Midfielder Christian Gomez took home most of the silverware at D.C. United's 2006 Awards Reception in downtown Washington on Monday evening, where the unfinished business of the impending MLS Cup Playoffs was clearly on the minds of players, club officials and fans alike.
Such an atmosphere was inevitable given that the reception was sandwiched between a three-game season-ending losing skid and Saturday's playoff opener with the New York Red Bulls. Nonetheless, it gave the club and its most dedicated supporters an opportunity to savor the highlights of a Supporters' Shield-winning campaign and express their optimism for yet another MLS Cup run.
"It's been a decent season," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins. "D.C. United's upper management always wants excellence and perfection every year. But looking back, we won the league in the regular season, so that's one goal that we wanted to accomplish. Obviously with four games left, a Cup championship is more important than anything."
While the reception and accompanying silent auction raised some $36,000 for the club's charitable arm, United for D.C., the evening truly belonged to Gomez. The Argentinean took home his second consecutive team MVP award along with Golden Boot and Fans' Choice honors, underlining his invaluable contributions to the Black-and-Red's success.
"I think it's a manifest of his personality," said head coach Peter Nowak of Gomez, "but also it means a lot to the guys around him. Right now we do not have the players in our league so special as Christian, who alone can win games. Having those qualities as a playmaker and scoring the goals is just an amazing thing."
Defender Bobby Boswell also took home more than his share of hardware, earning Humanitarian of the Year and Defender of the Year plaudits. Marshaling one of the league's stingiest defenses while remaining heavily involved in United's extensive community service programs off the field, Boswell's dual awards marked another milestone in his surprising progress from undrafted rookie to U.S. national team prospect in less than two years.
D.C. assistant coach Tom Soehn recalled Boswell's early days as a trialist during United's 2005 preseason camp and marveled at the Florida International University graduate's rapid progress at the professional level.
"He had a good camp," said Soehn, "so we brought him into our office down there in Bradenton and said, 'the contract's nothing, but it's an opportunity.' Bobby's eyes lit up - he knew it was an opportunity and he was going to run with it. When you look at that day to where he is today, he's come a long way in a short amount of time."
Soehn built a career with Dallas and Chicago as a standout defender in the early days of MLS and often stays on the training field after United practices to tutor Boswell.
"Is he still learning and can he still make progress? Yeah, most definitely," he said of the young center back. "But Bobby plays a lot with his head. He's a smart, smart player, he's got a good soccer brain and that's part of the reason why he's gone so far. He's a real pleasurable kid. He's going to make it a long way and I'm real proud of him."
Another defender took home the Goal of the Year trophy, as Facundo Erpen was recognized for his jaw-dropping long-distance strike against the Red Bulls on April 22, while relentless winger Josh Gros took home the Coaches' Award for his hard work and team spirit.
But the tone of the night's festivities made clear that the entire team has its eyes on a much larger prize - one they hope to lift in Frisco, Texas in just under a month.
"At the beginning of the year we had certain goals for our team as a whole, one of them being the CONCACAF [Champions'] Cup," said Gomez. "We've achieved that goal. The second was winning the MLS Cup on Nov. 12. We're going to do everything within our power and leave everything out on the field in order to achieve that second goal."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
