On and off the field, Christian Gomez’s transition to the Colorado Rapids has been a difficult one. For one thing, injuries to the likes of Connor Casey, Jovan Kirovski and Herculez Gomez mean that the Argentine playmaker has yet to play with the Rapids’ first-choice front line, and the results — the team is 2-3-0 after five games — have been tepid so far. “I’m still learning how different individuals play and how to play together in the field,” Gomez tells the Rocky Mountain News. “Many players have been injured. It’s a long season, so we’re waiting for everyone to get healthy to become a whole team.”
Life has also been difficult off the field for the former D.C. United player, whose wife and children remain in Washington. “I’m accustomed to being with my family, so it is difficult to be alone,” he says, adding that Denver is “more of a mellow, relaxed place” than his former home.
Meanwhile, Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo is certain that Gomez can return to the sort of form that made him the 2006 MLS MVP. He’ll get a chance to show up his former team and Marcelo Gallardo, the man who took his job, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Sunday. “I would believe if you looked at D.C. United and us — they got Gallardo and we have Christian Gomez. I’ll take Christian Gomez any time,” Clavijo says, adding “Is Christian Gomez a DP-caliber player? Yes. Did we get the best part of [the deal that brought Gomez to Colorado[? Yes.”