Where do you think Dwayne De Rosario will end up?

[zeelaw]

What is the most iconic De-Ro photo? I want to make a banner with well wishes or something.

 

To the international community, it's his FK for San Jose years ago, surely.  Any other more specific Canadian moments, maybe him and his chicken dance thing lol?

[jonovision]

What is the most iconic De-Ro photo? I want to make a banner with well wishes or something.

 

To the international community, it's his FK for San Jose years ago, surely.  Any other more specific Canadian moments, maybe him and his chicken dance thing lol?

 

Sadly, the most iconic photo is probably the cheque signing. The only truly huge goal he scored for Canada was the quick free-kick ruse from Hutchinson against Panama in 2012. Don't give short shrift to his MLS Cup winning goal as a rookie(?) in 2001.

[zeelaw]

Sadly, the most iconic photo is probably the cheque signing. The only truly huge goal he scored for Canada was the quick free-kick ruse from Hutchinson against Panama in 2012. Don't give short shrift to his MLS Cup winning goal as a rookie(?) in 2001.

Yeah the Panama goal, maybe if we made the Hex.  Probably best not to reference that WCQ cycle at all.

[Obinna]

Sadly, the most iconic photo is probably the cheque signing. The only truly huge goal he scored for Canada was the quick free-kick ruse from Hutchinson against Panama in 2012. Don't give short shrift to his MLS Cup winning goal as a rookie(?) in 2001.

Too much was made of the cheque singing celebration. Personally though, I loved it. The guy was scoring like a DP and felt like he should be compensated accordingly. I wish more (any?) of our attackers had that sort of arrogant/confident personality. I prefer that in a striker as opposed to the mentally fragile type.

[jonovision]

Yeah the Panama goal, maybe if we made the Hex.  Probably best not to reference that WCQ cycle at all.

 

Or any of the other WCQ cycles in which De Ro participated...

[Keegan]

Too much was made of the cheque singing celebration. Personally though, I loved it. The guy was scoring like a DP and felt like he should be compensated accordingly. I wish more (any?) of our attackers had that sort of arrogant/confident personality. I prefer that in a striker as opposed to the mentally fragile type.

 

I never had a huge deal with it either besides the timing of the season.  De Rosario had one of the best seasons in MLS history that year, maybe even better than his MVP season and the club wasn't budging.  He literally put the club on his back and every person in the stadium had/wanted a De Rosario jersey.  He was the hometown hero that the club needed and they kicked him out the door.... then they handed the money he earned himself to Koevermans the same summer while he went on to win MVP.  Funny huh?

 

It's such a joke how the best player in the club's history was/is from the city and they trashed him like that while they let mercenaries bleed this club of any chance of success and hand guys like Bradley and Altidore with no connection to the city or fans millions.  

Edited May 12, 2015 by Keegan

[tmcmurph]

What is the most iconic De-Ro photo? I want to make a banner with well wishes or something.

 

To the international community, it's his FK for San Jose years ago, surely.  Any other more specific Canadian moments, maybe him and his chicken dance thing lol?

 

Any of the "chicken dances" from after a goal. Funny dance, great player!

 

Thanks for all the years and games Dero. One of the best we've produced and a very nice bar for those who follow. 

Edited May 12, 2015 by TRM

[Alex]

Best goal he scored for canada was the first game we played at bmo in September 2007 vs Costa Rica. The sack the Csa game. He took a cross on the left wing from jdg, chested it down, it bounced once then rocketed a volley with his left foot. Top corner.

[jpg75]

Sadly, the most iconic photo is probably the cheque signing. The only truly huge goal he scored for Canada was the quick free-kick ruse from Hutchinson against Panama in 2012. Don't give short shrift to his MLS Cup winning goal as a rookie(?) in 2001.

He also scored the game-winner in the 3rd place match vs. S. Korea at the 2002 Gold Cup.

[BrennanFan]

he scored a beauty against costa rica in 2004 wcq.  

[Keegan]

Kind of sad that a Canadian legend who did wonders for the game retires and he gets just a few words on this forum.  Yet if he wore a Canada jacket and then played for Guyana he would probably get a 60 page thread.

[Sébastien]

Only having started to follow the National Team in 2008, I'll always remember DeRo as being, though frustratingly at times, the only Canadian player capable of creating a goal on his own.

 

I'm surprised he didn't catch-on anywhere, as I think he still would have had something to offer, especially in an substitution role.

 

Even internationally, a fit DeRo could have been a late game boost in the midfield when down by one.

 

I wish him a happy retirement. He is one of the few names known by my friends who follow the sport, but not necessarily the MNT or MLS.

[masster]

Pretty good article by Neil Davidson.

http://metronews.ca/sports/1366026/dero-always-had-an-eye-for-the-dramatic/

 

TORONTO – Rewind some 17 years and Dwayne De Rosario was working in a Toronto health food store called The Big Carrot.

De Rosario was at loose ends after having to extricate himself from a miserable experience with German club FSV Zwickau, with whom he had signed as a teenager in the wake of the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

“I was in limbo, didn’t know what to do,” he recalled.

A couple of local soccer clubs called but he wanted more. Then one night riding home from work, the penny dropped.

 

“I just said ‘You know what, I can’t do this.’ And I got back training and playing.”

The USL Richmond Kickers called with an offer out of the blue. De Rosario accepted immediately, knowing they were affiliated with D.C. United of Major League Soccer.

Canadian Frank Yallop, then an assistant coach with D.C. United, invited him to come train. “Then he got the San Jose job and the rest is history.”

Fourteen MLS seasons later, De Rosario is calling it quits just days ahead of his 37th birthday. He retired without fanfare via social media Sunday night.

The attacking midfielder’s body of work speaks volumes, however, and news of his retirement drew a flood of tributes.

“It’s overwhelming really to get that kind of support,” he said Monday. “I’m definitely humbled by it for sure.”

After training stints as a youngster with the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan and Olympique Marseille, De Rosario found his home in MLS.

Playing for San Jose, Houston, Toronto FC (twice), the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United, DeRo won the league championship four times, was twice named championship game MVP and earned MVP honours in the 2006 all-star game. He was the league MVP in 2011 — he was runner-up on two other occasions — when he also captured the Golden Boot.

He scored 104 MLS goals and added another 22 for his country, a Canadian record. He remains Toronto FC’s career leader in goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, game-winning goals and multi-goal games.

In 2003, then with San Jose, he scored 11 seconds into a game against Dallas. In 2011, playing for D.C. United, he recorded a hat trick in nine minutes against Real Salt Lake.

In his prime, De Rosario scored big goals in big games. And he did it in electrifying fashion, often from distance followed by a trademark herky-jerk dance celebration. He won MLS goal of the year in both 2004 and 2005.

Mobile and able to create distance from defenders, De Rosario’s eye for goal was uncanny.

As a teenager, he played forward alongside Paul Stalteri with the now-defunct Toronto Lynx. The two went on both captain Canada.

Stalteri, with 84 caps, tops the list of all-time Canadian appearances. De Rosario is third with 81.

His biggest regret is not being able to help Canada qualify for the World Cup. He is not alone in that.

De Rosario played for eight Canadian managers. It should be noted that Canada was 11-4-4 when he scored.

In recent years, he played the role of national team elder statesman as coaches gave youth a chance. Without a club, he knew the clock was ticking on his career at his last Canadian camp. He left in style with goals in his final two matches, against Iceland in January.

Europe was always a dream destination. But timing, his passport and Canada’s lowly world ranking worked against him.

In 2005, England’s Blackburn Rovers offered him a contract that only lasted the duration of the season. MLS offered more security in a two-year deal, so he came back.

”You get injured, you never know what could happen,” he said at the time. “And then you’re at square one again, travelling around the world. And I don’t want to drag my family here, there and everywhere.”

He always had a sense for the dramatic, especially against former clubs. In 2011, he scored the winning goal at New York, notched two against San Jose and a hat trick against Toronto.

Sometimes that showmanship backfired, like the 2010 cheque-signing goal celebration in the midst of a contract dispute during his first stint at TFC.

His much-heralded return home did not go as planned last year. Manager Ryan Nelsen all but ignored him and after the Kiwi was fired, a spiky De Rosario said it was nice having a manager (Greg Vanney) who talked to him.

Still Toronto failed to bring him back this season.

An entrepreneur already via his DeRo United soccer schools, he will serve as an ambassador for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. His DeRo Foundation is designed to use soccer to help inner-city kids develop skills and confidence.

Then there are his four kids, who range in age from three to 17.

He is also an ambassador for the Pan American Games. De Rosario represented Canada at the 1999 Games.

[Red and White]

Great article, and nice to see it in the Metro of all publications. Their coverage of local soccer is amazing to see.

[nfitz]

Great article, and nice to see it in the Metro of all publications. Their coverage of local soccer is amazing to see.

 

Metro has often had surprisingly decent coverage. Didn't they used to have their own columnist once?

 

Though if it's Davidson, it's presumably a Canadian Press piece that appeared widely. Still kudos to Metro for publishing it.

Edited May 16, 2015 by nfitz

[Red and White]

I remember them covering the men's World Cup Qualifying last cycle, when no one else did. Even if it is a Canadian Press piece that gets widely distributed, I love their record of picking it up.

[Blackdude]

Dwayne is actually playing the O35 Eastern Championship. He scored a goal in his team's first match. 

[Kent]

And I feel like this was probably shared in a different thread, but I guess this is relevant.

https://www.wakingthered.com/2018/9/13/17856738/de-rosario-headlines-new-pro-arena-soccer-team-in-mississauga-metro-stars-anthony-osorio-adrian-cann

[Shway]

15 hours ago, Blackdude said:

Dwayne is actually playing the O35 Eastern Championship. He scored a goal in his team's first match. 

My squad... GS United, team is crazy skilful and solid for a bunch of dads. Few of them still compete in the OSL elite division. 

[VinceA]

Didn't know where to put this but Neil Davidson has an article on De Ro's book and this passage made me laugh.

 

Toronto FC and Canada Soccer will not like some passages of the book. De Rosario does not spare either, although he makes it clear that both have come a long way in recent years and are worlds ahead of where they were.

 

"There's something special happening right now," he writes of the current Canadian men's team. "There's a hope and a belief among the national team that wasn't always there. (Coach) John Herdman deserves a lot of credit for that."

 

It's a far cry from having to return Canadian jerseys at a national camp "because we're giving them to the youth team." Or the Sony gift card De Rosario got from Canada Soccer for his second Canadian Player of the Year award in 2006.

[costarg]

18 hours ago, VinceA said:

Didn't know where to put this but Neil Davidson has an article on De Ro's book and this passage made me laugh.

 

Toronto FC and Canada Soccer will not like some passages of the book. De Rosario does not spare either, although he makes it clear that both have come a long way in recent years and are worlds ahead of where they were.

 

"There's something special happening right now," he writes of the current Canadian men's team. "There's a hope and a belief among the national team that wasn't always there. (Coach) John Herdman deserves a lot of credit for that."

 

It's a far cry from having to return Canadian jerseys at a national camp "because we're giving them to the youth team." Or the Sony gift card De Rosario got from Canada Soccer for his second Canadian Player of the Year award in 2006.

Not sure which smiley to use for this... laughing or sad.  Need a face for pathetic.

[Cheeta]

Only would have to wait a month if I want to pick it up at my local Chapters.  Huh.

[Big_M]

Will play with Conrad and Beasley UTD in The Soccer Tournament (TST), a 7v7, 32-team, open-application, million dollar, winner-take-all event. Tournament dates are June 1-4 in Cary, North Carolina and there will be games on Peacock and Youtube

 

[Kent]

15 hours ago, Big_M said:

Will play with Conrad and Beasley UTD in The Soccer Tournament (TST), a 7v7, 32-team, open-application, million dollar, winner-take-all event. Tournament dates are June 1-4 in Cary, North Carolina and there will be games on Peacock and Youtube

 

A couple of former TFC players on that list that I forgot existed. Aaron Maund and Chris Konopka. I just looked up Konopka's stats and man it really shows how the life of a goalkeeper must be frustrating.

8 MLS seasons spanning 12 years, and his second highest appearances for a season is 1.

[red card]

DeRo shakes & bakes in a 4-3 win over Wrexham to make the quarters.