Christian Gomez has thrived in Major League Soccer since his arrival from Argentina in August of 2004, but real stardom beckoned when the D.C. United playmaker took his game to the next level last year, earning league MVP honors and almost single-handedly carrying his team for long stretches.
But as with so many other leading lights over the league's history, all that success has proven to be a double-edged sword. Opposing coaches and defenders are training their sights on United's No. 10, going to great lengths to deny him space and practically inviting D.C.'s other players to beat them instead. That strategy has helped keep a lid on what was expected to be one of the league's most explosive attacks - United is presently tied for sixth place in team scoring with a disappointing 1.20 goals per game.
"Sometimes I'm not getting enough touches on the ball, so I have to realize that and come look for the ball often," said Gomez. "It's a little bit frustrating, but that's the way teams are playing me right now. The ball needs to go through me, I think, in order for us to be effective on the attack, and right now it's not going through enough."
The crafty Argentinean prefers to drift in and out of the hole just behind United's strikers, exposing defenses with quick combinations and smart interplay with Jaime Moreno. But teams have adapted, often collapsing three or more defenders around Gomez when he receives the ball, and in some cases specifically assigning defensive midfielders to shadow him around the field.
"He's going to have days where they're smothering him - what can he do?" asked Ben Olsen. "If a guy wants to mark you out of the game, he can mark you out of the game. It's really tough to play when someone's assignment is to keep you from getting the ball and is going to be up your (back) the entire game."
Olsen, who has appeared in a multitude of midfield roles this season, has worked hard to take advantage of the extra attention paid to his teammate by roaming forward aggressively and trying more shots from distance. But as teams continue to clog the center of the field against United, Gomez knows the importance of using width more consistently.
"I have to be more intelligent on the field and play more to the flanks, and let other players like Benny have more space in the middle so they can create," he said.
There has been speculation Gomez's form has been affected by the lack of resolution to his contract talks, which both player and club have apparently shelved until after the season. The 32-year-old's current deal expires at the end of this year and he would like to be compensated at a level commensurate with other top MLS stars. But his coach contends that the veteran's professionalism would not allow the situation to become a distraction.
"Right now we're going to keep it at a hiatus," says Tom Soehn of the contract negotiations, "and it's still his job, and he's going to come to work. When you ask me, I don't think so, because I know he wants it bad - and you can see when the plays break down, he's aggravated. It's more of a frustration on the soccer side."
Just as his team broke their losing streak with a four-point haul from last week's two home matches against New England and Chivas USA, Gomez showed signs of resurgence with a nimble goal against Chivas - and those around him noted a shift in his demeanor.
"You go through stretches where now things don't go your way and then there's a stretch where every bounce goes your way," said Soehn on Tuesday, "and all it takes sometimes is one play to go your way ... he made some good plays, he got the goal and you see a different swagger in his step today."
Gomez might be well on the way towards recovering his mojo, but the onus remains on his teammates to exploit the openings left when the opposition are bent on restraining the MVP.
"It's important for other people to step up," said Olsen. "If they're keying on him, there's more space for others, and we need to pick up the slack for him. Some other guys need to start punishing other teams and then they'll have to key on somebody else. And then we'll go from there."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
