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What are your favorite Jaime Moreno moments?

JaimeMoreno

Photo by ISIphotos.com

As D.C. United prepares to conclude a forgettable season when they host Toronto this Saturday, the franchise will also bid adieu to one of the greatest players in MLS history, as Jaime Moreno will play his last game in a United uniform.

The 36-year-old has spent all but one of his 15 MLS seasons in the nation's capital, and is currently tied with Jeff Cunningham for the all-time lead in goals at 132. To go with that, he is the only player to have recorded 100+ goals and assists in league history, setting up 102 goals during his career.

While his future remains unclear — Moreno has yet to officially retire, and could conceivably play elsewhere in MLS or back in his native Bolivia in 2011 — his departure from D.C. closes the book on one of the most compelling chapters in United's history, and is a chance to look back at the long list of accomplishments tallied by one of the league's all-time greats.

Along with winning 12 trophies at D.C., Moreno garnered plenty of individual accolades as well — he was named to the All Star team seven times, a member of the MLS All Time Best XI back in 2005, and named to the MLX Best XI squad four times.

What are some of your favorite goals, moments or memories of Moreno? Is he the greatest player in MLS history?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. His bicycle kick goal a few years ago was pretty amazing. Forcing Chris Seitz to drop the ball this season was fun to watch. But what I’ll remember the most is the calmness he brings to the team when he’s on the field. His touch on the ball is his glowing attribute. It’s sad to see him go, but it is beyond his time to retire. I could see him going back to Bolivia for another season. My heart wants him to stay with DC United on the bench or in the front office. One of the best MLS players ever.

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  2. Well said.

    Any objective observer of MLS must conclude that Jaime was a very important player during the formative years of the league. His numbers and longevity speak for themselves.

    The negativity is simply coming from those juvenile fans blinded by petty rivalry hatred. Grow up.

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  3. He hasn’t “announced his retirement.” More importantly, Jaime is a first-class person as well as an all-time MLS legend (no matter the comments of these petty and small Internet tough guys).

    He will be greatly missed.

    ¡Vamos Jaime! ¡Vamos United!

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  4. The goal that (eventually) brought David Regis to the US? Yeah, that’s the first one I thought of.

    Aside, it appears a fair number of posters have only seen him in the twilight of his career. He really was pretty good earlier on.

    So were some others, but many only remember them from their declining last years.

    You whippersnappers will have to take the old geezers’ word for it.

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  5. Seriously, how can you NYRB fans disrespect him??? As much as you may dislike United, you have to respect an all-time great. I don’t like Angel, but I certainly respect him (and if you’re calling Moreno a diver, watch about 5 minutes of Angel footage- he’s no better). It’s undeniable that the day Jaime Moreno hangs up his boots is a sad day for DCU and MLS. Let’s try having a little class.

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  6. Uh, isn’t longevity important? The ability to play at a high level for a long period is exactly how records are made. By that logic Hank Aaron’s 755 HRs aren’t impressive, because he took 23 years to do it.

    On JPA: I’m not going to knock him, because he’s a great player and I don’t think I have to crap on him to elevate Jaime, but consider this: (a) you’re only talking about goals. He may have 62 career MLS goals, but only 13 assists. Not even close to Moreno, and he could play 5 more seasons and never get there.

    Which also leads to (b): JPA has to score goals, because basically none of his teammates can. Moreno scored all those goals while also sharing the field (during his peak period) with Roy Lassiter and Raul Diaz Arce, who are #8 and #9 on the MLS All-Time Goal List. During JPA’s tenure, no other RB has scored double-digit goals. Since Jaime’s been on DCU, Diaz Arce, Lassiter, Etcheverry, Eskandarian, Gomez, Emilio, and even Steve Freakin’ Rammel have had double-digit goal totals.

    But from the tone of your comment, I’m guessing you’re not one to be persuaded by stats or any kind of historical context, so this is probably falling on deaf ears.

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  7. You opposing fans should put your petty jealousies aside.
    He’s a great player, and a great human being. The entire league was lucky to have him, not just DC.

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  8. No, it’s not that bad, I think more like 25% from PKs. I’ve never liked Jaime particularly, but I can’t deny that he’s had a great career and done some very good things for MLS and soccer in this country.

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  9. Hey, you’ve had four years of Angel in MLS. After four years, Moreno had three MLS Cups, two Supporters’ Shields, one U.S. Open Cup, one CONCACAF Champions Cup, and one Interamerican Cup.

    Angel wasn’t even on the famous La Manga Cup-winning side.

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  10. Wow, nice to see the haters come out in force. Stay classy, guys.

    Is Moreno the greatest soccer player ever to play in MLS, when judged on his full career (including other leagues)? Of course not. He might not even be in the Top 10.

    On the other hand, is he the greatest MLS player ever, judged solely on his MLS career? Inarguably. 100 goals + 100 assists plus all the other individual and team honors make him pretty much a lock for that one. Anyone arguing otherwise has been drinking way too much Haterade.

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  11. True legend for us (DC) and the league. Anyone who has been following MLS for an extended period of time knows how great he was – his presence will truly be missed.

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  12. I was going to say that goal against the US when he torched Jeff Agoos.

    I’ll also have to say when he dyed his hair bleach blonde except for his 9 in the back of his head the first or second season. I’m assuming NY fans remember that too since I think he did it for the playoffs.

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  13. My favorite was his goal for Bolivia against the US at RFK. Ok, I hated it at the time, but was happy he came to DC right after. I had season tickets those first few MLS seasons and loved watching Jaime, Marco and Raul play together.

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  14. mls has added new markets with new fans that otherwise would have not remembered Moreno for what he once was. Many probably know him as the shell of his former self. As a NY fan i remember first hand how lethal and explosive he was in the late 90s

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