- Gomez views Dest as transformative attacking force
- Impressed by fullback’s technical abilities in possession phases
- Concerned about Dest’s recovery following serious ACL injury
Former USMNT start Herculez Gomez noted the importance of Sergiño Dest’s return from ACL surgery and its importance for the وطني team under Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine coach has yet to work with the PSV star due to injury, but Gomez believes he’ll be eager to integrate the technically gifted defender into his system.
“He’s gotta be salivating at the fact that there’s a possibility that Sergino Dest is back to his old self,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast. “Sergino Dest is one of the most important players the U.S men’s national team has. People think of him as just a defender, [but] he hardly defends. What he does when he has the ball in the build-out, the first phase of the game, his quality in the attacking third and the final third, his ability to make good decisions, his ability to eliminate players on the 1v1 dribble. He is one of the most important players, tactically, to any coach’s schemes.
“If you’re Mauricio Pochettino, you think…I have a player I can trust. I have a player who can help me in the build out of my team. I have a player who could be another attacking piece in that final third alongside a Christian Pulisic alongside Timothy Weah, alongside some of these talented players that I have. I finally get to have these players at my disposal at the same time, that’s what I’m thinking if I’m Mauricio Pochettino.”
However, despite praising the former برشلونة fullback, Gomez believes that Dest has had a tough time over the last few years, especially after his ACL injury.
“He did his ACL April last year,” Gomez said. “It was an 11-month recovery, it’s not an easy injury to get over. It’s not an easy injury to mentally, forget about. He’s a tricky, shifty player. He’s a player who takes a lot of risk. He’s very dynamic, very explosive. I certainly will be paying a lot of attention this season with PSV to see if we get the old Sergino Dest.
“And if it’s not the oldest Sergino Dest, if he’s learned anything to become a better Sergino Dest, despite not having that explosiveness. This is one of the biggest players the U.S has right now, and if they have any chance, any chance of doing anything, anything special come 2026 in the كأس العالم. Sergino Dest will be there.”
Dest made only seven league appearances last season for the الدوري الهولندي الممتاز side after returning to full fitness. He has, however, kicked off the 2025-26 season superbly, scoring in نادي بي إس في آيندهوفن‘s 2-1 win in the Johan Cruyff Shield against the Go Ahead Eagles.
Following their win Johan Cruyff Shield, PSV Eindhoven begin preparations for the first game of their league season against Sparta Rotterdam on Aug. 9.
