Though Christian Gomez helped D.C. United to an MLS Cup title in 2004 after coming into the league late in this season, he admits he was still a raw product at the time.
Two years and one MVP trophy later, it's safe to say he has refined his game. Gomez was named the 2006 Honda MLS MVP Thursday at Pizza Hut Park, beating out Real Salt Lake's Jeff Cunningham and Houston Dynamo's Dwayne De Rosario.
"It's my third season and to be named league MVP makes me very happy," Gomez said via translator. "It means I've done things well."
Back in 2004, there were things Gomez says he didn't do well. He says he had trouble acclimating to his teammates and that at times his play didn't fit in.
"I think that in August 2004 (my teammates) talked to me but I played my game, my style," Gomez said. "Now I understand. We know each other better. With one look I know how my teammate is going to move and this helps me to play better on the field."
The Argentinean credits Bolivian teammate Jaime Moreno for helping his transition over the past two-plus seasons.
"With Jaime from when I got here, we've understood each other," Gomez said. "We've stayed in the same rooms together (for away games), we've done everything together with our families, and that helps a lot to make me more comfortable with United and in Washington."
It's clear that the understanding was there this season for Gomez and his United compatriots.
The Black-and-Red tore through the league before the All-Star break, going unbeaten in 14 straight games from early May to late July and racing out to an insurmountable lead in the Eastern Conference. Gomez was at the heart of what seemed to be a juggernaut, pulling the strings in midfield to deliver the final pass or charging ahead himself to provide a lethal strike.
Gomez finished the season tied for second in the league in both goals and assists, with 14 and 11 respectively. He earned a selection to the MLS All-Star team that defeated English Premier League champions Chelsea FC 1-0 and is a shoe-in to be named to the RadioShack Best XI this weekend.
"I don't know if we expected him to be the league MVP (when he joined United in 2004), but it's certainly richly deserved," said United President and CEO Kevin Payne. "We were pretty confident he was going to make a big difference for our team and certainly we knew pretty early in his tenure with our team he was going to be special.
"I'm not surprised at this at all. I don't think there's any question that he was the league's MVP this year."
In 21 of his 30 games played, Gomez registered either a goal or an assist, and United posted a 13-5-3 record when he got on the scoresheet while going 3-2-4 in games where he was shut out.
Even when United struggled toward the end of the season, going just 2-5-4 after the All-Star Game, Gomez was still on top of his game. He was arguably the only United player at peak performance in D.C.'s Eastern Conference Semifinal Series against the New York Red Bulls, scoring both goals in United's 2-1 aggregate-goals victory.
"He was terrific all year long. He's terrific in big games, he's a great professional," Payne said. "He shows up even in those games in the middle of the summer when you kind of hit the doldrums a little bit. He still plays well then. He's a great player."
Gomez said winning the MVP trophy helps at least a little bit to ease the pain of United's defeat in the Eastern Conference Championship game against the New England Revolution on Sunday. He said the award really ought to go to his entire team.
"This trophy is for all of us," Gomez said. "You can score the goal or make the assist, but your teammate steals the ball, goes to the ground and makes the effort. The trophy is for one person but it has to be about everyone because everyone helped."
On two occasions this season, Gomez earned MLS Player of the Week honors. His first win came in Week 23, when he scored twice in the first half in a 2-1 victory over Chivas USA. The second came in Week 26 after Gomez played a part in all of D.C.'s goals in a 4-3 victory over the Red Bulls. He started off by forcing an own goal from a free kick, then scored one of his own and assisted on two more.
Gomez is the second D.C. United player to win the league MVP award after Marco Etcheverry, who like Gomez wore No. 10, won it in 1998. He is also the first Argentinian player to win any individual MLS year-end award, let alone the MVP honor.
The league MVP award is the biggest feather in Gomez's cap this postseason, but not the only one. He also won D.C. United's Golden Boot, MVP and Fans' Choice awards, and he's a likely choice for the RadioShack Best XI.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
