On May 25, 2010, Herculez Gomez punched in a goal for the U.S. men’s soccer team at Rentschler Field, a ray of light in the second half of a 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic at Rentschler Field, and it vaulted him onto the team for that year’s World Cup.
Among the 36,000 in the stadium that day was a local kid. Patrick Agyemang, 9 years old, was watching and began to dream about being down there on the turf with the USMNT.
“Crazy,” said Gomez, now one of ESPN’s soccer analysts. “… Unbelievable story.”
Agyemang, 24, who grew up a corner kick or two from the stadium in East Hartford, will be in the lineup when the U.S. plays Turkey at Rentschler on June 7. He was called up from his MLS team, Charlotte FC, this week and added to the 27-man roster for June matches, with the Gold Cup matches to follow.
From East Hartford to a top MLS draft pick, Patrick Agyemang may have bloomed late but he’s made up for lost time
“He may not have the pedigree of some of the (forwards) in that pool, who were playing in Europe at a young age, with top set-ups and resources or recognition,” Gomez said. “But he’s got a skill set that not many in the pool have, the size of the kid, athleticism, the ability to win duels in the air, to get in behind, how much of a handful he is, his speed.
“He’s got a nose for the goal, one of those intangibles that goal-scorers must have. The ball finds you, you find the ball, that sixth sense. That’s a handful for any defender around the world.”
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, Agyemang’s story will surely become an international phenomenon, the almost unfathomable rise from East Hartford High, where he didn’t start right away, to Division III college soccer at Eastern Connecticut, then to Rhode Island, to MLS and to the USMNT, scoring three goals in his first four caps.
But when Coach Mauricio Pochettino announced his roster, it raised a few eyebrows. Many of the familiar names are not on it, including Christian Pulisic, the team’s most prominent player, who scored a memorable goal in the loss to Germany last time the U.S. team played in East Hartford. He’s dealing with injuries and fatigue from his season with AC Milan and will step back for a bit.
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“Before, you had a national team where if there were 26 on the roster, 25 were playing on European teams,” Gomez said. “Now you have 17 of 27 culled from Major League Soccer. There seems to be lot of doubt right now as to how this team has been assembled and the chips that are at the disposal for Pochettino to play.”
With the World Cup a year away, it is unusual to be auditioning younger players now, so Gomez is not sure what the objectives will be for the U.S. on June 7.
“If you hear what Pochettino has been saying, he seems to be sending a message about players wanting to be here, players trying to win their spot and not be comfortable,” Gomez said. “I’m all for that, but a year out from the World Cup, it’s not really about identifying players, it’s about solidifying the project you have, that you have been working on for quite some time.”
Pochettino does have a few players who were on the World Cup team in 2022, including goalkeeper Matt Turner, who played at Fairfield. But in revealing the roster he said he is trying to create competition and looking for energy — and where there is uncertainty there is opportunity for a dynamic player to break through.
“It’s a great opportunity for different players to challenge and to try to get a place in one year’s time for the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “That is really important for us. What we want to create in our national team is people desperate to come to perform.”
Agyemang, 6 feet 4, has 32 goals in 56 games for Charlotte FC, an indication of the game-changing explosiveness he can bring to the U.S, team, perhaps something no other player in the U.S. pool can add.
“If you’re a coach and (Agyemang) is not your starter,” Gomez said, “and the game calls for somebody to shake something up, somebody to make something out of nothing, somebody to be a difference maker, having a player with those intangibles can come in very handy. I think that gives him an advantage over other (candidates). … When he has played, he’s scored, and take it from a guy who used that same ability to get onto the U.S. national team for the World Cup.
“I had an opportunity in East Hartford right before the World Cup, coming on at halftime and scoring and I heard it from the coaches, ‘One of the reasons we brought you on is you have this knack of scoring goals in limited time.’”
More for your Sunday Read:
West Hartford’s Casey D’Annolfo goes for title
Casey D’Annolfo, from Conard-West Hartford, will coach Tufts men’s lacrosse in the Division III national championship game for the second time in three years. The Jumbos (22-0) play Dickinson on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Gillette Stadium for the trophy.
D’Annolfo, who took over at his college alma mater in 2016, has a 144-18 record at Tufts.Steve Pikiell, the former UConn basketball captain and coach at Rutgers, also has some stake in the lacrosse finals. His daughter, Liv Pikiell, is playing for the unbeaten North Carolina women’s team, which defeated Florida 20-4 in the semifinals Friday, and will play Northwestern on Sunday for the championship..
Boldly charging into Division I at warp speed, this CT school may find sailing not always smooth
Charging ahead in football
The University of New Haven, moving to Division I next season, has reworked and released its football schedule for 2025. The Chargers will play as an independent program, with a mix of Division II, III and FCS opponents, including a few of its future conference rivals from the NEC. All things considered, it’s a pretty good slate for a program in transition.
Road games include Marist, Mercyhurst, Albany, Duquesne, LIU and Sacred Heart. Home games include Saginaw Valley State, Pace, Western Connecticut and Merrimack. Duquesne, LIU and Mercyhurst are NEC opponents, Sacred Heart and Merrimack are FCS independents who play for a “Yankee Conference title.” Marist plays in the FCS Pioneer League, Albany in the CAA, Pace and Saginaw Valley are Division II, WCSU is D-III.
Sunday short takes
*The phrase “we don’t rebuild, we reload” has become a tired mantra and, in fact, very wishful thinking in many places. But UConn men’s and women’s basketball, with their brand and access to the transfer portal, can claim this offseason as a legit reload. Joe Lunardi projects the men as a No. 1 seed. The women, with two big gets in the portal in Kayleigh Heckel and Serah Williams, are poised for Geno Auriemma to go for the baker’s dozen.
Brad Horrigan/The Hartford Courant
Wethersfield’s Nicole Gwynn has finished s distinguished college career. (Courant file photo)
*Ran into John Gwynn, “microwave” scorer on UConn men’s 1989-90 Dream Season team, and his daughter, Nicole this week. Nicole Gwynn, who played at Wethersfield High, just finished her college career at Georgia Southern with 1,569 points, and is now hoping to play overseas. In 2023, while at Queens (N.C.) University, she scored 26 in a game vs. LSU.
*Windsor High has announced its latest class of Hall of Fame inductees during its baseball game against Tolland at Dunkin Park this week. They are: Terrance Knighton (’04), football, basketball, who played in the NFL from 2009-16; Wayne Dobrutsky (’79), football/baseball; Mairin Dudek (’98), soccer, softball; Paul Lepak (’04), soccer; Cole Ormsby (’13), football; Michael Phang (’14), soccer, track; Kelsey Jepsen (’14), swimming; Dominique Fox, coach; Neil Beaulieu, contributor. They will be inducted Nov. 1 at LaNote in East Windsor. More information will be at the Hall of Fame’s website.
*Some exciting movement for local baseball players in the pros this week. Waterford’s Mike Burrows, who finished last season with the Pirates and picked up a late-season win at Yankee Stadium, was recalled from Triple A to make his first MLB start Thursday. He allowed four runs in five innings vs. Milwaukee. … Frank Mozzicato, from Ellington and East Catholic, Royals first-round pick in 2021, was moved up to Double A Northwest Arkansas this week, a crucial step. He allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings in his first start. … Former UConn slugger Kyler “The Warden” Fedko, with the Twins Double A affiliate in Wichita, has eight home runs already.
*Rookie of the year Steph Castle wasn’t the only UConn guy making a mark with the Spurs. Mike Noyes of Granby, a high-IQ walk-on who eventually earned a scholarship during the Kevin Ollie era, is an assistant coach/director of player development. Noyes graduated from UConn with his degree in math and actuarial science in 2017, then worked for the Grizzlies as data scientist and video coordinator. This is the type of career path that often leads to high places in the NBA.
*UNH is planning a memorial service for its legendary baseball coach, Frank “Porky” Vieira on June 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the school’s baseball field. Vieira died April 25 at age 91.
*Earlier this month, SCSU hired Joe Loth to be its new football coach. Loth was 77-45 with six postseason appearances in 12 seasons at Western Connecticut.
Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: Soto, Judge, Knicks in a NY minute; Paige Bueckers’ challenge and more
Last word
Whatever it is that appears to be eating Juan Soto, the Mets need to address it forcefully and fast, as it has risen from social media banter to take on a life of its own. Two months into a 15-year, three-quarter billion dollar contract, he has not looked, or sounded like the same confident, exuberant player he was across town. If the narrative that he regrets his choice begins to harden like cement, it will be very difficult to get completely rid of it.
Originally Published: May 24, 2025 at 10:10 AM EDT
