When D.C. United take the field for their season opener on April 2 at RFK Stadium against Atlantic Cup Rivals the MetroStars, Polish coach Peter Nowak could have as many as four South Americans in his starting 11. In addition to Black-and-Red legend Jaime Moreno (Bolivia), three Argentines -- defender Facundo Erpen, midfielder Christian Gomez and forward Lucio Filomeno -- are all at Nowak's disposal.
The signing of Gomez in the latter part of the 2004 season has opened a virtual pipeline to the soccer-rich continent, as the sublimely skilled playmaker has been key in helping the club discover further talent in his homeland. Erpen and Filomeno are still relatively untested in Major League Soccer, but Gomez has quickly formed a fantastic partnership with Moreno, giving the four-time MLS Cup winners one of the most dangerous attacking duos in the league.
"Because we have the same style we can just look each other in the eye we know what we need to do," Gomez said from the team's training camp headquarters at IMG Academies.
"I think it's just the reading of the game (that) makes it easier for both of us," added Moreno, the only member of all four of United's championship teams. "Probably it's because we come from countries where they play a lot of soccer and we know what kind of game we play."
Last season, the Moreno-Gomez partnership produced a combined 27 goals and 16 assists. Moreno led the club with 16 goals, while Gomez had a team-high nine assists.
Solidifying that kind of understanding has been one of Nowak's goals this offseason. Comparatively, United had a quiet winter, adding some new talent in the MLS SuperDraft and the Supplemental Draft, but not getting involved in either the trade market or the international market.
Instead, Nowak has chosen to let his new players push the veterans, while also allowing his returning squad to continue working together to fulfill what he sees as a great team potential.
"I've always felt that this team has enormous potential," Nowak said. "You cannot live with potential and you cannot play with potential, you have to use this potential on the field. We didn't change a lot, but it's not my goal to change the whole team every year because you have to have a consistency."
It is exactly that consistency that the club is hoping to develop, particularly within their South American contributors. And for their part, the South American players seem content to work with what they already have in place and continue to come together.
"It's good that we don't have a lot of changes because we maintain the same team and the same style of play," said Gomez. "It's good that we have several young kids, but at the same time we can't just have young players, we need to have experience too."
D.C. United president Kevin Payne, technical director Dave Kasper and Nowak have turned to the South Americans to provide that experience.
Moreno is the natural leader for the side, having spent all but one of his 10 years in MLS with United. But Gomez has over 10 years of experience in Argentina's top divisions. Filomeno, while still only 25, has been playing professionally for a decade, while Erpen, the youngest South American at just 22, has experience among Argentina's elite.
If it seems like the club is high on Argentines, well that certainly seems to be the case. Nowak, though, said he's only concerned about one thing: ability.
"I think it's quality," Nowak said. "We always felt -- with our president Kevin Payne and Dave Kasper, because we all make the decision -- we came to a consensus that the guys from Argentina are really something different from Brazilians. They care about the shirt, what kind of (team) logo you have on your shirt. They understand how competitive our league is. They understand what I expect of them."
"Whoever comes here," said Moreno, "we just hope that he brings the knowledge and the help that we need to become a champion."
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
