Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Dwayne De Rosario is officially on his way out of D.C. United, and that raises the question as to where his next destination will be.
United confirmed the news that they declined De Rosario’s option for next season on Thursday morning, meaning that the 2011 MLS MVP will be free to sign with any club in the league this offseason. But which teams will be interested in acquiring a skilled but aging and expensive veteran seems to be the real question, as De Rosario’s departure from D.C. seemed like a foregone conclusion given his high salary and lack of production on a historically-bad United team this year.
Make no mistake about it, the 35-year-old De Rosario still has the talent to be a big contributor on most if not all MLS teams. But the Canadian international has proven to be somewhat of a luxury in recent years, and his salary can be downright frightening for some teams (he had a base salary of $600,000 in 2013, some of which was reportedly paid for with allocation money).
Still, you can expect some teams to be willing to take the gamble on De Rosario given his game-changing abilities, leadership and toughness. A second stint with the Houston Dynamo or San Jose Earthquakes could be a possibility, and a reunion with Frank Yallop at the Chicago Fire would make a whole lot of sense given the two men’s history.
In any case, the process of where De Rosario lands this offseason will be something to keep an eye on as he will undoubtedly be one of the biggest names available on the market.
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Where do you think De Rosario will wind up this offseason? Would you like to see your club pick him up? Think he needs to lower his salary demands?
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