The Bakersfield Brigade (www.BakersfieldBrigade.com), Bakersfield’s own Premier Development League (PDL) soccer team, announced today that MLS Veteran Francisco Gomez has accepted the position as Head Coach of the PDL team.

“We are extremely excited to have Francisco join our club as Head Coach,” stated Brigade General Manager Joe Jimenez. “Francisco’s playing experience and understanding of the professional process will be instrumental in the future development of our club and players,” added Jimenez.

Gomez is an 8 year Major League Soccer (MLS) veteran who turned pro at the age of 19. Born in Watsonville, CA, Gomez captained the U17 U.S. National Team which played in the FIFA U17 1995 World Championships in Ecuador. He was also a member of the U20 U.S. National Team that played in the FIFA U20 World Cup in Nigeria. The Kansas City Wizards (of the MLS) picked up Gomez in 1999 where he played for four years which included a MLS Cup title in 2000 and a Lamar Open Cup title in 2004. Gomez then went on to play for the Chivas USA (of the MLS) in their inaugural season and remained there until his release in 2006. Over the course of his MLS career, Gomez played both Midfield and Defense in 135 games and scored 13 goals. Gomez joined the Brigade in June of ’06 and played with the Brigade in their remaining four games of the season, scoring a total of four goals. Gomez then signed with Miami FC of the USL’s First Division to finish out the 2006 year.

"I’m very excited to be a part of the Brigade organization and to be able to bring my experience to the younger players in an effort to help them achieve their dreams just like I did,” stated Gomez. 

The Bakersfield Brigade Soccer Club Franchise is a PDL team, playing within the United Soccer Leagues’ PDL Southwestern Conference which is made up of ten teams throughout California. League play begins in April and goes through July 2007.