Sacramento Republic sign goalkeeper Tomas Gomez

Sacramento Republic FC announced their latest roster move for the 2021 season on Friday, with the addition of veteran goalkeeper Tomas Gomez.

The 27-year-old joins after extensive pro experience at the USL Championship level, most recently with Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2020.

“We are very happy to welcome Tomas to the club. He will bring valuable experience that further solidifies our goalkeeping position,” said Republic FC general manager Todd Dunivant in a team statement. “He knows this league well, has had a lot of success in USL, and shares our indomitable mentality.”

A former U.S. youth international, Gomez played NCAA soccer at Georgetown University, before signing with the San Jose Earthquakes for the 2015 season. He didn’t play at MLS level, and moved on to Rochester Rhinos in the USL in 2016-17, winning the league’s Golden Glove award both years, allowing less than a goal per game. He then moved to Saint Louis FC for 2018-19 and saw regular playing time, before reuniting with his old Rochester head coach Bob Lilley at Pittsburgh last year, where he made eight appearances for the Riverhounds.

Gomez has been a starter and could push Rafael Diaz, who had a breakout season in 2020 after mostly serving as a backup in his career, for the starting spot in 2021. It’s also quite possible these two will serve in a timeshare situation in goal, something Gomez has been doing the past few years already. I think this is a good spot to be in, because both Diaz and Gomez have proven they can start and perform at this level, but it also gives some insurance in case one were to get hurt or if head coach Mark Briggs wants to keep both players pushing for a case to be in the lineup weekly.

All in all, this is a good addition and should help Sac Republic’s prospects for 2021.

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