Best in MLS history says goodbye

WASHINGTON (AP)

He is the most successful, most prolific athlete in the history of his league, and his playing home for nearly all of his career was just 20 blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

And now it's time for him to leave. Look at his legacy, and it wouldn't be a stretch to call him the Babe Ruth, the Michael Jordan or the Wayne Gretzky of Major League Soccer. Yes, the league has now been around long enough that it's fully proper to wax nostalgic when a great one says goodbye, and to point out that D.C. United's Jaime Moreno was someone worthy of the attention that has often been misdirected toward flashier names such as David Beckham.

"He's the best player that's ever graced MLS," said United interim coach Ben Olsen, a longtime teammate. "It's no coincidence that every trophy that this team has won, Jaime Moreno has been a part of."

MLS: June 23-25

 

Thursday, June 23
Home		Road
Seattle	4-2	New York	Recap
Saturday, June 25
Home		Road
DC United	2-2	Houston	Recap
San Jose	0-0	LA Galaxy	Recap
Philadelphia	3-2	Chivas USA	Recap
FC Dallas	4-0	Portland	Recap
Sporting KC	2-1	Vancouver	Recap
Real Salt Lake	3-1	Toronto	Recap
Sunday, June 26
Home		Road
Chicago	1-1	New York
Seattle	2-1	New England	Recap
Columbus	4-1	Colorado
MLS Scores | Table | Fixtures

 

Moreno entered the league during its inaugural season in 1996, and he'll play his last game Saturday when United ends their regular season against Toronto FC at RFK Stadium. He is the only player in MLS history with 100 goals and 100 assists. His 132 goals are tied with Jeff Cunningham of FC Dallas atop the all-time list - and Moreno has played in four fewer games. Moreno's 102 assists are fifth all-time, and he's a seven-time All-Star.

How much have defenses feared him? He's suffered 703 fouls, 66 more than anyone else.

But it's the hardware that sets the 36-year-old Bolivian apart from any contender on the MLS legacy charts. United have won 12 trophies with Moreno on the roster: four MLS Cups as league champions, four Supporters' Shields for best regular-season record, two U.S. Open Cups and a pair of international titles. He is a winner, one who didn't get sufficient due in the general sports world.

"No, of course not," Olsen said. "I think the true fans understand it, but Jaime's not a guy that's out and about and screaming his own name. Jaime was a guy behind the scenes, and all he did was show up and produce magic for this club and produce championships and put on great shows for the fans here and for everybody in the league. He was pretty low-key off the field, and that's probably why he didn't get the appreciation he deserves."

Speaking after a training session this week, Moreno looked back on a U.S. career that began after a stint with Middlesbrough in England.

"I was in England, and I didn't have the chance to play too many games," Moreno said. "I decided to come to this league because I might have a better chance to play and grow as a person and as a player. It was in my mind to stay here a couple of years and go back to Europe, and obviously it didn't happen."

The fact that MLS is more than a few steps below the quality of the top leagues in Europe is another reason Moreno's stardom has been limited. When asked why he never went back to England, he smiled and said: "I wasn't good enough."

Turning serious, he added: "You've got to have good connections (to go to Europe), and life was good here. My kids were born here, and we just felt comfortable. ... It was something that I was always going to regret. At the same time, I can't be ungrateful because I have a great career, a great family, good place to live and a lot of friends."

He was certainly more than good enough for United, helping anchor a stellar run during the dynasty years of the late 1990s. The club won the MLS Cup in '96, '97 and '99.

Injuries started catching up to Moreno, and a trade sent him to the MetroStars for the 2003 season - the only year he didn't play for United. He came back in 2004 a more clever player, having made the adjustments many great athletes are forced into as they get older. United won their fourth MLS Cup that year.

"He was always a very smart player," Olsen said. "I think the difference was he didn't have to be as smart a player when he had his legs. He was still way above average in that category, but as he got a little bit older the intelligence he already had was heightened. There's been practices where he's literally walked through because he has that sense of soccer that a lot of kids don't have in this country."

But age catches up to everyone, and Moreno this season became a bit player as United sank to the bottom of the league. They are rebuilding, and there's no room for an aging striker. One of Moreno's goals is to stay in the U.S. and become a coach, but he feels he can still play and will surely get some kind of offer from a club somewhere overseas. It's a dilemma complicated by his comfortable life with his wife and five children in Virginia.

"That's why I'm having trouble sleeping right now," he said, "because I want to still play, and it's going to come to a decision that I have to make. Hopefully, it'll come in a couple of months."

Moreno isn't going out the way he hoped. He's scored only one goal this season, and there will be no playoffs for United. But he'll be in the starting lineup one last time in what essentially will be an emotional Jaime Moreno Night at RFK.

"It's been kind of fast, actually, when I look back. Time flies. I wish I was a little younger so I could still play, but that's what life is. You've got to move on," Moreno said. "I just feel I have achieved some stuff, but, like always in life, you always want more. I wanted one more ring so I could give to each of my kids a ring, but I came short. I'll guess I'll have to do that when I'm a coach."