Gomez taking change in stride

Rapids midfielder adjusts to new teammates, styles of play

By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Published May 2, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Photo by Linda Mcconnell / Special To The Rocky

Rapids midfielder Christian Gomez is getting used to his new surroundings, including Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, after spending three-plus seasons with D.C. United.

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No matter where Christian Gomez looks -- on the field with his new Rapids teammates or off the pitch as he finds his way in a new city -- the veteran is reminded of how challenging the adjustment has been since he was acquired by Colorado nearly three months ago.

The playmaking midfielder and former Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player was brought in to infuse life into the Rapids attack, but he has been limited on that front through the first five matches because myriad injuries have kept the club's other top attackers on the sideline.

"I'm still learning how different individuals play and how to play together in the field," said Gomez, 33. "Many players have been injured. It's a long season, so we're waiting for everyone to get healthy to become a whole team."

Two of the team's top three returning goal scorers from last year, Jovan Kirovski and Conor Casey, have yet to play because of injuries. And Herculez Gomez is playing limited minutes because of offseason knee surgery.

Off the field, Christian Gomez's transition has been just as difficult. After spending the past three-plus seasons with D.C. United, he is learning his way around town, an endeavor that has included loneliness, given that his wife and twin 11-year-old daughters still are in Washington.

"I'm here alone. My wife and children are back in D.C. I'm accustomed to being with my family, so it is difficult to be alone. It's more of a mellow, relaxed place here and people have received me very well. The fans, the team, everyone has received me very well."

Gomez, stifled by the Rapids' injury situation, hasn't quite rounded into the form that made him the league MVP in 2006.

No one hopes that form returns Sunday more than Gomez, who will get his first opportunity to face his former team when D.C. United visits Dick's Sporting Goods Park (1 p.m., Altitude).

New challenge

Gomez was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where soccer rules. Working his way through the youth ranks, he signed his first pro contract when he was 17, joining Nueva Chicago.

"I grew up in a neighborhood in Buenos Aires where anywhere there is a piece of open land, even if it is between two buildings, people are playing," Gomez said. "People are playing all the time. Any time of day, you can encounter a soccer game in the neighborhood. They breathe football. It's life."

After more than a dozen years playing in Argentina's professional leagues, Gomez got the itch for a new challenge. D.C. United scouted him in 2002, but his club team was seeking a transfer too steep for United to handle.

Two years later, once Gomez's contract expired, such obstacles no longer were a deal breaker. Gomez signed with United and scored four goals in nine matches down the stretch during its 2004 MLS Cup championship season.

"In 2004, my contract was finished, so there was no transfer fee. I was like a free agent," said Gomez, who expects his family to join him as soon as he buys a home in the area. "It was easier with no club involved. I wanted to play in another country. I had always played in Buenos Aires. I wanted to experiment and experience something new."

Gomez thrived with D.C., scoring at least 10 goals in each of his three full seasons with United and earning an All-Star berth each year. But his relations with the team became strained even before United signed Argentine midfielder Marcelo Gallardo in January.

The 5-foot-8, 157-pound Gomez, sharing a similar skill set with Gallardo, knew he was expendable, eventually agreeing to terms with Colorado on a two-year contract worth about $430,000 a year.

New start

The Rapids paid a steep price to obtain Gomez. Not only did they give United their first-round pick in the 2009 draft, they also reportedly forfeited their designated player allocation, the so-called "David Beckham rule" that allows MLS clubs to exceed the salary cap to sign specific foreign standouts.

On one hand, the move handcuffs the Rapids from targeting intriguing international prospects. On the other, it can be argued they would have been hard-pressed to use their designated player allocation to land an athlete of Gomez's caliber.

"I would believe if you looked at D.C. United and us -- they got Gallardo and we have Christian Gomez. I'll take Christian Gomez any time," Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo said.

"Is Christian Gomez a DP-caliber player? Yes. Did we get the best part of it? Yes. When you bring in a designated player, you don't know what you are going to get. It's an unproven commodity in the United States.

"We have a unique situation traveling all over the place, and some people don't fit in. New culture, everything is different. If we made the right decision, only time will say. But I'll tell you right now -- I'm very happy the way things have transpired."

The game against Gomez's former teammates Sunday comes at a time when the Rapids' early optimism has given way to offensive frustrations similar to what the team endured last season.

Gomez scored his first Colorado goal, in the opener, on a penalty kick as the Rapids scored four goals in a victory. Since then, the Rapids have scored only four goals while losing three of four and they have only two goals in their past three matches.

"The reason why we haven't figured it out yet is that we have so many people out," Clavijo said. "We're still bringing them in and we're still learning about each other. The more we have healthy people coming back to practice, the more you get to see them together."

Highest-paid MLS players

Player Team Salary*

David Beckham Los Angeles $6.5 million

Cuauhtemoc Blanco Chicago $2.67 million

Marcelo Gallardo D.C. United $1.87 million

Juan Pablo Angel New York $1.59 million

Claudio Reyna New York $1.27 million

Landon Donovan Los Angeles $900,000

Claudio Lopez Kansas City $820,000

Carlos Ruiz Los Angeles $460,000

Christian Gomez Colorado $430,000

Dulio Davino FC Dallas $400,000

*Includes base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over term of contract.

Source: Major League Soccer players union

Glasgow Gasher

Pairing Christian Gomez with attackers who complement his skills is a challenge the Rapids hope they addressed with the signing last month of Scottish striker Tom McManus.

The forward, 27, spent his entire career in Scotland before signing with the Rapids on April 10, and he is expected to help Gomez inject offense into a team that scored the second-fewest goals in Major League Soccer last season.

McManus has appeared in three matches, and he made an encouraging mark in his first start, last week at Chicago, scoring his first goal with the Rapids, off an assist from Gomez.

Numbers game

3 consecutive seasons in which Gomez has scored at least 10 goals. No Rapids player has scored more than seven goals in either of the past two seasons, and only once in the past four seasons has a Rapids player scored at least 10 goals (Jeff Cunningham, 12 in 2005).

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