MLS: Top 5 attacking midfielders in league history
By Matt Coles
3. Marco Etcheverry
Taking the bronze medal position on our list of the best-ever attacking midfielders is a Bolivian who took the league by storm in its first decade, former D.C. United man Marco Etcheverry.
The midfielder was already a decade into his professional career by the time he got to the United States, having played mainly in South America, along with a brief spell with Spanish side Albacete. He featured for Bolivar, Colo-Colo and America de Cali before moving to MLS for its inaugural term.
MLS Career & Honours:
- D.C. United (1996-2003)
——————
- MLS MVP – 1998
- MLS Best XI – 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
- MLS Goal of the Year – 1997, 1999
- All-Time Best XI
——————
- MLS Cup – 1996, 1997, 1999
- Supporters’ Shield – 1997, 1999
- U.S. Open Cup – 1996
- CONCACAF Champions Cup – 1998
- Copa Interamericana – 1998
The Bolivian creator joined up with D.C. United ahead of the league’s debut campaign, and he would be an immediate hit with the fans, as he helped lead the side to three MLS Cup triumphs in their first four years of existence, with the club dominating Major League Soccer in its infancy.
D.C. took home a spectacular double in the league’s first season, as they won the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in 1996. They defeated LA Galaxy in the former 3-2, before then getting the better of lower-league side Rochester Raging Rhinos in the USOC finale 3-0, just six days later. For his performances, Etcheverry was named into the first-ever MLS Best XI, the only member of the capital’s side to be nominated into it.
1997 would be an even better year for the Bolivian, who experienced success at both domestic and international level. He was a key part of his national team’s run to the final of the 1997 Copa America, which was played on home soil in Bolivia, with La Verde finishing runners-up to a Brazil side that boasted the likes of Ronaldo, Romario, Denilson, Dunga and Ze Roberto, to name a few.
Back in the United States, and Etcheverry helped D.C. to the Supporters’ Shield title for the first time in their short history. The club would then go on to defend the MLS Cup title and remain just one of three sides to have won it all in back-to-back campaigns. The midfielder was named into the MLS Best XI for a second straight year and was joined by the defensive duo of Jeff Agoos and Eddie Pope and fellow Bolivian Jaime Moreno. Etcheverry also won the MLS Goal of the Year award, for his strike against New England Revolution in which he turned past two defenders before firing the ball home into the bottom corner.
He would go on to win the award for a second time in 1999, thanks to scoring from the halfway line against Miami Fusion, becoming the first man, and to date, just one of two players, to win the award on multiple occasions.
D.C.’s dominance moved to the continental stage in 1998, as they won the CONCACAF Champions Cup, becoming the first American side to win the trophy. They defeated Deportivo Toluca in the final 1-0 to win the club’s first international tournament. The side from the capital also became the first American team to participate in the now-defunct Copa Interamericana, and they won that as well, beating Brazilian side Vasco da Gama over two legs.
On the domestic level, Etcheverry was named into the MLS Best XI for a third straight year, thanks to his MVP-winning campaign. The Bolivian midfielder scored ten goals and recorded 19 assists in just 29 regular-season appearances in 1998, both single-season highs. He also scored once and recorded a couple of assists in their post-season run, as they were defeated by Chicago Fire in their third straight MLS Cup final.
Etcheverry was also named to the MLS Best XI for a fourth consecutive season in 1999, becoming the only man to be in the first four Best XIs from the inception of Major League Soccer. He was joined by Eddie Pope in 1998, with Jaime Moreno and Jeff Agoos also receiving nominations in ’99. The final year of the 20th Century saw D.C. take home another domestic double, repeating their feats from two years previous. They won the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup for a second time, with the Bolivian also notching that Goal of the Year award for a second time.
The midfielder would play in Major League Soccer for another four seasons, before retiring from the professional game following the conclusion of the 2003 campaign. He finished his eight-year spell in the United States with 34 goals in 191 regular-season appearances and is one of just seven players to have recorded over 100 assists in the league. He is possible D.C.’s best-ever player, and certainly one of the best-ever midfielders to grace the league with his presence.