Throwback Thursday: Dwayne De Rosario

On Sunday night the curtain fell on one of the great MLS careers as Dwayne De Rosario announced his retirement after 17 seasons as a professional.

The Canadian, who won the MLS Cup four times and was named to the MLS Best XI on six separate occasions, ended his career through an Instagram post.

After being released by Toronto in December, De Rosario, perhaps fittingly, played his final professional game for Canada on January 19, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Iceland.

As he prepares to take up an ambassadorial role with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, we look back at career of Canada's greatest ever player...

De Rosario is one of the most decorated
players in MLS history

Factfile:

Full Name: Dwayne Anthony De Rosario

Date of Birth: May 15 1978

Nationality: Canadian

Height: 1.80m

Clubs: Toronto Lynx, FSV Zwickau, Richmond Kickers, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC (two spells), New York Red Bulls, DC United.

Club Appearances: 386

Club Goals: 113

International Appearances: 81

International Goals: 22

Domestic Honours: MLS Cup 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007

MLS Western Conference* 2003

MLS Best XI 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011

MLS Most Valuable Player 2011

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup 2013

International Honours: CONCACAF Gold Cup 2000

Canadian Player of the Year 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011

All-time Canada XI men’s team 2012

The Early Years:

De Rosario made his professional debut for the Toronto Lynx in 1997 but only half way through the season left the club to join German side FSV Zwickau.

It was a big move for the Canadian who had rejected the chance to join Italian giants AC Milan four years earlier, claiming he was not ready to live in Europe.

The teenager spent two seasons in Germany before returning to North America with the Richmond Kickers in 1999.

The following year De Rosario scored 15 goals and made five assists as the Kickers won 20 of their 27 games – he also claimed the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Canada, his only international trophy.

De Rosario in action for San Jose

Rocking with the Quakes:

De Rosario joined the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001, following the appointment of his fellow Canadian, Frank Yallop, as head coach, and won the MLS Cup in his first season.

He was named MLS Cup MVP after scoring the golden goal against LA Galaxy as San Jose won 2-1 after extra time, and was part of the side that beat Chicago Fire 4-2 to lift the trophy again in 2003.

De Rosario won the MLS 2004 Goal of the Year award as he ended the season with five goals before an unsuccessful trial with Nottingham Forest in December.

Undeterred the Canadian managed a league-high 13 assists in 2005 as he made the MLS Best XI for the first time and became the only player ever to win back-to-back MLS Goal of the Year awards.

Double Trouble:

Following San Jose’s failure to reach a stadium agreement in 2006, the entire squad joined Houston Dynamo and won the MLS Cup on penalties against New England Revolution.

In the same year, De Rosario scored the winning goal as the MLS All-Stars beat Chelsea 1-0 and signed a contract extension, reportedly worth £325,000 per year.

The midfielder’s success continued in 2007 as Dynamo defended their MLS Cup crown by beating the Revolution for the second consecutive year.

De Rosario won back-to-back MLS Cups with Houston

De Rosario was named MLS Cup MVP after scoring a 74^th minute winner in the 2-1 triumph – he was the first player ever to win the award twice.

Homecoming:

The following year De Rosario scored the third in the MLS All-Star’s 3-2 win over West Ham but was traded to his hometown club Toronto FC on December 12 2008.

He scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas and went on to score 11 goals and make six assists in his first season with the franchise.

In 2010 De Rosario became the second captain in Toronto’s history after the retirement of Jim Brennan and scored four times in Toronto’s first three matches of the campaign.

These goals made him the franchise’s all-time leading scorer in MLS games – he still holds this record today with 28 goals for Toronto FC.

The MVP’s Road to Retirement:

After starting the 2011 season with Toronto, De Rosario joined New York Red Bulls in April and DC United in July – he scored his first DC goal against the Red Bulls.

The Canadian scored 13 times in 17 games for DC and scored MLS’ fastest ever hat-trick in nine minutes during United’s 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake on September 2.

De Rosario ended the season with 16 goals and 12 assists in 32 appearances across all three franchises and was named MLS’ Most Valuable Player for the only time in his illustrious career.

He played two more seasons for DC United, and won the 2013 US Open Cup before rejoining Toronto in 2014 – he scored once in 19 games in his final season as a professional.

And to say goodbye, here is De Rosario's 2004 MLS Goal of the Year...

I liked a @YouTube video http://t.co/Gjj9UZw0 Dwayne De Rosario: 2004 MLS Goal of the Year

— French (@CapoFrenchie45) December 2, 2011

Images courtesy of Paul Giamou, Scott Halleran and Bob Levey, with thanks.