By Mike Woitalla
Executive Editor, Soccer America

Argentina is second only to Brazil in supplying talent to leagues around the world, and now Argentine players are making their mark in MLS.

Facundo Erpen (D.C. United)
A GOOD FIT

Elvira Erpen can be proud of her son. Facundo Erpen has been in the USA for a year and never shies away from practicing his English.

Elvira teaches English in Gualeguaychu, an Argentine city of 68,000 that lies 140 miles north of Buenos Aires. SheÆs also a volleyball coach and worked with Facundo on his leaping ability.

His father, Horacio, in charge of the youth ranks at lower division Juventud Unida, coached his three sons and says Facundo always had the temperament to be a defender.

At age 15, Facundo Erpen took eight trips – three-hour bus rides – to Buenos Aires to try out with Boca Juniors before being accepted to its youth academy. After three years, he signed with Second Division Tallares, where he spent five years, helping the club win First Division promotion.

Facundo knew next to nothing about MLS until he saw D.C. United give a strong showing during a 2-1 friendly loss to Chelsea in 2005.

''I thought, 'That looks good,''' says Erpen.

He arrived at D.C. United a month later and joined countryman Christian Gomez, whose arrival in the middle of the 2004 season helped propel the team to its fourth MLS title.

Argentina has exported soccer stars since the market emerged in early 1900s. Three members of ItalyÆs 1934 World Cup-winning team were Argentine transplants. Argentine Alfredo Di Stefano led Real Madrid to five straight European Cup titles (1956-60).

Leagues in Europe and Latin America are stocked with Argentines. Nearly half of the Mexican leagueÆs 85 foreign players hail from Argentina.

Although Mario Gori lifted the first MLS title with D.C. United and Ariel Graziani (who represented Ecuador internationally) scored 44 goals in four seasons (1999-2002), MLS had not taken much advantage of ArgentinaÆs player mill. But ArgentinaÆs economic collapse of 2001 has brought the price down on its talent, while D.C. United has been particularly interested in taking advantage.

''One thing about Argentines, they are very proud to wear the shirt, very professional,'' D.C. United technical director Dave Kasper said. ''They are honored to represent the club and they take that responsibility very seriously.''

Nicolas Hernandez (Colorado)
THRIVING IN DENVER

Nicolas Hernandez canÆt remember exactly how old he was when he attended his first soccer practice, but he knows he was very young and quite small.

''My mother put me on her bike and we rode to the field together'' says the 27-year-old who grew up in the small town of Pehuajo, 200 miles southwest of Buenos Aires. ''I had a hard time concentrating because I kept looking over to make sure my mother was still there. Once I realized she wasnÆt going anywhere, I started to have a good time.''

HeÆs kept his eye on the ball ever since.

At 15, he left home for to join River PlateÆs youth academy. At 18, he signed a pro contract with Ferro Carril Oeste and jumped to First Division Colon de Santa Fe within a year. After stints in Italy, with two more Argentine clubs and ChileÆs Cobreloa, he came to Colorado in 2006.

''I love South American soccer,'' he says. ''but itÆs tremendous here. The excellent fields, facilities, the great organization û the schedule doesnÆt get bounced around week to week û and everybody welcomed me with open arms and made me feel comfortable. I really want to give something back.''

As the Rapids entered the thick of the playoff race, Hernandez led the team in scoring.

Christian Gomez (D.C. United)
PLAYMAKER REVIVED D.C.

Christian Gomez never considered another occupation besides pro soccer and says his family did everything it could to make it happen.

Not so supportive was a neighbor whose flowerbed took a beating when Christian, his brother and friends played daily games and the ball frequently flew into her yard.

She finally snagged the ball and punctured it until it was beyond repair.

But that didnÆt stop Christian. Growing up in the city of Ramos Mejia, he took part in the impromptu tournaments that men in the neighborhood organized so pro teams could get a look at the local children.

Second Division club Nueva Chicago invited Gomez into its youth ranks. By 16, he played for the reserve team and at 17 he made his pro debut.

''My family couldnÆt travel to the game but they listened on the radio,'' says Gomez, 31. ''They got goose bumps when they heard the announcer call my name. They couldnÆt believe they were hearing their sonÆs name on the radio. It was the day when we knew that all the hard work paid off.''

In his sixth season with Nueva Chicago, Gomez scored 23 goals and was bought by Independiente, one of ArgentinaÆs five biggest clubs. After a successful three-year stint with Independiente, he returned to Nueva Chicago and helped the club earn First Division promotion for the first time in two decades.

He returned to Independiente and then spent two years with Arsenal de Sarandi, where he was coached by 1986 Argentine World Cup hero Jorge Burruchaga.

Gomez joined D.C. United, which had struggled since its 1999 title, in the middle of the 2004 season. Coach Peter Nowak called him the missing piece that made the MLS title win possible.

Dario Sala (FC Dallas)
A perfect opportunity

Dario SalaÆs father was sad when at age 12 Dario quit soccer.

''I became the black sheep when I stopped,'' says the 31-year-old FC Dallas goalkeeper who is fluent in English. ''We were a family of goalkeepers – my father, my granddad, my uncle, my cousin were all goalkeepers. My mother, though, was happy. She thought there was too much pressure on me.''

Sala played team handball at his military academy, but he kept a link to soccer because his father ran concessions at a Cordoba stadium and Dario helped sell hamburgers and sodas. He also hung out with the home team and joined them when they warmed up. At 18, he was spotted at one of the stadium kick-arounds by a coach who convinced to give soccer another try.

''My father was totally happy,'' says Salas.

He helped Belgrano Cordoba win promotion to the First Division and then moved to the capital: ''In Argentina, they say, 'God is everywhere but his office in Buenos Aires.'''

He helped Los Andes win First Division promotion and was bought by power River Plate, where teammates included Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola. He played for Independiente on loan and moved to ColombiaÆs Deportivo Cali.

Sala was playing Libertadores Cup games and enjoying stardom, but he started thinking about the USA. His girlfriend and future wife, Chicagoan Margot, whom he had met while she was vacationing in Buenos Aires, couldnÆt visit him in Colombia, where Americans are kidnap targets.

He returned to an Argentina still reeling from economic collapse. His house was robbed twice and Margot received a kidnap threat. So he jumped at the opportunity FC Dallas offered in 2005.

''I love it here,'' says Sala. ''You get a paycheck every 15 days. In South America, sometimes you donÆt see a check for months.''

(This article originally appeared in the September, 2006 issue of Soccer America Magazine.)