Gomez to Colorado official (and what it means)

The Colorado Rapids have their playmaker. The question just how much did the Rapids spend to get him?

After agreeing to a trade with D.C. United for his rights, the Rapids signed Argentine midfielder Christian Gomez. The Rapids traded a first-round pick and, according to the Washington Post's Steve Goff, their designated player slot for two years as well.

D.C. United is loving life right now, scoring what could be a high draft pick in 2009 as well as a coveted second DP slot for a player it had no intention of re-signing. After the laughable trade of Freddy Adu to Real Salt Lake last year, a deal that essentially set up D.C. to make many of its signings this off-season, D.C. general manager Dave Kasper officially loves dealing with the Western Conference.

Good deal for the Rapids? On the surface it would seem so, but I'm not convinced. For one, the Rapids still don't have a reliable forward. I know Gomez will score goals and set some up, but I really don't feel like Colorado was just one player away and now the Rapids have dealt away the one mechanism it had to sign a truly high-profile player. Yes, Gomez is good, but he isn't selling many tickets.

Something else to consider is how Gomez will fare playing at altitude. His workrate and fitness levels have been questioned in the past and now he must set up shop in the lung-busting confines of Denver. If the Rapids are serious about letting him forget about defensive responsibilties then Gomez can manage.

The best part is that I'm sure Colorado will trumpet this as the organization proving that it is willing to spend money on a winner. Well, don't be so sure. By dealing its designated player slot, the Rapids won't have to even consider a DP player, which would cost Colorado big money directly. Gomez's contract is a big one (with some estimates putting it a half a million per season), but it is all covered by the league cap since he isn't a DP.

The Rapids have a good starting lineup now but is it good enough to win the West? At best, I give Colorado third place in the West behind Houston and Los Angeles, at worst, they still may be only the fifth best team in the West after Houston, LA, Chivas USA and Dallas.

The picture you see above is not a 2008 Rapids team photo but a picture taken before last year's MLS season opener. Two trades later and the Rapids now have Gomez and defender Facundo Erpen (right) to go with Pablo Mastroeni and Niko Hernandez. I wonder if this picture was hanging in Fernando Clavijo's office all year as he plotted these acquisitions.

What do you think of the deal? Did the Rapids pay WAY TOO MUCH? Did Colorado find the missing piece to a championship puzzle? Has D.C. set itself up as MLS Cup favorites for the next two years? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[Lalique]

Teams should be able to do what they want, but giving a 1st round pick + DP slot for even a player like Gomez is just bad business. This is one time when the League office should have nixed the deal. It's the equivalent of a teenager telling their little sibling that they'll trade him 5 shiny pennies for one crumpled & dirty dollar bill.

[cbr]

DC had zero leverage in this deal..i mean the guy is out of contract.

Im convinced half the teams in MLS have zero intention of using their DP's. They just say they want to hold on to them for trade leverage.

[aristotle]

Lalique:

If Colorado had really traded their DP slot to DC permanently you would be right. However, unlike the disaster of a trade by "Brilliant" Bob Bradley who gave Chivas' DP slot away permanently, this is just for two years. This trade could be risky for Colorado if Gomez works out as well as Erpen did, but taking advantage of a little girl? This two year thing is weird, though. That's what Bradley should have done!

[J]

Ives,

You really think LA is the second best team in the West? I would think Chivas USA or FCD are ahead of them, and RSL could very well shock everyone with some of their acquisitions.

[Jeffrey]

I can't imagine DC getting a better deal than this. Colorado should have traded for Gomez and gotten a DP too. This does not improve a dismal Colorado team enough to make a difference.

[Hincha Tim]

How can Colorado sign Gomez without a DP? I thought the max salary was $400K. He signed a contract that would give him incentives up to $500k. Doesn't that require a DP slot?

[Ed]

LA?? What a joke! LA has NO defense and won't make the playoffs

[KingSnake]

Cluelessvijo, the New Greg Andrulis, always doing *just* enough not to get fired.

[ahelms]

Who ever questioned the work rate and fitness of Gomez? He was a warrior for DC and did more work than any other true 10 in MLS.

[eric]

Wait, am I finally getting a handle on MLS salary structures? I *think* Colorado could use allocation money to go above $400k, without using the DP slot. I think that's how it works.

The whole lack of free agency thing didn't hit home until the Gomez situation. Just so used to it in other sports. But I just can't fathom why Colorado would toss in the 1st rounder, it's fine to sign Gomez and just think of him as the team's DP... but who else where the bidding against?

I'm with J though - Ives is really calling LA #2 in the west?!?

I think Colorado could have been onto something, if they had sold high on Pablo Mastroeni and kept Beckerman, that would've been a great central MF combo. Pablo's still good for MLS, gives hope to the strategy of letting Gomez run the offense and he cover...

[Greifie]

DC players have worried about Gomez defensively. I can't seem to find the exact quote, but while he was a warrior on offense, no one seemed to dispute his lack of enthusiasm when he didn't have the ball.

[sidefoot]

What it means:

Colorado = DC United dumping ground

DC = Rich getting richer.

[jeremy]

as a DC fan, i like the deal, but i don't think Colorado's getting fleeced. it sounds like they had no intention of using their DP anyway, so they traded a spot they wouldn't use for a player DC wouldn't sign. the big difference is the draft pick.

i might be biased, though, because Gomez has been my favorite player in the league for the last three years. if he plays with as much heart for the Rapids as he did for DCU, they'll have at least improved.

[Ives]

Guys, I do rate LA as No. 2 in the West based on the team having David Beckham and Carlos Ruiz for a full season. Considering all the drama and problems last year the Galaxy still came pretty close to a playoff spot. With Beckham for a full season and Ruiz up top, I rate them there. Whether or not they're No. 2 I still rate LA ahead of Colorado, with or without Gomez.

[J]

Ives,

They are talented on offense, but they have a goalkeeper who's rarely been a starter and a backline that consists of old, injured, and inexperienced players. They have arguably the weakest defense in the league at this point. And that doesn't include the fact that half their salary cap is tied up in three players, which means lots of low-end talent. Unless they plan to turn every game into a shootout, they will be in a world of hurt.

[kpugs]

Unbelievable. This league continues to be a joke, from what Metro gave up to sign a coach who DIDN'T WANT to be in Chicago to this travesty of a "trade."

The worst part is that this stuff continues to happen, and there is no end in sight. Stuff like this is why we are a joke to the real footballing nations of the world.

Jeremy...you are a moron. Thank you, drive through.

[Kire]

LA second best in the west? Sure they can be expected to score a lot of goals, but aren't they missing a defense? I suppose they did surge last year but I don't know. I'll believe it when I see it.

United has put themselves in a good position this year. It'll take awhile to integrate all the new faces and then we'll see the true worth of the signings. As a United fan I'm feeling pretty good but it's hardly a sure thing that everyone will work out well. Thumbs up on this deal that's for sure!

[wendel]

Until LA gets a goal keeper to replace cannon they wont go anywhere. he carried that team last year and without him, even with beckham and ruiz, they are lacking a lot.

i think chivas will be a team to beat in the west given that have were so good last year and havn't lost anything really important and add esky for forward depth. they're also getting guzan in goal at least until the summer. houston needs forwards and who knows how much onstad has left (even though he had an awesome season last year).

[aristotle]

wendel:

His name is Steve Cronin and he looks pretty good.

[Rapidos Fan]

Great move by Colorado. We have an absoltely horrible team, Christian is a massive improvement. Great move Calvijo, would you please resign now so that we can get a real coach who can work with these new players?

[PC]

Colorado's position is actually very simple Their guaranteed contract with Gomez uses all the cap space of a dp and the clubs portion of the cost is the traded dp slot and some allocation. The length of time DC gets the Colorado DP is the same as Gomez's contract. This is a much different position then Chivas. Colorado's budget might not allow for a true dp so they get a proven player not a bad deal for a team with limited resources.

[KingSnake]

If the league has a "salary cap", should not all the teams have the same resources? Theoretically. Sort of. Maybe. If the moon is in Cancer. If the GM did not blow Gazidis.

[Tom]

I'm a DCU fan and think this deal is a win-win. The addition of Gomez will definitely improve Colorado immediately. The draft picks and DP slot are worth something but only have speculative value while Gomez is a known commodity.

I would gladly give back the draft picks and the DP slot to resign Gomez.

[Fred]

What would have happened had Colorado waited? When was Gomez going to be out of contract? Couldn't they have signed him then without giving DC anything?

[Jeremy]

The only way the Rapids get better is by getting rid of Clavijo. If the front office wanted a team that was a success on the field, they would have fired him last season.

[Stan]

Colorado looks pretty good to me, needs one more forward to look really good, but pretty good already.

GK: Condoul--good young keeper fresh off a shot of confidence from the ANC.
D: Erpen, Prideaux, Petke, Ugo--since the league did away with the YI designation, Colorado actually got the better of DC on the Erpen/Vanney trade. And though he's prone to the boners from time to time, there's a lot of solid experience around him.
M: Mastro, Clark, Cooke, C. Gomez -- this is one of the best midfields in the league, maybe the best after Gallardo/Simms/Olsen/Fred.
F: H. Gomez, C. Casey

Depth: Peterson, Hilgenbrinck, Ballouchy, Colacula, Niko H., Gargan. Very strong.

As for the DP, if you're looking for someone sexy find a girlfriend. If you want to improve your team, this deal accomplished that.

[gel65]

the galaxy defense will be fine as long as nobody gets hurt,their starters will be fine,but they have no depth for the backline.cronin will be very good this year and get better as the season goes and he gets more experience.

[Beckster]

Win for DC. Gomez wasn't a big factor last year. His offseason conditioning is a problem and he just doesn't get going until a couple of months into the season. Will be interesting to see how he does at altitude. May help Colorado - jury out.

[wahleyed]

I don't know who 'won', but the Rapids certainly got better yesterday. Actually, I'm hoping we have 2 'new' players this year -- Pablo hardly played for us at all last year between USMNT duty, injury and card accumulation.

[Josh]

I like the trade (thought I think Colorado gave up too much)and, as Stan said, I think it gives the Rapids a pretty good starting XI and good depth - but that is all contingent upon the coach utilizing the best XI in the right way and not running them silly every practcie instead of actually working on honing their skills

So no worries since Clavijo is gone....oh, wait....he's STILL the coach you say?

Oh yeah...well, maybe he had a lobotamy in the offseason.

[Joey]

As a Rapids fan I want to share Stan's perspective and have some optimism as regards their prospective first-team, but I have reservations.

A Gomez/Pablo tandem in the center of the field makes me a little nervous given their ages. How much more productivity does Gomez possess, especially at altitude (as Ives pointed out)? Pablo is increasingly prone to picking up foolish cards, and he's not getting younger or quicker. Besides, whatever happened with the Rapids' purported attempts to trade Pablo? Obviously nobody was buying, so now having dumped a great two-way young player in Beckerman (who would have been an interesting pairing with the older Gomez) for a (sometimes) offensive mid in Ballouchy, the Rapids are forced to depend on an aging Pablo to serve as the primary defensive mid again. I don't question Pablo's work rate or integrity, but his quickness, man-to-man coverage and decision-making are looking shaky. And Gomez isn't going to offer reliable help in tracking back defensively.

Up front, the Rapids are looking REALLY shaky. Casey and Herculez are both coming off major knee injuries and rehab, with Casey out at least until May. And he's only marginally productive when fit. Jacob Peterson and Omar Cummings have shown some flashes, but not sure there's much to be excited about up top.

I still see Bouna and Ugo as the strongest spots on this team, with Colin Clark showing real flashes of brilliance.

[Mary]

Colorodo is looking like the DC dumping grounds... Prideaux, Petke, Erpen and Gomez!? I'm not against those players, so this isn't meant to be a negative comment... just an observation...

[Xiphosis]

"At best, I give Colorado third place in the West behind Houston and Los Angeles"

Lol? You'd rank the traveling circus higher than Chivas?

You've gotta be joking me.

[jeremy]

kpugs: not sure how i'm a moron.

is it because my favorite player is a pretty good #10 who's spent the last three years playing for my favorite team?

is it because i don't think Colorado made a terrible move by doing what they needed to do, under current league rules, to acquire acquire a guy who won the MVP two years ago and has led his team to two consecutive Supporters' Shields?

i don't think i'm going out on a limb by saying that Gomez is going to be a lot more productive than an unoccupied DP slot.

i'm sorry you don't like the league rules, kpugs. a lot of things about MLS are a little chintzy but they've been set up to give the league the best chance to succeed. anyway, since you're so awesome maybe you shouldn't be wasting your time complaining about transactions in the US, which isn't a REAL footballing nation, anyway, right? go masturbate to some Premiership highlights or something.

[Will]

How can you trade a DP slot for 2 years? That's silly. A trade isn't a loan, so far as I know. "Trade" implies permanence in my books. If DC were to loan Gomez to Colorado for some financial compensation, that would make sense to me. Trading a DP slot for 2 years does not.

MLS has some silly trade rules that need to be fixed ASAP (the allocation money thing is another one, but maybe that's just because I don't get it).

[BrianK]

I think this is a good deal for Colorado. They are getting a good player in Gomez. He is a known quantity and probably has something to prove to DC for letting him move on.

[Bonji]

What this trade shows is that The Rapids and owner KSE are not willing to splash the cash on a DP. Since they're not, they should trade the right to use it. At least they got some value for it.