Coming Home to Boston SCORES: How Erik Gomes Returned to the Program That Built His Confidence

Gomes joined Boston SCORES at Mather Elementary School in 2008 as a quiet third grader and today has come full circle, returning to strengthen partnerships at the program that built his confidence.

When Erik Gomes joined SCORES as a quiet third grader at Mather Elementary in 2008, it didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the program.  

“I kind of loved it from the get-go. I'm Cape Verdean so soccer has always been like something I played but that was kind of the first experience I had with a team you play on a regular basis. And that was kind of where my love kind of for the sport began.” 

Gomes’ love for SCORES and soccer hasn’t dissipated in adulthood. Today, he has come full circle as a Development Officer for Boston SCORES, supporting the very program that helped him build confidence and leadership skills both on and off the field.

Though he’s grown, moved through different careers, and tried different paths, SCORES is still the same organization that brought him out of his shell as an elementary schooler. Returning to SCORES felt like returning to something familiar.

“SCORES is still the same program that it was 15 years ago. Obviously, grown programmatically and all that, but at its core, it's still the same focus on the poet and the athlete.” 

Gomes still describes himself as quiet, just as he did at age eight. But he now understands how being part of a team can bring out confidence even in the shyest person. He remembers his first goal during a jamboree tournament vividly: a tap-in off a corner kick, then sprinting to celebrate with his teammates. Even in that early moment, the joy was collective, rooted in the support he felt from those around him.

That confidence extended far beyond the soccer field. Hesitant at first on the poetry stage, Gomes eventually performed pieces that teachers still recall today. Today, he still carries those lessons with him, whether  on a business call or mentoring a Poet-Athlete. 

“Being solo, forces you to come out of yourself, forces you to be confident. To this day it helps my public speaking, even now as I talk to donors or partners or whatever that may be. Forcing me to get out there and be more confident in myself, both on the soccer field, but also, you know, on the stage, was huge.” 

SCORES was his only public-speaking experience growing up, and he credits much of his adult confidence to it. But his time in the program was interrupted when he moved schools in fifth grade. Unsure whether he could rejoin, he struggled to find a team and drifted away — until adulthood led him back.

A Sport on the Rise

Gomes has witnessed Boston’s soccer landscape transform. With new professional teams arriving in the city, including Boston Legacy in the Professional Women’s League next year, and his home country of Cape Verde qualifying for the World Cup for the first time ever, he sees the sport expansion creating new possibilities for Poet-Athletes. 

“For our little county to kind of be under the world lens as being in the World Cup is huge for us because we’re a small country. Not as many people know of us unless you kind of live around Cape Verdeans,” Gomes said.  

The 2026 World Cup will bring matches to eight cities where SCORES operate including Boston. For Gomes and the SCORES Network, it represents more than a tournament. Just as the 1994 World Cup catalyzed SCORES’ founding and early growth, the return of the world’s biggest sporting event to North America offers a chance to celebrate the diversity of Poet-Athletes across the Network and showcase how soccer connects communities. 

"Having that World Cup as a catalyst for even more growth — we know the '94 World Cup, the MLS formed in the aftermath of that. So as the World Cup comes back, it'll be exciting to see what transpires," he said. "A lot of our kids may have countries in the World Cup. This is the biggest World Cup ever. Exposing people to different countries and cultures is going to be huge for the community as a whole."

Full Circle

Gomes’ career path didn’t immediately follow soccer. After college, Gomes worked in tech sales, applying the collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills SCORES instilled in him. Yet the pull toward the program remained strong, and eventually, he returned. Not as a player, but as someone who could help strengthen Boston SCORES for the next generation.

The transition from tech sales to development felt natural, instead of selling products, he now shares a mission he truly believes in. Now, as a Development Officer and SCORES alumnus, Gomes shares his lived experience with Poet-Athletes and donors alike, offering both connection and example.

"I was a SCORES kid, so I kind of know where they're coming from," he said. "Being able to relate to them on that level is kind of how I gauge that relationship. And when I'm in a Zoom call with a prospect or a donor, I can literally talk to them about what the program is from the eyes of someone who was in the program. It's kind of a cheat code."

Lessons That Last

When asked what advice he’d give to Poet-Athletes taking their first steps in the program, Gomes reflects on what he’s learning both on and off the field. 

“I would say mistakes aren't always bad, because hopefully it's something that you can learn from and use that to guide your experience and use it as something to get better from. Everyone messes up no matter how long you've been playing or how old you are.”

As a kid, Gomes struggled with confidence. As an adult, he’s learned to “fake it ’til you make it” and discovered that confidence often follows action. Whether on the field, the stage, or in his career, he approaches challenges with the same mindset he learned years ago at Mather Elementary.

"Confidence is really key. Even if you have to fake it until you make it, doing everything on the soccer field, on the poetry stage, whatever it may be, do it with confidence. That's how you'll perform at your best," he said. "After a certain while, it won't be you faking it anymore. It'll be kind of who you are and you're just going to be a confident person."

“Like the saying goes, a loss is never a loss. It's a lesson.”