Moving Forward (For A Change)

I guess I'm done complaining for the moment about DC United's off-season. Things have not gone smoothly for the club as the Veron debacle, the goalie shuffle, the Bosworth fire sale, and the Christian Gomez soap opera have all lingered for awhile.

But, it seems maybe some important pieces are starting to come together: United Adds Colombian To Bolster Its Defense

D.C. United added its second foreign player in as many days and bolstered its thin defensive corps yesterday, acquiring veteran central back Gonzalo Martínez from Colombian club Millonarios. Terms were not disclosed.

Martinez, 32, fills a slot vacated by Bobby Boswell, who was traded to Houston last month, and will likely start in United's four-man back-line formation. Martinez was with Italian clubs Udinese, Napoli and Reggina between 2001 and 2004 before moving to the Paraguayan league to play for Olimpia and Libertad. He spent one season with Millonarios of Bogota and has made 36 appearances for Colombia's national team, including World Cup qualifiers and Copa America.

General Manager Dave Kasper called him a "versatile defender with tremendous pace who we feel will add stability and leadership."

I sure hope so. Given Martinez's experience it looks likely, although one still has to wonder about the lack of defensive depth on the United roster. Still, it is a gaping hole that has actually been filled for a change.

What's next? Maybe this:

Meantime, speculation continues to swirl around 2006 MLS most valuable player Christian Gomez, who is out of contract and exploring options abroad as well as being mentioned in MLS trade talks. He could be replaced by Marcelo Gallardo, a former Argentine national team star who has been with French club Paris Saint-Germain. Gallardo told Argentine reporters that he has decided to play in MLS, but did not specifically mention United.

However, sources familiar with the situation said D.C. was approached by Gallardo's representatives.

You should be able to swap out Gallardo for Gomez and not lose anything, so I'd be okay with this. Gomez had a good run in DC, but I certainly understand if he thinks he needs to chase a bigger pay check. Good luck to him.

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