NEW YORK - D.C. United midfielder Christian Gomez earned Major League Soccer Player of the Week honors for his performance in Saturday's 4-3 win over the New York Red Bulls.
Gomez played a part in all four goals in United's win versus New York. In the 10th minute Gomez delivered a curling free kick that deflected off of Red Bull's defender Carlos Mendes and into the goal for an own goal. He then scored his 11th goal of the season in the 60th minute, giving D.C. United their second goal of the match and a 2-1 advantage. In the 73rd minute, Gomez played a through ball to Ben Olsen who slotted a pass across the goal mouth for Jaime Moreno to finish in the open net. Gomez finished his run of fine play in the 89th minute with an assist on the fourth and game-winning goal scored by Matias Donnet.
Gomez currently ranks third in MLS with 11 goals scored, and his 11 assists lead the league. D.C. United holds a record of 15-4-10, earning the top seed in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The team also gained home field advantage for the entire Eastern Conference Playoffs with their win over the Red Bulls.
In his third year in MLS, Gomez has cemented himself as one of the league's top players. He was a member of the 2005 MLS Best XI squad and a member of the MLS All-Star Team in 2005 and 2006. This is the second time this season Gomez has been awarded Player of the Week honors and the third time during his MLS career.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA).
2006 Player of the Week Winners
Week 1: Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
Week 2: Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)
Week 3: Cornell Glen (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Week 4: Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United)
Week 5: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Week 6: Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo)
Week 7: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
Week 8: Jean Philippe Peguero (New York Red Bulls)
Week 9: Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)
Week 10: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
Week 11: Ante Razov (Chivas USA)
Week 12: Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 13: Troy Perkins (D.C. United)
Week 14: Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution)
Week 15: Nicholas Hernandez (Colorado Rapids)
Week 16: Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas)
Week 17: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)
Week 18: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
Week 19: No winner named (All-Star break)
Week 20: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
Week 21: Chris Klein (Real Salt Lake)
Week 22: Edson Buddle (New York Red Bulls)
Week 23: Christian Gomez (D.C. United)
Week 24: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 25: Joe Cannon (Colorado Rapids)
Week 26: Christian Gomez (D.C. United)
