WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United announced today that the club has acquired the playing rights to Christian Gomez and signed the Argentine midfielder to a new contract. Per League and team policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gomez joined United on loan on August 14th, remaining a fixture in the Black-and-Red midfield the remainder of the 2004 season. The MLS Cup champions are 10-2-2 in all competitions since Gomez arrived in the Nations Capital.
"Re-signing Christian was a priority for our team this off-season," said United President and CEO Kevin Payne. "It was clear that he had a tremendous impact on the field for our team and we look forward to an even more productive season from him in 2005."
After making his first appearance against Columbus on August 21st, Gomez quickly found his footing, creating many dangerous chances in the attacking midfield. He scored four goals on the 2004 season, two of which were nominated for the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week. His two-goal performance against the MetroStars in the final game of the regular season propelled Gomez to his first honor as Player of the Week.
During his 13-year career in the Argentine First and Second Divisions prior to joining D.C. United, Gomez amassed 79 goals in 345 matches. He began his professional career during the 1991-92 season with Nueva Chicago in the Second Division (Serie B). In six seasons with Nueva Chicago, Gomez scored 46 goals in 155 games. In 1997, he joined First Division (Serie A) power Independiente of Avellaneda, totaling 12 goals in 80 appearances through the 1999-2000 season. During his stay at Independiente, Gomez made appearances for the "Rojos" in the Supercopa and Copa Mercosur tournaments.
Gomez also spent part of the 1999-2000 season with Argentinos Juniors, another top-flight club in Argentina's Serie A. He returned to Serie B side Nueva Chicago for the 2000-01 campaign and helped the club gain promotion to the First Division for the 2001-02 season. He registered 14 goals in 63 matches during his second stint with Nueva Chicago.
For the 2002-03 season, Gomez re-joined Independiente and tallied one goal in 10 appearances before moving to First Division side Arsenal, his most recent club, where he tallied six goals in 30 games during the 2003-04 season.
