TORONTO - Having played for more than 10 clubs, Herculez Gomez has long known that soccer is a business.
The veteran striker got another reminder this week when Toronto FC placed him on waivers. Gomez, who turns 34 next month, was simply too expensive and too old to keep.
Gomez signed with Toronto last August but made just seven league appearances — a total of 223 minutes — with one goal. Buried on the depth chart under Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore, he was almost a forgotten man.
Gomez's US$261,000 salary — he would've earned less given his late arrival — was sixth-highest on Toronto's books last year, according to the MLS Players Union.
"As we get (cap) compliant, we want to keep as many guys who are going to be a part of this for the long haul," Toronto head coach Greg Vanney rationalized Wednesday. "Unfortunately it just is what it is."
Gomez wasn't around Wednesday. But in an interview last week at the team's Florida training camp, he seemed to see the writing on the wall with a contract that only ran through June.
Asked if he might still be around after that, he replied: "We'll see."
"It's a great place," he said of Toronto. "It's a great group of guys. It's a great city. But I've learned more than anybody in this game that you shouldn't plan ahead too far. You should just stay in the moment so I'm going to work as hard as I can to try to here at the end of the year."
Less than a week later, he was history. But he likely leaves with few regrets.
"It's been amazing," he said of his soccer journey. "I'm your classic case of an overachiever. I shouldn't have gotten as far as I've gotten or seen the places I've seen.
"I treat everything as an adventure. I'm serious with my work and I'm just enjoying it ... I've had a blast."
Gomez's soccer resume is extensive.
There were MLS stops in Los Angeles, Colorado and Kansas City before Toronto as well as stints in Mexico with Puebla, Pachuca, Estudiantes Tecos, Santos Laguna, Club Tijuana and Tigres. He also spent time in the Cruz Azul system and played for the San Diego Gauchos and Seattle Sounders pre-MLS.
He won titles on both sides of the Mexican border, scored the winner in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final and, with 10 goals in 15 games for Puebla, tied Javier (Chicharito) Hernandez for Mexico's Golden Boot.
Gomez also featured in the 2010 World Cup and was part of the U.S. squad that won the 2013 Gold Cup.
Born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, Gomez was 10 when he moved to Las Vegas. His family still lives there although he and his wife, whom he met while playing in Mexico, have a home in L.A.
The business side of the sport was one of the reasons he left MLS for Mexico after the 2009 season when he turned down a "very disheartening" contract offer from Kansas City. He contemplated quitting soccer but landed in Mexico when Puebla, looking to replace a Paraguayan forward who wanted out, offered him six-month contract after seeing a video highlight tape.
"I went in (with) no expectations," he said. "The first thing the coach said to me when I got there was "Look, I signed you not to play. I signed you to push the guys in front of you. So every day come and work hard, push the guys in front of you so they don't feel complacent. And you'll get paid, you'll get your money.' "
He did just that and ending up as the league's joint-top scorer. His career in Mexico took off with bigger clubs buying him.
He readily admits to playing with a chip on his shoulder. After Pachuca passed him by in a tryout, Gomez couldn't resist reminding the team owner later when they eventually bought him from Puebla.
"You guys had me for free and now you paid $1.8 million," he said.
His unusual first name can be attributed to the 1969 film "Hercules in New York," starring a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. Gomez's father fell in love with the name and resisted all attempts to dissuade him.
Gomez, who says the rare handle has helped him stand out over the years, is known simply as Herc at home although his wife occasionally is more formal.
"If she says Herculez I know I'm in trouble," he said.
A regular and smart user of social media, Gomez has 232,000 Twitter followers, some 3,000 more than Toronto FC.
He sees it as a way to get his personality across undiluted. "So I'm eliminating the middleman," he said, pointing at the reporter interviewing him.
Gomez used social media to make an enigmatic farewell Tuesday.
"Thanks for the memories..." he tweeted with a Maple Leaf attached.
The adventures of Herculez continue.
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