Johan Gomez, the young American forward making waves in the 2. Bundesliga at Eintracht Braunschweig, joined Footwork to talk about overcoming disappointment in Porto, climbing the ranks, and becoming the best player he can be.
Every week, Dylan and Sean at Footwork Podcast bring you original interviews from players and coaches making their own path around the world. Below we have a short excerpt from their latest podcast guest Johan Gomez. You can find the full interview on your preferred streaming platform here (Footwork Podcast).
One day removed from a tough away loss at the hands of 1. FC Nürnberg, Johan joined us at Footwork within his own podcast studio, which he uses for his Chum Chat podcast.
He’s settled in his apartment in Braunschweig, a northern German city near Hannover with a population of around 250,00.
We began the conversation by talking about the German nuances and our shared networks.
The American-born striker seems at home in his third year in Germany.
It wasn’t always like that, however.
Johan has had some years of transitions, learning a lot on the fly, and away from home. Having left his native Texas for FC Porto at the age of just 18, his recent development as a player and human has always come within a brand-new environment.
First came the excitement.
“[After my first goal], I was training with the first team. I was in the newspapers all the time. They were saying, “can he be the next thing at Porto?”
Next came the hardships.
“[My most difficult moment] was easily the first time I didn’t make a matchday squad with Porto B. Easily.”
We focus so much on the statistics and the output that we often forget how much really goes into the performance. The pressure, the stress, the living away from home.
And when it didn’t work out for Johan at Porto, his stock was still high enough to come back home. He had MLS offers.
But his heart and his mind said to stay in Europe; to make it in one of the sports’ probably top two most prestigious countries.
Even though those coming from the outside perspective sometimes saw this as a backward step, he moved from the European giants of Porto to East Germany’s FSV Zwickau in the 3rd Bundesliga.
“Where?” a common question we would suppose.
Johan knew, however, that deep down it would only help him further develop and create a name in Europe.
It just so turned out, it was exactly what he needed. “I firmly stand on the fact that the 3. Liga is a higher level than the 2nd league in Portugal. I think I took a step forward.”
It was the right move, at the right time. No matter the doubt or whispers.
Two years later he’s a regular starter at Eintracht Braunschweig. He’s not resting on his laurels, however. He wants to produce more for his club and help them retain 2nd Bundesliga status.
It can be difficult to always be in rhythm. A forward’s job is mostly defined by numbers and although we can all disagree on that level of definition, it’s no doubt that it is something that he thinks about.
But again, there can be so much that goes into a player’s overall performance.
Johan knows that he doesn’t always have to overthink or overanalyze it. He has to settle himself and do what he knows he can.
In Germany, he’s found a comfortable new home, one to only build upon more, knowing that he faced uncertainty after Porto’s two-year rollercoaster and that he chose to have faith in himself in each of his transfer moves.
The job is never done.
Find the full podcast episode here: Episode 1:36 Always Wanting More with Johan Gómez.
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