<table> </table> At times, Herculez Gomez looked very much like a newcomer trying to find his way among strangers. But he was almost always on the move, hovering around that last defender, biding his time for that one opportunity to gather in a pass from a teammate and fire the ball into the goal.</p><p>Near the end of a wet and chilly Wizards practice this week, that&#8217;s just what Gomez &#8212; the team&#8217;s newest member &#8212; did, breaking free down the right sideline with the ball and burying his shot.</p><p>It was a perfect example of what the Wizards hope to get out of the 26-year-old forward after acquiring him Wednesday from the Colorado Rapids.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a very good attacking player who gives us more depth in our attack,&#8221; Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said of Gomez. &#8220;For us, (the trade was) a no-brainer.&#8221;</p><p>The Wizards, who at 6-8-8 with 26 points sit in a tie for sixth and last place in Major League Soccer&#8217;s Eastern Conference going into today&#8217;s match against the Dynamo in Houston, have just eight games and less than two months remaining in the regular season.</p><p>But Onalfo stressed that the trade for Gomez, which sent two 2009 draft picks and allocation money to the Rapids, should not be considered a quick fix for a Wizards attack that has struggled to score all season.</p><p>&#8220;In this league, to pull off trades that can help you is very difficult,&#8221; Onalfo said. &#8220;In fact, we&#8217;ve been working on this one for the last two months.</p><p>&#8220;More than being for the short term, this is for the future.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not putting anything on Herculez&#8217;s shoulders as far as us making the playoffs.&#8221;</p><p>That being said, the Wizards certainly could use the kind of talents Gomez has shown in MLS, especially in 2005, when the 5-foot-10, 160-pound Los Angeles native rang up 11 goals and two assists in helping the Galaxy win both the U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup.</p><p>Gomez scored in his debut with the Rapids in 2007, and his fast start earned him a call-up to the U.S. national team. But injuries &#8212; a series of hamstring strains and, ultimately, a torn ACL &#8212; reduced his playing time and production.</p><p>&#8220;I think I can duplicate that (&#8217;05 season) if I can stay healthy,&#8221; Gomez said.</p><p>Onalfo said to expect Gomez to come off the bench at some point in today&#8217;s match, hopefully to provide some fresh legs and a second-half energy boost, either at forward or as a wide midfielder.</p><p>&#8220;Hopefully, I can spark this team, do whatever I can to help this team win some games,&#8221; Gomez said. &#8220;I look at this team and just can&#8217;t believe it hasn&#8217;t been getting results.</p><p>&#8220;If this team can make the playoffs, then I&#8217;ll feel good about playing a part in that.&#8221;