Monday, September 26, 2011

26 September 1970 - The Number Of This Beast Was 10

On 26 September 1970, DC United playmaker Marco Etcheverry was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Widely regard as one of Bolivia's greatest players, he was named in 2005 as one of the MLS All-Time Best XI.

Nicknamed "El Diablo," he started his professional career in 1986 and played for a handful of teams in South America and Spain before moving to DC United in 1996 for the inaugural MLS season. By that time, he was an established Bolivian international, with over 30 caps, including a single appearance in the 1994 World Cup in which he was sent off for a foul on Germany's Lothar Matthäus only three minutes after coming on as a substitute.

In that first season in DC, he was instrumental in leading United to the MLS Cup, including scoring the only goal in DC's victory over the NY/NJ MetroStars in the Eastern Conference semifinals en route to being named the tournament MVP. In eight seasons with DC, he won two more MLS Cups (1997, 1999), the US Open Cup (1996), and two Supporters Shields for having the league's best record (1997, 1999).

Individually, he was named the league MVP in 1998 and was included in the MLS All-Star team in each of his first four seasons. By the time he left DC in 2003, he was the club's leader in several statistical categories including assists (101) and appearances (191).

After leaving DC in 2003, he played briefly for Bolívar (where he had played in 1990-91), then retired in 2004.

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