Value Judgment

The Argentine economic collapse of December 2001 devalued the currency by two thirds, vaporized citizens' savings and led to a revolving door of five presidents in two weeks. Suddenly it was far more attractive to earn, say, dollars instead of pesos, and skilled Argentines fanned out across the globe--soccer players included. "I never thought about coming here, but the devaluation changed our way of thinking," says D.C. United midfielder Christian G�mez, who joined MLS in 2004 after 13 years as a pro in his native country. "But it wasn't solely about the money. Coming to the U.S. seemed like a good idea, an opportunity."

G�mez's earning power is going up and up, and the favorable exchange rate isn't the only reason. At week's end the 31-year-old playmaker had 10 goals to go with a team-high nine assists and was the biggest reason that D.C. (a league-best 14-4-10) was the heavy favorite to win its record fifth league title. "Christian has been the engine in our midfield," says United coach Peter Nowak. "There aren't many true playmakers in this league who have so much impact on one team. We know what kind of qualities he can bring to the table: free kicks, corner kicks, his passing, his vision. It's old-school playmaking, and it's very rare in this athletic world of soccer right now."

Not since the days of fellow South Americans Carlos Valderrama ( Colombia) and Marco Etcheverry ( Bolivia) has an MLS midfield maestro enjoyed a season quite like the one G�mez is having. As the most influential player on MLS's top side, he's the leading choice for MVP. "He's one of the best players this league has ever seen," says United midfielder Ben Olsen. "Sometimes you get playmakers who don't deal with the defensive side, or who can spring balls but can't run with the ball. But Christian is doing everything for us. He has no real weakness."

In many ways G�mez represents the ideal foreign signing for MLS: an under-the-radar player in the prime of his career who's both entertaining and inexpensive. (He'll earn a laughably low guaranteed salary of $182,000 this season as part of a contract that runs through 2008.) In his first season G�mez provided United with its first true playmaker in years, helping the team to the MLS Cup. After an All-Star season in 2005, he has further asserted himself this year by taking over games with timely goals, dead-eye passing and pinpoint set pieces. What's more, G�mez has found a kindred spirit in Nowak, a former playmaker and Poland team captain who is a candidate to become the next coach of the U.S. national team. "Peter wants everyone to be good with the ball and to be patient, to find exactly the moment to go to the goal," says G�mez. "And when we get the goal, we need to manage the ball and control the game. That's how we get results."

In addition to his surpassing talent, G�mez brings a welcome dose of Argentina's legendary appetite for f�tbol. During a late-season game in New Jersey last year against the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls), the television cameras caught a remarkable sight in the stands. Was that really Christian G�mez banging a drum with United's hard-core fans? Indeed it was. Suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, G�mez drove to the game on his own and watched from the stands, like any other D.C. supporter. "In Argentina we live with a lot of passion, and we were losing 1--0 at halftime," G�mez says. "So at the start of the second half some Argentine fans called up to me, and I went over and picked up a drum and started playing. The fans liked it, and we ended up winning 4--1."

G�mez's natural enthusiasm (he had no idea the TV cameras would catch him) was just one of many signs that he has grown comfortable in his new home. He and his Argentine teammates, midfielder Matias Donnet and defender Facundo Erpen, along with Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno, live within 10 minutes of each other in the suburbs of northern Virginia, and they almost always ride to training in the same car. Their families--including G�mez's wife, Claudia, and twins Gabriel and Augustina--often gather for barbecues on their days off. "We're always among friends here," G�mez says with a smile.

It's a ringing endorsement for a place that's fast becoming Buenos Aires on the Potomac.