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Published on: 10/25/2002
Last Visited: 10/25/2002
D.C. captain Marco Etcheverry converted the resulting penalty kick, but was forced to re-take his shot when teammate Bobby Convey was whistled for encroachment.
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Marco Etcheverry
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Etcheverry Works his Black Magic
el diabloMarco Etcheverry snapped a year-long scoring drought to lead D.C. to victory
NEW YORK (Monday, April 1, 2002) - D.C. United midfielder Marco Etcheverry earned Major League Soccer's Player of the Week honors for the week ending March 31, 2002.The Bolivian maestro netted D.C.'s first goal in stunning fashion as United defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0 at RFK Stadium Saturday afternoon, earning the Week Two award as voted by the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA).
United got on the board late in the first half with a picture-perfect free kick from Etcheverry.Chicago's Dema Kovalenko took down Jose "Chino" Alegria just above the penalty arc with a late tackle after Alegria stripped him of the ball.With the ensuing free kick, Etcheverry curled the ball over the defensive wall, sending the crowd into a frenzy as it settled into the upper right hand corner of the net, out of the reach of `keeper Zach Thornton, earning some early praise as goal-of-the-year material.
"Marco, the old devil magic was shining again," United coach Ray Hudson said."A world-class goal.That's the price of admission right there.That's $15 right there, that goal."
Etcheverry's last tally was on June 17, 2000, also against the Fire in a 3-2 loss at Soldier Field.Etcheverry did not score even once in United's tumultuous 2001 season, and had not scored in a United win since the 1999 season.In a battle of teams hoping to get back to the level of play that saw the squads capture the first four MLS Cups, Etcheverry displayed some of the playmaking abilities that have earned him four MLS Best 11 awards, the 1996 MLS Cup MVP Award and the Honda Most Valuable Player Award for the 1997 regular season during D.C. United's glory days.
Emotions ran high in the first half of play, as D.C. launched a furious assault in front of the vocal home crowd.Just three minutes into the game, Etcheverry launched a long ball from deep inside his own territory, sparking a lightning counter.Santino Quaranta collected the ball on the left flank, holding up before sending it into the box for Abdul Thompson Conteh.Conteh fought off a Fire defender to get his shot off, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar.
United's first win of the season created a four-team logjam for first place in the Eastern Conference with the New England Revolution and the MetroStars joining the Fire and United.
Etcheverry outdistanced the Colorado Rapids' goalkeeper Scott Garlick, United teammate Richie Williams, and the Columbus Crew's Brian West and Tom Presthus in the voting for the honor.Major League Soccer's Player of the Week is selected every Monday throughout the MLS season by a panel of journalists from PSRA.
Week
Player
Team
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Marco Etcheverry