When the U.S. played England to a 1-1 tie in Rustenburg on Saturday night, the most heartbreaking moment for forward Herculez Gomez came right at the final whistle.
Gomez was standing on the sideline, waiting to come on as a substitute, but the match ended just before he had the chance to make his World Cup debut.
All of which has made him hungrier than ever to get some minutes on Friday afternoon when the U.S. plays Slovenia at Ellis Park.
“I have to constantly keep reminding myself that I belong,” Gomez told reporters earlier in the week at the U.S. base camp in Irene. “During training sessions, slowly but surely my confidence keeps growing.
Full story: U.S. team vows not to take Slovenia lightly – latimes.com