Santos Laguna forward and US international Herculez Gomez buried the hatchet with Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid after Seattle's 2-1 victory against Santos Laguna in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, apologizing for bringing up the duo's checkered past in the media before the game.
“I'd actually like to apologize to him,” Gomez told reporters in the postgame press conference. “It did happen, but it probably shouldn't have been brought up.”
In previous interviews, Gomez said Schmid told him that he couldn't see a future in the game for the then 19-year-old striker when the two were with the LA Galaxy. With a little time to think, the 2010 World Cup veteran admitted that there were more pertinent issues to talk about surrounding the tie.
“I think it took a little bit away from what the real headlines should've been for journalists: two great teams,” Gomez said.
Gomez, who scored Santos' goal in the 61st minute, heaped praise on the setup in Seattle, saying the club has got something special going on with its team and fanbase.
Despite that, Gomez remains confident that last season's Mexican league runner-ups have a good chance of turning the scoreline around down in Torreón next week.
“We're hoping we can make our presence felt at home,” he said. “We've got a great fanbase and so far we're unbeaten at home; I'd like to think we can make our home pitch a very tough place to play.”
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America. He can be reached via tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
WATCH: Gomez scores to make it 1-1
