De Rosario in Europe

[pulsar]

Happy new year all....has anyone heard about De Rosario going to europe? Have been looking through some transfor rumour websites and there is only old info. on his offer at Blackburn. There was a story in espn.com about a few teams being interested but no mention of which teams?

[Guest Ed]

He just bought a house in Houston so the rumours may be just rumours. He could probably make more money in Europe but he's sitting pretty in Houston right now; why change?

[youllneverwalkalone]

Because a class footballer should have ambition. Hughes offered him a short-term contract and he declined. It's a mystery why he wouldn't take the chance to prove himself. MLS is a retirement home and will always be there for him. I believe his lack of ambition influences his play for the MNT. He turns down chances to score even more frequently than EPL contracts.

[BrennanFan]

The guy has a wife/kids that deserve more stability than what a short term contract can provide, soccer isnt everything you know. im sure if he wasnt tied down he would have taken it. hope his wife is hot/worth it, as im sure she is responsible for holding back his career, even if it would only be CCC/Scandinavia/Bundesliga 2.

[Daniel]

Dero does what is best for Dero, which might not be what's best for the Canadian fan. Can't fault him on whatever he chooses if he feels it's best for his family and himself.

[Guest Ed]

Daniel nailed it. He established himself as an MVP candidate in the MLS and seems pretty happy there. Why toss it to live a transient's lifestyle in England or Scandinavia without his wife (who has a career of her own in the states). He already had one bad experience in Europe when he was younger.

[Richard]

I suppose then using the same logic the fact that Steve Yserman chose to spend his entire 22 season career in the NHL with one club displayed a lack of ambition on his part!

If De Rosario is happy and comfortable in MLS and making enough money to satisfy his and his family's needs then good for him. There is more to life than soccer, heresy as that might be for some here :-)

[youllneverwalkalone]

No Rich, the applicable analogy would be spending 22 years with the Grand Rapids Griffins, whilst turning down the NHL.

I'm surprised how easily you "men" would be willing to pass up the glory for the missus. I would give my left nut and any one of Daniel's wet dreams to step on an EPL pitch.

Look at David Edgar, one well timed strike and he's a hero on two continents. A few breaks and you could find yourself in a really nice situation.

Worst case scenario, you return to Houston. Not to mention, the lowest EPL salary is what? Maybe 2-3 thousand per week? That's a lot better than he'd do here.

When it comes to reaching the top of professional football, DeRosario lacks ambition. End of story. Sad, because he has the skill.

[Grizzly]

The Yzerman example is totally inappropriate. Yzerman was playing on one of the best if not the best teams in the top professional hockey league in the world. Criticizing him for staying with Detroit would be like criticizing someone for playing their whole career with ManU or Real Madrid. The DeRo example would be more similar to Zdeno Chara deciding not to come to the NHL and to play instead for Dukla Trencin in his native Slovakia.

I agree DeRo has every right to decide what his priorities are and he may be completely justified in choosing his family over soccer. Yet as far as his position on the national team is concerned that is immaterial. At the club level he has been outstanding in a 2nd tier league for the past several years yet his national team play during the same period has been poor. He is probably the most talented Canadian player of his age group but yet has never been able to parlay this talent to performance in games above a 2nd tier calibre. At the current time based on recent MNT play he is a borderline starter and there are a number of younger players coming up who could even push him from the lineup entirely. He definitely needs to step up his national team play and I think playing in a higher level league would certainly help him in doing this. I am not going to criticize him if he has other priorities (who would criticize Serioux for leaving Millwall because of family illness even though it may not have been a good career move) yet at the end of the day he can't complain if he loses his national team spot because of the choices he made or if fans do regard him as someone who never fullfilled his potential.

[The Beaver]

Can't fault him entirely for not jumping at the chance to land a Euro gig. As you get older, your priorties often change; you DO realize there is more to life than football.

I still feel DeRo has something to offer the National Team, even if he doesn't make the move to Europe and raise his play another notch or two. He can still improve--somewhat--in the MLS, and if he learns to NOT try to do it all on his own with the National Team, he could be a very useful player. He tries to do too much, often, and we need him to play a more mature role. I don't think he has been entirely awful with the National Team, but his performances have often not met expectations.

[Richard]

I disagree about the Yzerman example being inappropriate. I have little doubt that Yzerman could have significantly increased his income and his profile by jumping from team to team, going the the highest bidder each time but he chose stability for himself and his family over money and profile. The same applies to de Rosario I expect.

[jpg75]

DeRo moves to Europe...

Pros:

- He makes tonnes of money, and secures his financial future for his family. Perhaps a million Euros or pounds per year...not bad.

- He gets to play in a top tier league and elevate his game playing with and against the best.

Cons:

- His wife has an aspiring music career going on in the States that could get sideswiped.

- His game is not suited to the English game and he doesn't make a name for himself.

- He goes to Germany where his game fits better and is the target of racist abuse by opposing fans.

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

He tries to do too much, often, and we need him to play a more mature role. I don't think he has been entirely awful with the National Team, but his performances have often not met expectations.

I agree . . . I would also add that he is not alone on the MNT with regards to the points you have made.

[Grizzly]

Yes the Yzerman example is completely inappropriate though I am sure you will never admit it. We are talking about playing at the highest level and improving your playing skills not salary or media prominence (though it is even debateable whether his salary or media prominence would have improved much either playing on another team than Detroit where he was both paid very well and was one of the NHL's biggest stars). Throughout his career Detroit was one of the top four teams in the league and also won the Stanley Cup more than once. It was consistently the number one team during this period, ie. there were years where other teams were stronger but no team was as consistently good as Detroit was. Maybe he could have made slightly more money or been slightly more famous playing for less skilled teams like the Rangers or Maple Leafs but he couldn't have played on a higher level team in a higher level league. Choosing to stay with the best team in the best league of the world is not showing any lack of ambition as a hockey player at all. It may be showing lack of ambition to earn as much money as possible but certainly no lack of commitment to improving your hockey skills.

jpg: I don't think you should single out Germany for racist fans. They did have a couple of incidents this year but over the past several years have had fewer incidents than the other big 3 leagues. I really doubt this is a very big factor in his decision. By the way, if his wife is a known musician, what is her name?

Going to Europe would be risky for sure as he will probably only cash in if he succeeds and it is entirely possible that the level will be too high for him or the style of play won't suit him. Some players are fully committed to doing what it takes to achieve their full potential and others have other priorities. If soccer is not his number 1 priority that is fine but obviously one has a better chance of success at both the club and international level if it is your No.1 priority. We can argue as much as we want about what he should or should not do but in the end the only thing that counts as far as the national team is concerned is how he plays. I don't think he is making the best decisions he could to improve as a soccer player though they may be the best decisions he could make as far as living his life the way he wants to. If he was my friend and I knew his family I might totally agree with him but as a soccer fan and MNT fan I am somewhat disappointed.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by youllneverwalkalone

I'm surprised how easily you "men" would be willing to pass up the glory for the missus. I would give my left nut and any one of Daniel's wet dreams to step on an EPL pitch.

Would you leave your very young children for a half-year just to get a 'shot' at your own personal glory, or would you make sacrifices for the betterment of your kids?

DeRo did what a 'real' man does, he put his kids ahead of himself.

To say he doesn't have ambition is pure crap. He went on trial at Blackburn and Man City before he was offered that 6-month contract by Hughes, so obviously he was looking to better himself as a footballer. But he was clearly looking for something more stable, so that he wouldn't have to force his family to either uproot for six months or be without a dad/husband for 6 months.

If he was given a one or two year deal, I'm sure he would have taken it.

[youllneverwalkalone]

I don't question the decisions made by DDR the man/father. I don't know him at all. Strictly from a professional point of view, Hughes gave him a great opportunity and he passed. I'm not trying to dictate his priorities, but clearly his top priority is not football. This is not "pure crap," but rather something much closer to fact than my own fantasy.

[pulsar]

I have to go with you, Rudi. having a family changres everything and since his wife is also an aspiring actress/musician..the lure of hollywood is quite strong. I heard he is making about 120k / yr. and that is nothing to sneeze at and I am sure he is due a raise. He is a fan fave, has a little $$$ and is a starter...sounds great to me.

[pulsar]

His decision not to play for Hughes was based on the fact he didn't want to uproot his family for an unsecure future. I think we need a few more players like him in professional sports.

[nolando]

"I am not going to criticize him if he has other priorities ...yet at the end of the day he can't complain if he loses his national team spot because of the choices he made or if fans do regard him as someone who never fullfilled his potential."

Grizz said it best - this should be in the papers when DDR signs his next MLS contract in coming weeks.

[RS]

Has DeRo ever been one to complain?

[jpg75]

quote:Originally posted by Grizzly

jpg: I don't think you should single out Germany for racist fans. They did have a couple of incidents this year but over the past several years have had fewer incidents than the other big 3 leagues. I really doubt this is a very big factor in his decision. By the way, if his wife is a known musician, what is her name?

Grizzly, the reason i mentioned the racism in Germany was not only were there incidences earlier in the year, but that Dwayne complained of it during his stint at Zwickau during the late 90's. He and Bent had something said to them by their own fans. His entire experience in Germany was a disaster in fact. In the Slam sports article at the time he cited the lack of caribbean food and how they used to wait for their care packages to cook up curries etc., some of the people were cold and unfriendly, even abusive. The team was crap and he rarely played (Bent had a more substantial role). And when they were relegated, DeRo had to sit out an entire Euro season waiting for his contract to expire before he could play the last half of the USL season with Richmond. Not good times.

His wifes name is Brandy (or Brandi), she's not a known name at the moment.

[Richard]

Clearly Grizzly, you and I have diametrically opposed opinions on the validity of the Yzerman analogy I quoted rather casually. That doesn't make either of us wrong, we just don't agree. It is not the first time we have held different opinions and very likely won't be the last but thank goodness it's a free country - eh?

[Grizzly]

quote:Originally posted by pulsar

His decision not to play for Hughes was based on the fact he didn't want to uproot his family for an unsecure future. I think we need a few more players like him in professional sports.

Maybe professional sports needs more players like him but the national team does not. Again no disrespect to DeRo, he is entitled to choose his own priorities in life and I am sure many of us have also made both some poor career and poor personal decisions at times. Yet I would still rather have a national team full of players for whom soccer and winning was number 1 than a bunch of good husbands and fathers. I don't think either Italy or France had the nicest team in the World Cup but that is not what the trophy is given for. It is the World Cup of soccer not the World Cup of husbands and fathers.

I have to say I found it pretty hard to understand why DeRo turned down the 6 month Premiership contract as most MLS players would have killed for such an opportunity. If it didn't work out he would have been welcomed back with open arms by any MLS team including Houston and he would have only been away from his family for a short time (even the away from family argument is difficult since he could be traded at any time and has already moved from San Jose to Houston). If it did work out he could have negotiated with any EPL team a favourable contact and would be playing in one of the top leagues in the world. It seems to me that the 6 month contract was actually better than a longer one in his situation. There are reasons why some people fulfill their potential and others don't and maybe we are seeing why DeRo has never fulfilled his potential and probably never will.

I am a soccer fan and I want to see players that produce and I want to see a Canadian national team that wins. Yes, WINS. If we play attractive soccer: bonus. If they are great guys: bonus. Yes there should be some standards of behaviour, no scandals that bring dishonour to the team and a positive attitude in the dressing room but at the end of the day they have to win. I choose nice people to be my friends, I want my national and club soccer teams to be full of dedicated soccer players who do what they have to improve their skills and to win games. At the moment DeRo is a callup to the national team and a borderline starter. I am not sure how long this will continue to be the case.

[Cheeta]

Good post, Griz.

Just want to add that so long as DDR continues on as a professional athelete the family he builds has to live with the insecurity of professional atheletes. No matter how he want things to be, he's just a peice of meat. Bought and sold at the whims of his betters.

[Grizzly]

quote:Originally posted by jpg75

Some of his problems at Zwickau obviously stemmed from him being 18 and not ready for the 2nd Bundesliga (in fact it took him a year in USL and several years with San Jose to become a starter in the MLS). Not sure why the team didn't play him or release him when they relegated though but such things do happen in the business and that is why a smart player has a relegation clause in his contract. Zwickau is a small city with a team usually in the lower divisions. There is no excuse for racist fans but this is mostly something that occurs in the lower divisions in Germany and if he were to sign in Germany it would surely be a 1st Bundesliga team.

I think the availability of curries should not be a big priority for someone trying to be a professional soccer player. I don't know how much of a priority this is for him yet I do get the impression that one sees glimpses of a mentality not necessarily focused on becoming the best soccer player he can be. I am also not sure whether his or his wife's career gets priority but if she is an unknown musician/actress it seems like DeRo's should get priority. I have the impression that DeRo is becoming our Landon Donovan. Since both disliked Germany let me say I have lived in 3 German cities and loved 2 and hated one of them. I would personally not choose to live in either Zwickau or Cologne/Leverkusen but if I had a major career opportunity like the two of them had I would probably stick it out.