Christian Gomez talks about DC in ARgentina.

This is an article from Argentinas version of the NY times. El Diario Clarin... I can't transalate now because am up to my eyes in work. But a good article.

UN ARGENTINO EN ESTADOS UNIDOS: CHRISTIAN GOMEZ, TAN IDOLO EN EL DC UNITED COMO EN NUEVA CHICAGO
Embajador en Washington






El Gomito se fue a Estados Unidos hace seis meses y ya se dio el gusto de ser campeón. Cuenta, a su manera, cómo le cambió la vida.





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Julio Chiappetta.
jchiappetta@clarin.com






Nunca antes, en sus 30 años, Christian Gomito Gómez había imaginado que pasaría de vivir en Ciudad Evita a un departamento ubicado a 5 cuadras del Pentágono, en la ciudad de La Casa Blanca. Fichado el 14 de agosto, en tres meses dio la vuelta olímpica en el tetracampeón D.C. United, de la MLS, la liga estadounidense que intenta resurgir.

Es uno de los dos argentinos (el otro es Sergio Galván Rey) y debutó frente al Columbus Crew: jugó 13 partidos y convirtió 5 goles. "Me querían traer desde 2002, cuando estaba en Independiente. Se dio ahora porque fue todo muy rápido y la apuesta me salió bien. Tenía ofertas de Chicago pero el presidente Guerra no quiso que volviera. Creyó que lo estaba extorsionando porque no tenía club y no quiso poner más plata. Y en lugar de ir a Córdoba para jugar en Talleres, preferí venir a Estados Unidos", dice desde la fría Washington.

—¿El problema con el titular de Chicago viene de antes?

—Sí. Nunca nos pagó la plata convenida por el ascenso en 2001. Cobró todo en dólares de la AFA y de la TV y nos hizo una tramoya pagándonos en abril de 2002 en pesos devaluados. ¡Y cobramos porque nos asesoró la mamá de un ex compañero que fue jueza! Sino, nos cagaba otra vez... Todavía no cobré el premio por quedarnos en Primera en 2002 porque presentó la convocatoria para no pagar. Sé que los hinchas me adoran; querían juntar plata para pagarme ellos esa deuda. Pero yo no quise; me la tiene que pagar el club. No es casual que todos los jugadores que hicimos historia en Chicago terminamos mal.

—¿Significa que no volverás?

—Me gustaría terminar la carrera en Chicago. Tengo contrato por 3 años pero se renueva tras cada temporada. Ahora protegen a 12 jugadores y soy uno de ellos; los demás fueron al draft.

—¿Y cómo es tu vida?

—Simple, porque hago lo mismo que en Buenos Aires. A los mellizos —Gabriel y Agustina, de 7 años— los pasa a buscar tempranito un bus igualito al de los Simpsons para ir a la escuela. Desayuno con Claudia y me voy a practicar. A la tarde, cuando vuelvo, damos una vuelta y de a poquito me voy acostumbrando a una ciudad como Washington, que tiene un montón de autopistas. Ahora estamos en otoño y a las 5 ya oscurece. La gente vuelve del trabajo y los estacionamientos de los departamentos donde vivo se llenan. El americano es frío pero buena gente. Respetuoso y cumplidor.

—En el desayuno, ¿comés lo mismo que ellos?

-.¡Nooo..! Mi desayuno es bien argentino. Nada de tocino, huevos, panqueques y esas cosas. Mi mujer trajo varios paquetes de yerba para el mate. La carne es un desastre: tiene un gusto raro. Menos mal que está El Patio Argentino donde vimos River-Boca y le dimos al asado con ensalada rusa y a las milanesas con papas fritas. El peligro son los chicos, que ven por TV mucha propaganda sobre comidas rápidas.

—¿Manejás en la autopista?

—Sí. Compré una camioneta y voy con el registro internacional que traje de Argentina. Me largué porque no es un quilombo como en la Ricchieri o la Perito Moreno.

—¿Nunca tuviste problemas?

—Una noche estacioné a una cuadra, frente a un parque, en el único lugarcito que encontré. Al otro día tenía un ticket verde y tuve que pagar 40 dólares de multa. No me di cuenta que la dejé al lado de un grifo de agua. ¡Por eso estaba libre! Y otra vez pasé el límite de velocidad pero zafé porque les mostré el carné del club y les dije don't speak english.

—¿Qué lugares visitaste?

—Por salir campeón, el año que viene vamos a ir a ver a Bush a la Casa Blanca. Cuando cruzamos el puente sobre el río Potomac se ven todos los sitios históricos. Acá fuimos a los juegos, al shopping y a ver el Monumento a Lincoln, donde atrás está la pileta que salió en la película Forrest Gump. Y cuando jugamos en Los Angeles, mi señora llevó a los chicos a Disneylandia. Los invitó la mujer y la hija del presidente Kevin Payne, con quienes nos hicimos amigos. Igual que con el manager Dave Kasper, que recomendó mi contratación, y su mujer Lisette.

—¿Qué te sorprendió?

—Los estadios son espectaculares pero les falta la pasión, el grito de la gente. Nosotros somos como River o Boca. Nos van a ver 15 mil personas y hay dos barras bravas —una de americanos y otra de bolivianos— que inventan cantitos y van a todos lados. Y en lo futbolístico, se corre y se marca mucho, pero en unos años, la Liga tendrá igual nivel que Europa.

—Pará: no vas a decir que Freddy Adu es Maradona...

—Es el ídolo de los chicos pero a Diego no le llega ni a los talones. Juega bien, es rápido, tiene futuro. Le falta experiencia...

He's dead on about Americans the way many Latins describe us--cold but good (natured). Respectful and compliant. (Too compliant, if you ask me.)

I hope this brings more like him to the US. At least the checks don't bounce and arrive on time. And we don't pay in devalued pesos (only devalued dollars).

Last 3 paragraphs (so i do my bit of good for the day )
—¿Qué te sorprendió? What surprised you?

—Los estadios son espectaculares pero les falta la pasión, el grito de la gente. Nosotros somos como River o Boca. Nos van a ver 15 mil personas y hay dos barras bravas —una de americanos y otra de bolivianos— que inventan cantitos y van a todos lados. Y en lo futbolístico, se corre y se marca mucho, pero en unos años, la Liga tendrá igual nivel que Europa.

the stadiums are fantastic but they need more passion, people shouting...We are like Boca or River....15k come to see us and there are two supporters' groups, one made up of Americans, another of Bolivians, who create chants and go everywhere. Futbol-wise, there is lots of running and pressing, but in a few years, this league will have the same level as Europe.
—Pará: no vas a decir que Freddy Adu es Maradona... don't tell me Adu is Maradona, now....

—Es el ídolo de los chicos pero a Diego no le llega ni a los talones. Juega bien, es rápido, tiene futuro. Le falta experiencia...
he is a star for the kids, but he can't compare to him (literally:"can't reach his heels") He plays well, is fast and has a future....He needs more experience

En el desayuno, ¿comés lo mismo que ellos?

-.¡Nooo..! Mi desayuno es bien argentino. Nada de tocino, huevos, panqueques y esas cosas. Mi mujer trajo varios paquetes de yerba para el mate. La carne es un desastre: tiene un gusto raro. Menos mal que está El Patio Argentino donde vimos River-Boca y le dimos al asado con ensalada rusa y a las milanesas con papas fritas. El peligro son los chicos, que ven por TV mucha propaganda sobre comidas rápidas.

And for breakfast, do you eat the same things as them (Americans)?

Noooo! My breakfast is fully Argentine. None of this bacon, eggs, pancakes and that stuff. My woman (wife) brought packets of yerba (herbs) for mate (S. American peppy tea-like drink from a gourd). The meat is a disaster: it has a strange taste (gee, could that be all the hormones we pump into it, or the fact that we turn cattle into cannibals by feeding them the ground-up bones of their brethren?). Not as bad is the El Patio Argentino (restaurant) where we watched River-Boca and they gave us Asado (brazed meat) with Russian salad and french fries. The danger for the kids is when they watch TV with all that propaganda about fast food.

WTF is wrong with the Russian salad? It could be quite tasty, y'know ... but this eliminates any notion of Gomez going to Spartak or Dinamo.

Read again...he says "not as bad is..." Meaning the stuff at El Patio Argentino was better. It's American beef he thinks is disgusting, which for the most part it is, considering where it comes from.

And where he comes from...

From sheep?

I understand his "beef" with American meat completely. Best steak I ever had was in Buenos Aires. Literally, it just tastes better, and US steak is actually pretty good. There might be another country in the world with better steak than Argentina, but you'd have to prove it to me.

great article. He's clearly bitter at the state of the league and owners in Argentina (who are plainly screwing the players with the currency devaluation) and he can't be the only one. There have to be a fair number of reasonably talented Argies that aren't D'alessandro/Tevez but can still play and would like a consistent paycheck.

Touching how the fans in Nueva Chicago wanted to chip in and pay the extra salary his team owed him.

Gomez fails to mention that Chicago was regulated that season... Still the players deserve to get paid.

FWIW, Argentine beef tastes better because the cows there are fed actual grass as opposed to our cows, which are fed grain, steroids and rendered chickens. US cows aren't fed their rendered brethren anymore, and from what I can tell "they" do a good job of policing that for fear of a true mad cow outbreak.

Anyway, cows have four stomaches for a reason: so they can digest grass. Argentines know that - hell, most of the world knows that - which is why their beef tastes better than ours, and why our beef exports have plummetted in the 20 years since deregulation.

a relative of mine, when he came over, noticed the exact same thing......But then again, he felt the same way about Coca Cola and veggies in general, when compared to their equivalents back 'home'.....

Going completely off topic, the vegetables, fruits and meats grown throughout the rest of the Americas are way better than here in the States.

We live in the first world, but that doesn't apply to our food.

Oh, and the reason Coke tastes better over there is because they still use real sugar. We've been using high fructose syrup in our Coke for several years now.

Stop guys, you are making me hungry, and for some reason McDonalds won't do it for me.....And yet, I love America....Don't turn me into a traitor now Love it or leave it!

Yeah, that Simpsons line was hilarious -- that show really is probably one of the biggest ambassadors of American culture in the rest of the world.

And hey, I love the US too, and Peter Luger still cooks up a mean steak, but I still have to give props when they are due, and the Argies deserve it all when it comes to that Pampas fresh free range beef.

I can't remember what the famous cut of meat is though...chuleton maybe? I think it literally means rump but is actually more like a tenderloin. My Spanish is good, but the butcher vocabulary still eludes me.

I could go for a nice asado right now, though.

Mods close this thread please as its strayed away into a whole other topic as usual.

......BTW dead on about the meat!...

Most importantly. He says that the Americans pay on time. That matters more than all his other complaints. In fact if the Americans wanted too they could go to every team in Argentina that hasn't payed it's players and easily bring them over here with very little money. I'm sure they prefer to get payed in US dollars and on time.

Maybe you want to say "bife de chorizo" -- they are good and damn cheap right now

Where's the beef?

If you're ever in Chicago, I recommend dining at Tango Sur on Southport, North of Addison. It's an Argentinian beef restaurant and the food is amazing. I agree, Argentinian beef is better.

NOw this is true about the Coca Cola, the US version of Coke and the Latin American versions are completely different. The Latin American Coke has less sugar in it. My dad brought back Cokes, Pepsi, Fanta from El Salvador and they had a different taste but I've known that for years. I don't know about the meat though, probably true too

So what does he think of American venitalators ?

I have never had such tender, tasty beef as I did in Brazil and Argentina. The closest thing here in the States that I have had is organically raised beef stakes sold at a local ranch here in eastern washington. The rib eyes are about $15.00 per pound but you can cut them with your fork!!

In Brazil, they have a cut called Picanha. It is hands down the best meat I have had and ever will...

On the topic of the sodas with sugar and not corn syrup...

Wait until Passover time rolls around (march or april) and then buy the Coke made specifically with sugar and not corn syrup that is marked with a different color cap. I can't tell you how many people I know, Jewish and non-Jewish, wait until Passover then buy a boat-load of the special soda, and then just hoard the stuff all year. The sodas have different colored caps and if you go any suburban supermarket before the holiday they will be able to direct you towards it. Just be subtle when buying all of it.