Mods, if this isn't news and analysis worthy feel free to move. Goff is reporting that G. Gomez cost Colorado a first round draft pick and their DP slot for the next three years: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2008/02/gomez_deal_announced.html#comments Even though I'm a United supporter that seems like a bit much? How can Colorado's FO justify that price tag for an out of contract player? I realize that Colorado is notoriously frugal, but why restrict your ability to sign a player of the likes of Gallardo or Blanco for three years just to get a player another MLS team didn't think deserved a DP slot? I guess I'm just surprised as I would have thought that a more reasonable trade would have been a couple of picks and some allocation money?
It just means that Colorado had no real plans to use their DP, if Gomez worked out. So it is a conditional deal, in that if Gomez is as effective as say Denilson was for FCD, then the DP slot will remain at Colorado, but if he kicks butt, then Colorado gets an impact player at below DP wages, and DC United can go shopping for a second one. Plus I'm willing to bet that DC will re-trade that first round pick to someone else in a future deal.
I'm not really sure where Goff is reporting that? He writes, "After weeks of contract and trade negotiations, the Christian Gomez deal that sends his rights from DCU to Colorado is now official. As we reported, United received the Rapids' first-round draft pick in 2009 as well as future considerations. What are those considerations? The latest I've heard from multiple sources is that D.C. will have Colorado's designated player slot for at least two years. (United filled its own DP position by signing Marcelo Gallardo last week.)." That doesn't sound conditional to me....
Shouldn't Gomez be at Colorado for free because he's out of contract? Anyway, I think it's more interesting to see how DC uses their 2nd DP slot. They obviously acquired it for a purpose and Gallardo plus another star would be lethal in MLS.
Yeah I must say that was really stupid. But what do you expect, Colorado probably doesn't have scouts. The one who got it the worse is Gomez. Coming from a Championship team with great fan support, to the Leagues worse.
In a world where there is no salary cap, I would agree that Colorado should sign Gomez on a free. If there is no salary cap, DC would have resigned him. The ownership group, which includes an owner of the SF Giants, has paid tons more for a utility infielder in baseball. The salary cap is playing a large role in DCU's ability to resign Gomez. The team is unwilling to risk that much of their budget on a guy who is getting older and may not be able to perform at the same level he has for the past few years.
Quite possibly. I assume the term "future considerations" means the deal is dependant on Gomez's play but really, how well could he play to justify this? Unless he pulls out 2 MVP-worth seasons I don't see how we didn't get owned in this trade, again. Add it to the list of dumb trades since Clavijo took over: 1st round pick for Jovan Kirovski Jeff Cunningham for Clint Mathis Kyle Beckerman for Mehdi Ballouchy (Where's he going to play now that we have Gomez?) 2 years of a DP + 1st round pick for Christian Gomez
I hope that's not a question. You should know the answer about this franchise. They're by far theee worst club in the history of modern soccer. I want to see how happy Gomez is going to be in his 2nd season there after he realize what type of coach he's playing for and what type of club he signed with.
Gomez will continue to be quality...we have no reason to think otherwise. Having said that, it's a great move for United until MLS changes the DP rules and allows more per team. I have a funny feeling that this will happen within the three years that Col and DC just dealt for.
I think trading the DP slot is actually a smart move. I mean, they're going to be paying Gomez max. salary anyway. A DP would just Galaxize their roster. They'd have two players taking up $800K on the cap. The rest of the team would all be from the bargain basement. Basically, the slot had no value to the Rapids once they signed Gomez for two years as that salary. Now, you might be thinking that they could have gotten more for their DP slot. THAT might be true. But before this, only one was traded...and it was traded for a Gomez-caliber player.
A Gomez-caliber player that was under contract. I don't believe that DC would have let Gomez go to Qatar for free if the best offer Colorado made was an allocation and a first round pick. Colorado overpaid for a player that more than likely won't turn in a DP-level performance. If for no other reason than we don't have anyone for him to give the ball to up front. Herc Gomez - Maybe the best hope we have Jovan Kirovski - HAHAHAHAHA Omar Cummings - Second season and a big unknown Conor Casey - out until May/June with a knee injury Jacob Peterson - Last year was supposed to be his big step forward and he didn't take it
So now Colorado gets to risk a large portion of their budget on the same player, and for the privilige DC probably gets a high first round pick and a DP slot so they can rub the rest of the league's noses in it if they wish. Wonderful.
I'm not sure this is so foolish; it only suggests that with Gomez Colorado wasn't going to use it's DP slot anyway during the next two years. Will DC use it either? The DP experiment was approved for three years, so presumably DC got the Rapids DP slot for this season and next. I'm not sure how they would get the cap room to add a DP yet this year -- they still have to free up $325,000 of space, don't they?
Or trade it for picks, players, and money. Or just buy down other contracts with allocation money and fit the new player in that way. I'm just baffled at how well DC has acquired so much bargaining power. It now has two first round picks, an extra DP slot, and more allocation money than anyone else in the league? That's just insane given MLS rules.
DC is in the best position of all teams right now to have another SS season. Congrats DC fans, bastards.
I think time will tell if one team got the better of this deal or not. I'm a bit surprised about those saying Colorado clearly got their clocks cleaned on this. 1. Gomez is proven talent. He put up MVP numbers and performance for 3.5 years in MLS and most of that on teams that had weak outside play (so opposing sides schemed United by congesting the middle of the pitch and daring Josh Gros, Ben Olsen, Fred, Dema Kovalenko or others to prove that they could cross the ball). 2. Make a list of the number of foreign signings who disappointed in this league. Maybe Gomez doesn't have the sizzle of signing a Denilson or Claudio Reyna. But you have no doubt that he isn't showing up thinking this is a vacation, is unable to play in our heat, can't adjust to our refs or physical play. There is something to be said for going for a proven talent (and he is) than gambling on someone outside of MLS (can anyone say....Gilles Grimandi?) who looks worthy of big bucks and has a good pedigree yet is unproven in the league. 3. Effectively, what was lost in some of this debate is that Colorado gave up nothing from their current team. Now some Rapids fans might see that as a bad thing (especially wishing they could have traded their coach...) but from a short-term perspective, that means Colorado got a lot more talented and they gave up nothing they were likely to use right now (unless you assume they could find a DP worthy player prior to August or trade the 2009 first round pick for a better player--DeRosario maybe or Angel?).
Of course if MLS had free agency instead of a monoploy on player contracts within the league, Gomez would have been free to negotiate a salary with any team in the league since he was out of contract without having DC dictate to him what his options were. Now i can't sharpen my claws too much to DC as i would love to do, since they are just playing by the rules MLS has granted. As far as the trade goes, the stakes have now been raised for DP spot value. Guevara set the tone, a MVP Caliber player under contract, now it seems to be a MVP caliber player without a contract + a 1st round pick.
Good point on your part. I still remember some LAG fan posts arguing it was a buyer's market for DP slots, that Pete Vagenas and a 2nd round pick could get a DP slot. Right.
Thats one way to look at it Joe, the other is to sat DC aquired a DP and a 1st round draft pick essentially for nothing. Gomez was out of cotract and could not re-sign with DC anyway due to cap issues and contract issues. He was basicly a gone commodity in DC's eyes. Yet somehow DC managed to get two incredible assests for nothing put a piece of papaer with Gomez's MLS right for 2 years on them. So depending on your perspective a DP costs nothing or everything.
Ah those were the days 2000-2003 when we good/decent and you were crap. Its about time for that cycle to start again don't ya think.