MLS: Top 5 central midfielders in league history
By Matt Coles
2. Christian Gomez
Coming in at No.2 is the first of two midfielders on our list to have been named as the league’s MVP, and a man who only retired last year at the age of 44, Argentina’s Christian Gomez.
The midfielder’s career began back in 1991, where he began his professional days with Nueva Chicago, the club he would also end his playing time with. He also had two spells with Independiente, along with spending time at Argentines Juniors and Arsenal de Sarandi before making the move north to the United States.
MLS Career & Honours:
- D.C. United (2004-2007, 2009)
- Colorado Rapids (2008)
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- MLS MVP – 2006
- MLS Best XI – 2005, 2006, 2007
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- MLS Cup – 2004
- Supporters’ Shield – 2006, 2007
Gomez signed for three-time MLS Cup champions D.C. United midway through the 2004 MLS season and those three titles would soon be added to. United went on to win the MLS Cup for the fourth time in Gomez’s first campaign in the league after the Argentinian had scored four goals in nine regular-season matches at the end of the term. D.C. defeated Kansas City Wizards in the final to become the first team to win four MLS Cups.
The 2005 campaign saw Gomez feature 31 times during the regular season, the most in his six-year career. In those 31 matches, the Argentinian midfielder was able to score 11 goals and record nine assists, with his performances leading to a nomination to the MLS Best XI, the first of his career. He was joined in the side by team-mate Jaime Moreno.
Individually it got even better for the Argentine in 2006, and he notched career-highs in both goals and assists. He netted 14 times throughout the campaign, whilst also setting up a further 11 goals for his team-mates. His performances earned him MVP honours for the 2006 term, as he became first Argentinian player to be named MVP in MLS history, with Guillermo Barros Schelotto following in his footsteps two years later.
The 2006 season saw D.C. United win the Supporters’ Shield for the third time in their history, having last done so in 1999. However, the club were unable to go on and claim their fifth MLS Cup title in the post-season. The same occurred in the 2007 season, as the side from the capital finished top of the league once more. However, they could not capture it all in the playoffs. Gomez was named to the MLS Best XI for a third successive year, alongside team-mates Ben Olsen and Luciano Emilio, with the latter taking home the MVP award.
Gomez would play in Major League Soccer for a further two campaigns, moving to Colorado Rapids for the 2008 campaign, before returning to the capital for what would be his final season in the American top-flight in 2009. He finished his MLS career with over 150 matches under his belt, scoring a total of 52 times across both the regular and post-season, with 40 assists added in for good measure.
Following his time in Major League Soccer, Gomez spent a year with Miami FC in the USSF Division 2 before returning to his native Argentina, where he would go on to play for Nueva Chicago for a third time, tallying nearly 200 league games over the next nine years. He eventually retired at the age of 44, with over 700 league appearances to his name in a career spanning 28 years.