Reaching Goals by Scoring Goals
Hana D.
Since graduating from Maine West in 2013, alumni Xavier Gomez has embarked on an exciting career in Major League Soccer. After his successful college career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Gomez was drafted by Minnesota United FC at the 2018 Major League Soccer Superdraft. Before college, Gomez played in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy with Chicago Magic PSG, as well as on the Maine West soccer team. Additionally, he was named by Top Drawer Soccer, a premier college soccer recruiting ranker, as one of the top 20 players to watch in both 2010 and 2011.
Gomez has been playing since he was six years old and says that major league soccer has always been a dream of his. His Maine West soccer team was one thing that helped create the path to Major League Soccer and to reach his dream. “The Maine West soccer team prepared me [for Minnesota United] by the culture that was there. There was a great brotherhood among my team. This allowed me to learn to always fight for the guy next to me on the field,” Gomez said. The team Gomez is on now, however, is more demanding and much more stressful than the laid-back soccer team he was part of in high school. “It’s a job now, so there’s small room for error,” he said.
Gomez encourages students playing soccer today to take advantage of their opportunities. “Every day you step on that Maine West soccer field is a chance to get better, so don’t take that chance for granted. This sport is only growing and you’d be very surprised at what doors it can open for you.”
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