Dwayne DeRosario has been on fire in recent weeks for D.C. United, but what he did to Real Salt Lake this past weekend was jaw dropping, even by his lofty standards.
DeRosario scored a hat-trick AND added an assist in the first 31 minutes of play in Saturday's 4-1 mauling of RSL, giving him the league record for fastest hat-trick in MLS history and helping him earn his latest SBI MLS Player of the Week honor.
DeRosario also scored a goal in D.C. United's mid-week draw vs. Chivas USA, but it was his hat-trick on Saturday that sealed the weekly honors for him.
Here are the highlights from De Rosario's stunning performance, which helped him take the league lead in goals scored with 13.
DeRosario was the clear choice for Player of the Week in a strong field of candidates that included Juan Pablo Angel, Fredy Montero and Dane Richards, among others. Angel finished a close second, and could have easily been our pick after scoring braces in each of Chivas USA's matches this week.
What did you think of DeRosario's performance? Who was your pick for MLS Player of the Week this week?
Share your thoughts below.
Great performance by DeRo. He should be playing EPL or SPL. At this point he may be an MLS lifer. I didn’t see the DeRo “flop” but if it’s as reported it should have been punished if the crackdown is being applied to all teams and players equally. DCU is one of MLS’s best franchises (based off past successes, fans etc) and DeRo is a long time marketable star so maybe these are factors? Not sure, but it does seem like picking and choosing who’s going to get punished for simulation. Either way RSL got punished for slack defending and line-up moves by a motivated United side.
It’s MLS Cup or bust for Kreis’s boys.
So three dives from two players makes all members of a team “divers”?
Agreed Pat. He refused to let DC lose that game!
” Diving (or SIMULATION, the term used by FIFA) is an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by diving to the ground and possibly feigning an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to EXAGGERATE the amount of contact present in a challenge. ”
Clearly it was a dive, clearly he took RSL to school. He’s never been classy and he’s always been talented. Hope Diving City United gets knocked out of playoffs by another team’s equally pathetic dive.
Nice, but that was last week.
Even with NYRB’s big victory the incompetence of their front office was really highlighted this weekend. The team once again did far better without Marquez than it’s has been doing with him, and De Rosario once again almost single-handedly dominated a game.
Nice personal attack. Just because there was some semblance of contact does not mean a pk was warranted or that it wasn’t a dive.
Sure would have been nice if RB held onto him.
De Ro for MVP.
FML….
You fail at life not because of your service to this country, but because you get your panties in a bunch when an internet commenter makes a stupid comment that causes you to subsequently feel the need to go around telling everybody about your service to this country.
Lots of guys should have been suspened at one time or another but weren’t. Didn’t see any of them respond with a game like this.
Regardless of how he got the opportunity to play, he played the hell out of that game.
The guy is one of the best players in the history of the league. Is he always a good citizen? No, but who cares? It’s not like he’s Hannibal Lecter either.
Wow. You’re touchy. It’s the internet, Sir. Baseless and classless remarks abound. Sorry I ruined your day.
Elias said some dude I’ve never heard of scored 3 goals in 5 minutes for the Galaxy in an 8-1 win against Chicago in the 90’s. His was the earliest in the game in MLS history, with all 3 coming before the 31st minute.
Shark, take it easy. People sometimes go overboard when they post here. Fans get passionate when they disagree about soccer matters or think that someone is trolling, just don’t take it personally. You did not fail in life. If you served this country in combat zones, you have my deepest respect and gratitude.
by that logic matt there should be a pk given after every corner kick. Because you know there is contact in the box. You should learn the rules. DeRo embellished Angel’s “foul” Angel had his hand on Dero’s back and gave him a slight push. If that is a pk foul than once again every corner kick should come with a pk at the end of it.
I was at the game and it was a fantastic performance. Three goals and an assist againt one of the best teams in the leauge in approximately 30 minutes of play was very impressive.
there was contact in the box. angel fouled de ro. therefore, a pk was rightly given.
in other news, learn the rules of the sport.
Did you even watch the game? You realize that it was De Rosario that assisted on the first DCU goal, right? Febergas or Xavi would have been proud of that pass that cut through the heart of RSLs defense, leaving 6 defenders chase Najar. How can you imply that DeRo’s teammates did nothing to contribute when Najar (a cross) and Josh Wolff (one touch pass) assisted on the first two goal by DeRo. The third one was on a magnificent free kick.
The league made the call, so b@#$%ing about De Ro wouldn’t have done (hating, etc) is just plain lame in light of a truly defining moment in league history. The playoff picture just got more interesting, and De Ro is making himself an inarguable dark horse for MVP candidate despite having played for three teams. If you really want to talk about how he should be in time out, then I think you’re missing the point.
+1000
you’re an idiot. there was contact, making it a pk.
+1
With a performance never seen before in MLS history….from a player who’s in the top percentile as far as goals, assists, MVP selection etc and people still have something negative to say??
Diver?? Which great player do you know that doesnt dive? Ronaldo…Nani….Drogba…they are all well known in the art of theatrics. So what….
De Ro is a selfish player??? Wow…which goal, apart from set pieces, from DC hasn’t been orchestrated/started by a stellar pass/ move from no.7 (watch Davis’s hattrick!!!)??? Very few…..
He can be MVP because he’s been moving around a lot. What!!! When a player fits a certain system he shines….when he is the “go to” player of a team he shines… perfect examples: Pablo Angel and Dwayne DeRosario.
No player in MLS right now, has more of an impact on his team or is playing at a higher level than Dwayne DeRosario….No one. His skill level and kind of play is exactly what is lacking in the USMNT line-up….
‘You fail at life’
And you know me how? Nice to sit behind a keyboard and makes classless remarks that you don’t have to defend….what you wrote should tell everybody on this forum what kind of person you are.
FWIW I am a military officer who has served in combat zones and all lived all over the world.
If you consider that a failure at life then God help us.
Instead of acting like a jackass in the future with your funny little comments starting using your brain and not letting you butt get in the way before you say such stupid things.
You mean against the same side that was on the five game winning streak and thoroughly humiliated the Red Bulls last week? RSL was missing a couple of their starters due to injuries, but it was not really a B-team. I don’t think that it is fair to say that players like Rimando, Beckermann, Borchers, Saborio, Will Johnson, Alvarez, Grabovoy and Wingert are B-teamers. And by the way, there was no basis to suspend De Rosario, because there was a contact when he went down against Chivas. Yes, it was a soft penalty and De Rosario did his best to ensure that the ref saw that he was pushed in the back, but it was not a dive. Most forwards will go down at the slightest contact in the box to try to draw a penalty. There was contact and the ref had every right to call it a foul. A defender can throw off timing and balance by giving a slight push in the back of striker, but the defender takes a risk that it can be called.
Great player, but luster comes off award somewhat due to favorable treatment from the league by no suspension for the dive.
Really disappointed in that.
Ehm.. the opening goal?
So we know all NYRB fans are pissed about the trade, but curious to hear some opinions on how you all feel about Dax and how he fits into the team (and not necessarily a Dax v. DeRo comparison because that is useless)?
I’m not as bitter about this as I thought I’d be. He wasn’t doing this for the Red Bulls. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the rest of the season with DeRo knowing we weren’t going to sign him (having 3 DPs). You know what, I’m still bitter. This is why you don’t trade with DC. Any other team and it bothers me noticeably less.
That said, I wonder if Sutton didn’t make that awful blunder against Seattle earlier in the season if they don’t try so hard to get a new keeper, and hold onto DeRo.
Any negative flak Swan-dive gets here is earned, as is the praise of his dominating game on Sat.
Which is all really beside the point, because people are pissed that THE LEAGUE DOES NOT APPLY THE SAME RULES TO EVERY TEAM! If there was no preferential treatment shown to the larger market teams DeRo would not have been allowed on the field against RSL. Fact. And the fact that Ives makes no mention of this controversy in this story is just sad.
I think Rimando would even agree with you by the way he was grinning after the 3rd goal.
Worst trade in MLS history? Or worst trade in history of teams spoorts? At least the worst since the Mets traded Nolan Ryan and three others for Jim Fergosi?
OT but Ives when will we hear about the next Nat’s call-in…next matches are less than two weeks away???
He is exactly the CAM that NY lacks. He wasn’t scoring for them, but others were and the team was winning.
All negative commentators on this one: Ghengis Khan was mean. Julius Caesar was manipulative. De Rosario is a winner, and most never do anything in your lives as impressive as this win. So can it for one freaking post.
Alonso of the Sounders who shut down DeRo.
Most incredible thing to me is the technical ability he uses. Each one of the goals is placed as perfectly as possible. Rimando is a great goal keeper and he has NO CHANCE with any of the goals.
If DeRo had been suspended I don’t think it would have changed the outcome of the RSL-DCU match, and DCU was definitely missing several important players. Hats off to DC and DeRo for an impressive performance.
Still doesn’t change the fact that DeRo should have been suspended for the disgraceful dive on Wednesday. If Saborio was suspended earlier in the season, why wasn’t DeRo? I love the suspensions for dives, but only if they are applied equally.
What does taking shots on goal have to do with DC’s team? And Jakovic is a defender… not sure what that has to do with anything.
De Ro has always been best when he DOESN’T have to pass to anyone… when he has to be a part of a team, he’s not that good. Being selfish is when he shines.
great performance, but still not even as good as earlier this year when he put a 10man DC team on his back and somehow got a draw against TFC, and nearly won the game too
Clearly player of the week. But no mention of the fact that he should not have even played in the game due to the dive on Wednesday. Disappointing that MLS’s shock ignoring of the dive is being swept under the rug.
SBI GM of the Year: Erik Soler
And you could argue DeRo did it with a DCU “B” side. Missing Pontius, Davies, Jakovic, Quaranta.
You fail at life.
It would be AWESOME if he got first in goals AND assists.
Yet he should have been suspended…if the rules were applied equal in this league…
Oh and he did it against an RSL ‘B’ side….
Could his hat trick be the fastest in the world? I wouldn’t know 😛
He is currently 1st in goals, 4th in assists and 2nd in shots plus he has 6 more games to play.
I’ve never seen anyone dominate a match so much.
IN-CREDIBLE!
Has to be at least one of the top 3 individual performances in MLS history..