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There’s a video of a 2010 Goal of the Week nominee on the MLS YouTube channel. The description reads, “Toronto FC’s Dwayne De Rosario shows his class with this curling, long chip shot”. The video shows Mista (who?) stepping past a couple of San Jose defenders, before sliding the ball to De Rosario at the top corner of the box, who hits a long, first-time chip into the far corner of the net.
But what happens next is far from classy. Forgoing his usual robot chicken shake and bake, DeRo walked slowly, signing his hand like a cheque book and yelling at the boxes atop the west stands.
This is the lasting memory many fans have of De Ro. He’s not remembered fondly by all as our all time scoring leader who went off to find something better. Or the guy who led us to our best MLS season ever in 2009. Hell, he’s not even just the guy who celebrated by signing a cheque. He’s been immortalized as our Toronto-born star and captain, who decided to make a statement to management rather than celebrate with his teammates – the most backwards thing we’ve seen on the field, where mistakes are not short to come by.
But that was then. And this is now. And now he’s back (most likely).
On Wednesday, Toronto FC selected De Rosario in the MLS re-entry draft, after DC United opted not to pick up his option at the end of the season. The Reds now have under a week to sign him.
If and when De Ro is signed, it will be a return to the city he knows, but not the club he knew. Since the Scarborough native left in 2011, TFC have continued to crash and burn, and are again in the midst of a major overhaul. From the current roster, only Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry were in Toronto for De Ro’s last stint.
The guys in the front office are also different and more connected to De Rosario than the previous regime. Perhaps they know the man behind the public ‘love him or hate him’ persona. Fans can only speculate what role the club envisions for him. At 35, DeRo may not be able to carry a team like he did in 2009, scoring almost half of Toronto’s goals that season.
He will no longer be the go to guy and that is the most worrying thing about this move – it just does not seem to be part of his psyche. Can he put club before self? It’s a huge task for a proud player who has done and seen it all in MLS.
But the latest methodical rebuild has a semblance of a player hierarchy taking shape. No longer the face, De Ro will answer to Steven Caldwell and be part of the supporting cast for Matias Laba, Gilberto and the potential “new face of the franchise,” Jermaine Defoe.
There is speculation that this move is to sell tickets in the short term and as part of a longer-term transition plan into a non-playing role at the club. But what is his on-field value in a push for the 2014 playoffs? Between Bright Dike, Giblerto and the possible 31-year-old Englishman, TFC have decent striking options, but De Rosario would be a nice option coming off the bench. He may still regard himself as a starter, a motivation that will bring a welcome healthy competition for places.
Having him and Laba in the middle of a 4-4-2 would be an interesting pairing. Laba is a workhorse and strong defensive player and the formation could easily turn into a 4-3-3 with DeRo floating. A midfield rotation of De Ro flanked by the young engines of Laba and Jonathan Osorio does seem promising. He could also bring a threatening presence to the wing, although I wouldn’t be looking to him to sprint up and down the line for 90 minutes. The kid from Scarborough is versatile, he’ll be able to slot in where he’s needed. Tactically, I don’t see bringing De Ro in as anything but positive.
What it does to the team dynamic is the great unknown. In 2010, De Ro made US$443,750 and it would be quite the surprise if he gets anything close to that. He has a reputation as a bit of a diva and during his time here, rumours swirled of cliques in the locker room. So are we on our way to another cheeky goal celebration? Probably not. Because this homecoming has been whispered about for so long (since late October), you have to hope that all the cards have been laid on the table and both sides have come to a mutual understanding.
As Tim Leiweke said, “I believe in the conversation we had with him, there will be enough understanding and communication with him where he understands his role and accepts it, and thrives to be the guy to teach young kids how to win.” This is certainly something the four-time MLS Cup champion and six-time MLS Best XI player knows how to do.
In a September interview with Jimmy Conrad on MLS Insider, De Ro explained “I want to stamp my name as a professional” What he left in 2011 is a bad taste in many our mouths, something everyone would like to see change.
So is this the healing we’ve all been waiting for, or the new regime’s first major mistake? Either way it will be interesting to watch. And so continues the best offseason ever!
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