Sam Gomez carries on family lineage, living pro soccer dream with Lubbock Matadors

Sports are ingrained in Sam Gomez’s family bloodline.

Gomez’s grandfather, Tom Redmond, played for the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals from 1960-1965. His older brother, Tomas, is a goalkeeper for Real Salt Lake in the MLS. Gomez’s mother, Cynthia, ran track at Vanderbilt. His other older brother, Dan, and his father, Igancio, played soccer in high school, the latter playing in Colombia before coming to the United States for college.

So, naturally, it makes sense why Gomez plays sports, too.

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Like Tomas, he plays goalkeeper and has started every game for the Lubbock Matadors, an upstart team playing their first season in the semi-professional National Premier Soccer League.

Gomez hopes that extended time on the pitch with the Matadors gives him a chance to play professional soccer, just like Tomas. He’s made almost every life decision for his family; this one is no different.

“(Tomas) definitely paved the way for me and helped me become the goalie I am today, and probably had the biggest influence on my career so far,” Gomez said. “To get to where he is would be amazing.”

Originally from St. Louis, Gomez started playing soccer when he was four. When he saw Tomas play goalkeeper, he wanted to be just like him and started playing the same position.

Gomez has a close relationship with Tomas, his mentor growing up. The two would train together, learning from each other to improve. Tomas would teach Gomez ways to improve his skills, especially on the mental side of playing an isolated position like goalkeeper.

The two would both start at Webster Groves High School. Tomas received three All-State honors from 2007-10, while Gomez won Missouri Class 3 Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017, winning back-to-back state championships in 2014 and 2015.

Tomas received an offer from Georgetown to play in college, which is where he committed in 2011. He made 86 appearances for the Hoyas from 2011-14, with Gomez and his family making efforts to attend as many games as possible. Gomez wanted to be right where his older brother was, just like his younger self.

While watching Tomas play, he fell in love with Syracuse, Georgetown’s rival in the old Big East Conference. The Orange had made five NCAA Tournament appearances during Gomez’s childhood from 2012-2018, becoming Gomez’s dream school. When Syracuse offered Gomez a scholarship in 2018, he took it and headed 889 miles northeast.

“I just thought it'd be really cool because (Georgetown and Syracuse) were rivals,” Gomez said. “I thought I’d get the chance to play Georgetown, and there’s a lot of history between the two schools. So I took the chance of going there.”

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Gomez struggled to adapt to the speed of college soccer and spent his freshman year on the bench in 2018. That season, he learned behind redshirt sophomore Jake Leahy and senior Hendrik Hilpert. Gomez didn’t play a game but was happy with what he learned.

“I'm very grateful that I went there,” Gomez said. “I learned a lot from the goalies who were there my freshman year, and the style that they played is very similar to the style that I've been able to make myself play. I’d say that was what I took out of it the most.”

Going into his sophomore season, Gomez knew he would have a better chance to play if he transferred. He first wanted to see if he could get his chance at Syracuse. But, after failing to gain playing time during the first half of the season, he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in the fall of 2019.

Gomez started looking for a new school, and a family matter made his choice easier.

Ignacio contracted Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. Wanting to be close to him during his recovery, Gomez transferred to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, or SIUE, just 30 minutes away from St. Louis.

A chance to play was his initial motivation to transfer. But, like his previous decisions, Gomez’s family became the reason he did what he did.

“He’s always been there,” Gomez warmly said about the relationship with his father. “He's always been supportive, always calling in asking me how training is going. He’s always tapped into my life and always wants to know how I'm doing not just in soccer but in life as well.”

Ignacio would recover, and Gomez would begin his SIUE career in the spring of 2020.

In one of his first practices with the Cougars, he broke his foot. But, because both Gomez and SIUE trainers thought it was just a bruise, he didn’t miss a game in the 2020 season. When the season concluded, Gomez saw a podiatrist who confirmed he broke it and decided to get surgery on it. He had to miss four months of practice, but Gomez calls it the “best decision he’s made by far.”

“It just taught me to treat every single day like your last,” Gomez said. “You know when you're taken away from the game for four months, you don't really know what you're missing until you actually have to miss it. It kind of just fueled me and has allowed me to be competitive. I’ve pushed myself always. I always want to be me. I'm always competing no matter what it is.”

Still struggling to get playing time, Gomez needed an alternative to pursuing his professional soccer dreams. He asked Cale Wasserman, SIUE’s head coach, to find him a team to play for in the 2022 offseason.

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Wasserman knew Paul Gilbert, the head coach of the newly-created Matadors, and got Gomez in contact with him. Soon, Gomez was on a phone call with Gilbert, who explained what the Matadors could do for him. Seeing an opportunity, Gomez accepted a spot on the team.

“Paul Gilbert showed me a little presentation of what there was to offer,” Gomez said. “I told him right there in that call that I was down to come. It just looked like a very attractive place to be.”

Gomez has enjoyed this season far more than any other, playing regularly for the first time since high school. He’s developed close friendships with most of the Matadors, especially his roommates Mitar Mitrovic, Kodai Kobayashi, Uriel Diaz and Sam Loussou.

As Gomez fights for a place in professional soccer, he’s helped the Matadors fight for a NPSL playoff spot.

Currently, the Matadors are sixth in the Lone Star Conference, just one game back of the five playoff places allocated to the conference in the NPSL’s West Region. The Matadors have one match left, against the four-place Denton Diablos set for 7:30 p.m. at PlainsCapital Park at Lowrey Field.

Gomez has always been a family man. Now, he’s one step closer to emulating some of his family by playing professional sports.

“This is one of the best experiences in my life,” Gomez said about his time in Lubbock. “I’m very grateful to Paul for trusting me in playing games, and even my teammates you who instill confidence in me and allow me to be the best player I can be.

“I'm hoping that after this fall, I'm playing fully professional soccer. That’s my plan.”

LUBBOCK MATADORS VS. DENTON DIABLOS

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: PlainsCapital Park at Lowrey Field

Records: Lubbock Matadors 5-4-2, 17 points, Denton Diablos 7-3-1, 22 points

Of note: Texas Tech men's basketball coach Mark Adams and former Red Raider kicker Jonathan Garibay are scheduled to be at the match.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Sam Gomez hopes to carry on family lineage, pursue pro soccer dreams with Lubbock Matadors