Ten Best: Metro foreigners
September 7, 2005
How sad it is that this list was pretty hard to compile. We barely missed scraping the bottom of the barrel with Lothar Matthaus, Alex Comas, Sasa Curcic, and Eduardo Hurtado just missing out. And who can forget the immortal Ruben Dario Hernandez, Marcelo Vega, Gilmar, and Byron Alvarez? Many, we hope.
10) Nicola Caricola, Italy, 1996
Own goals notwithstanding... And we know that's hard, but in the inaugural season, the sweeper ran the transition game like no other in Metro history and also scored a memorable long bomb against Columbus.
9) Diego Sonora, Argentina, 1998
A key contributor during the 1998 season, Sonora played right back as well as right midfield, and finished the year with three goals and seven assists.
8) Petter Villegas, Ecuador, 1996; 1999-2002
Sarcastically nicknamed "The Greatest Metro Ever", he had a cup of coffee with the team in 1996, before coming back in a full-time role in 1999. He didn't count as a foreigner during the bulk of his MLS career (his status in 1996 is murky), but the winger will long be remembered for his erratic play, as well as for his game-winning blast against Tampa Bay in 2000.
7) Rodrigo Faria, Brazil, 2001-02
After Octavio Zambrano supposedly told him to tank the MLS Player combine, the unheralded striker from Concordia College tied a then-MLS rookie record with eight goals, added three in the playoffs, and was named Rookie of the Year. Next year, he led the team with 12 goals and 29 points. If not for a case of Hurtado-itis, missing easy sitters, he could have had a bunch more.
6) Antony De Avila, Colombia, 1996-97
"El Pitufo" was signed late in the 1996 season and scored 15 league goals, plus two key playoff ones in his time with the team. What he will be remembered most, however, was dedicating a goal to jailed Colombian drug lords.
5) Adolfo Valencia, Colombia, 2000-01
The much-traveled striker broke Metro goal-scoring records in 2000, finishing the year with 16 goals, and added four during the playoff run (but it should have been five...) His form did drop drastically in 2001. But after just two years with the club, he stands third in Metro history with 29 goals in all competitions.
4) Roberto Donadoni, Italy, 1996-97
The Italian maestro was Charlie Stillitano's centerpiece during the first two Metro seasons. Unfortunately, he was a supporting player during all of his career and often deferred to others during his Metro days, his brilliance often lost in the process. He went back to AC Milan after scoring six goals and 21 assists in all competitions.
3) Youri Djorkaeff, France, 2005-
The only thing which keeps the sublime World Cup winner from appearing higher on this list is that his first (and hopefully, not last) season with Metro is not yet over. A class act on and off the field, the Frenchman is everything the Metros could have desired when they signed him... and more.
2) Giovanni Savarese, Venezuela, 1996-98
Who would have thought it that ten years into MLS, the unheralded ninth-round pick from the soccer hotbed of Venezuela will still be the Metro all-time leader in all major offensive categories? 13 goals in 1996, 14 in both 1997 and 1998, plus Open Cup and playoff goals bring his total to 44; and the record looks safe for now. The amazing bicycle kick goal against Tampa Bay in 1996 will forever be etched in our memory.
1) Amado Guevara, Honduras, 2003-
If he could only learn to control his temper... The first Metro to be named league MVP has been the club's best player during his tenure. His 27 goals and 29 assists (as of this writing) in all competitions do not tell the full story; he is the engine that runs the Metros; when he is off, the team stalls. Let's hope he is on, for we need him dearly for the stretch run this season.
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