gomez argues, is precedent, the soccer version of "opening Pandora's box." And it's not just La Liga or European football that could get involved.
"U.S. Soccer has a neighbor down south whose biggest market happens to be the United States," he says. "Allowing Barcelona and Villarreal to come play in Miami... what's to stop Club America and Chivas coming down to the Rose Bowl? They've sold out 90-plus thousand for a friendly."
That possibility raises larger questions. Will this help or harm MLS? How does U.S. soccer, as a whole, handle the potential match expansion? What seems like a singular moment could ultimately be a pivot point.
Gomez, who also has thoughts on the latest USMNT camp, spoke about the impact of the La Liga match in Miami in Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL taps into the perspective of analysts, announcers and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.