Dwayne De Rosario

MLS EXPERIENCE

2012: Coming off an MLS MVP and Budweiser Golden Boot year, De Rosario added another monster MLS year under his belt. Despite missing the final seven regular-season matches due to an MCL injury, De Rosario’s 12 assists was the second-best career total in the 14 seasons he has been featured in the League, just one shy of the 13 he tallied in 2005 with the San Jose Earthquakes. The playmaker's seven strikes in the 2012 campaign also saw him join the 100-goal club, a feat that has only been accomplished by six other players in MLS history. De Rosario achieved the century mark on August 29, 2012 in a 2-2 draw against Atlantic Cup rival the New York Red Bulls.

2011: Compiling his finest professional campaign in an accomplished 11-season MLS career, De Rosario captured the 2011 Budweiser Golden Boot with 16 League goals. This scoring mark was a single season record for the Canadian, who was pivotal to D.C. United’s postseason push after joining the Black-and-Red on 6/27 in a trade with New York that sent Dax McCarty in the opposite direction. In 18 games (17 starts) with United, De Rosario recorded 13 goals and seven assists, earning him the club’s Volkswagen MVP Award, Golden Boot and Fans’ Choice . He became the first player in team history to record two regular season hat tricks in the same season, putting together three-goal performances against former club Toronto FC on 8/6 and Real Salt Lake on 9/24. De Rosario’s scoring outburst against RSL was the fastest hat trick in MLS history, as the attacking midfielder recorded goals in the 22nd, 27th and 31st minutes. He was named MLS Player of the Week for Week 28 with this performance, having also earned POTW honors in Weeks 20 and 21. De Rosario is the only player in D.C. United history to claim three Player of the Week Awards in one season, and he is the only player in MLS history to score for three teams in the same campaign. De Rosario began 2011 in Toronto before being traded to the New York Red Bulls on 4/1, recording two goals for the Reds. In New York De Rosario logged two goals and four assists in 13 League games (12 starts) before being dealt to United at mid-season. Interestingly, De Rosario scored against all of his former clubs that he played against with the Black-and-Red, including the match-winning goal at Red Bull Arena on 7/9, a brace at San Jose on 7/30 and the hat trick against Toronto FC on 8/6.

2010: De Rosario recorded 15 goals and three assists for his hometown Toronto FC in 2010. The veteran playmaker made 24 starts in 27 games played, becoming only the second captain in Toronto FC history. Two days after being named captain, De Rosario delivered by scoring his first goal of the season in a 4-1 loss to the New England Revolution on 4/10. In Toronto’s home opener on 4/15, he scored twice against the Philadelphia Union. In the next game versus the Colorado Rapids on 4/18, De Rosario scored his fourth goal on the season becoming Toronto FC’s all-time leading regular season goal scorer. He once again found the back of the net on 4/25 versus Seattle Sounders FC, having scored the only goals of the campaign for the club to that point. He was awarded Player of the Week in Week Five for his efforts. He was then honored with the Player of the Week Award in Week 10 following a two-goal performance against the San Jose Earthquakes on 5/29. De Rosario was a member of the MLS All-Star squad and scored a goal in the 5-2 loss versus Manchester United on 7/28. In CONCACAF Champions’ League play, he scored against C.D. Motagua on 8/3 in the second leg of preliminary round play. De Rosario was confirmed to be on trial with the Scottish Premier League club Celtic on 12/28, but no further negotiations took place.

2009: De Rosario appeared in 28 games, 27 of those as a starter, logging 2,444 minutes during his inaugural season with Toronto FC. The 2,444 minutes ranked second on the team behind Jim Brennan. The midfielder led TFC in goals (11), assists (6) and shots (280). De Rosario’s 11 goals tied a career-high at the time. De Rosario scored his first goal of the season in the third game on 4/11 at BMO Field against FC Dallas in a 1-1 draw. He then scored twice on 5/9 at RFK Stadium in a 3-3 draw versus D.C. United – his second goal coming in the 87th minute to give TFC the lead. De Rosario scored his first goal against his former team on 7/18 at home in a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo. He was named to the MLS All Star starting XI but was not able to participate due to a CONCACAF Champions League match. De Rosario was twice awarded Man of the Match honors for performances against the New England Revolution on 5/23 and Houston on 7/18. He was named Toronto FC’s Player of the Month for July. In the Nutrilite Canadian Championship on 6/18, De Rosario scored three times (’29, ’39, ’46) in Montreal to help Toronto to a 6-1 victory, claiming the club’s first piece of silverware while being named tournament MVP.

2008: De Rosario struck for seven goals and two assists in 24 MLS games (22 starts) in his final season with the Houston Dynamo. The attacking midfielder scored goals in three of four games from 5/10 through 5/28 while converting the game-winning penalty in the 87th minute of a 2-1 win versus the Colorado Rapids on 5/10. He wore the captain's armband in Wade Barrett's absence on 5/28 and netted the game-tying goal in the 93rd minute at FC Dallas. He notched a goal and an assist versus Toronto FC on 6/8 and scored the equalizing goal in the seventh minute versus Chicago on 7/31. De Rosario was once again named to the MLS All-Star squad that faced West Ham United in Toronto. The goal machine recorded his 50th career MLS strike versus the Los Angeles Galaxy on 10/18, becoming only the second Dynamo player to reach that milestone. He also netted the go-ahead penalty kick versus Chivas USA on 10/25. De Rosario appeared in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive time in his career and was removed late in the first leg at the New York Red Bulls on 11/1 due to a minor injury. He then started and played all 90 minutes in the second leg versus New York on 11/9. In the Champions' Cup, De Rosario was named Man of the Match for his two-goal performance in a 3-1 quarterfinal second leg win vs. Municipal on 3/19, scoring the opening goal and a penalty kick. In SuperLiga action, the midfielder played in four of five matches, helping the Dynamo take a 3-0 lead vs. Atlante on 7/12 with a goal and an assist before being ejected. He took a corner kick that led to Dynamo's game-winning goal vs. Pachuca in semifinal on 7/29. In the Champions League, De Rosario appeared in the first four games as a substitute, conjuring up one of the plays of the year versus San Francisco on 10/7 as he stole the ball 30 yards from goal and fired in the game-winning strike in the 88th minute.

2007: De Rosario put together another fine season in 2007, leading the Houston Dynamo to its second consecutive MLS Cup and winning the fourth championship of his illustrious career. The midfielder scored the game-winning goal in the MLS Cup Final for an astounding third time and was named MLS Cup MVP for the second time in his career – the only MLS player to accomplish such a feat in the history of the League. He played in 24 games (22 starts) in 2007, scoring six goals to accompany four assists, despite missing time with the Canadian National Team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was also named to the MLS All-Star squad that faced Celtic F.C. De Rosario scored two goals at the Colorado Rapids on 5/5, including a 30-yard left-footed blast. He also scored in a 2-1 loss at D.C. United on 5/26. He then scored a fantastic long-range goal in a 3-3 tie at the New England Revolution on 7/22 that earned Goal of the Week honors, becoming the third consecutive Houston player in as many weeks to win the award. De Rosario assisted on Brian Ching's game-winning goal versus FC Dallas on 8/19 and also made a 60-yard run to set up a Joseph Ngwenya goal in a 1-1 tie versus the Kansas City Wizards on 9/1. He then added an assist in a 4-3 win versus Real Salt Lake on 9/8. The midfielder scored the game-winning goal from the penalty spot in a 3-1 win at the Los Angeles on 9/16 and tallied the first goal in a 3-0 win at FC Dallas on 9/30 with a beautiful near-post shot. De Rosario had an astounding 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs campaign, notching two goals and two assists in four games to lead the Dynamo in points. He set up the series-tying goal in the second leg of the Western Conference semifinal versus FC Dallas on 11/2, playing a through ball for Brian Ching in the 72nd minute. He then netted the game-clinching goal in the 81st minute of the Western Conference final versus Kansas City on 11/10, driving a left-footed shot inside the near post. In the MLS Cup Final versus the New England Revolution on 11/18, De Rosario assisted on Joseph Ngwenya's game-tying goal and scored the game-winning goal in the 74th minute on a snap header from a Brad Davis cross en route to a 2-1 victory and MLS Cup MVP honors. In the Champions’ Cup, De Rosario started both legs of a quarterfinal series win over Puntarenas but left the second leg with an injury. He then entered as a substitute in the first leg of a semifinal series with Pachuca on 3/15 and quickly assisted on Chris Wondolowski's goal in a 2-0 win. He started and played 107 minutes in the second leg at Pachuca on 4/5, assisting on Brian Mullan's goal in the 53rd minute. In SuperLiga action, De Rosario played almost every minute of the three group stage games, scoring the first goal in the semifinal versus Pachuca on 4/15 when a muffed shot deflected off his head and went in.

2006: Along with the rest of his team, De Rosario became a member of the MLS expansion Houston Dynamo in the 2006 MLS season. The midfielder carried the team on his back while Brian Ching was with the U.S. National Team in the 2006 World Cup, leading the Dynamo to the 2006 MLS Cup, the third championship of his career. De Rosario set career highs in games played (30), games started (29), and goals (11) while also adding five assists on the season. He was a finalist for Goal of the Year as well as MVP. De Rosario tied an MLS record with four assists — all on goals by Brian Ching — on 4/2 versus the Colorado Rapids in Houston’s inaugural game. He was ejected in the 77th minute of a 4/8 game versus the Kansas City Wizards in a 2-1 loss and missed the trip to D.C. United on 4/15. He redeemed himself by scoring the game-winning goal with six minutes remaining in a 2-1 win versus Real Salt Lake on 4/22. De Rosario tallied his second and third goals of the season on 5/6 versus FC Dallas in a 4-3 win. His fourth goal came on 6/3 versus the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 2-1 victory. On 6/28, he scored his fifth goal in 1-1 draw at Chivas USA. He then scored on a penalty kick on 7/29 in a 1-1 draw versus the New York Red Bulls, and was ejected in the 71st minute along with New York’s Danny O’Rourke. On 8/5, he notched the lone goal in an MLS All-Star win over Chelsea, being named MVP of the game as he led the All-Stars with 3 shots and 2 corner kicks. De Rosario scored two more goals on 8/26 in a 3-2 loss at Chivas USA. His Goal of the Year nomination came on a high, looping shot from midfield on 8/30 in a 2-2 draw at the Chicago Fire. The goal was named the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week. He had the game-winning goal on 9/10 at Los Angeles in a 2-1 victory and also scored on 9/23 at the Colorado Rapids in a 1-1 draw. In the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs, De Rosario received a yellow card on 10/22 in the first round of the playoffs against Chivas USA. He then assisted on one of Paul Dalglish’s goals in a 3-1 win versus Colorado on 11/5 in the Western Conference Final. He converted the Dynamo’s fourth and decisive penalty kick in the MLS Cup final versus the New England Revolution on 12/26.

2005: De Rosario had a career year in 2005 with the San Jose Earthquakes, moving to midfield with the departure of Landon Donovan. The formidable attacker tallied career highs in games played (28), games started (26), minutes (2,375), goals (9) and assists (13) en route to leading the Earthquakes to the 2005 Supporters’ Shield. De Rosario’s13 assists led MLS, as he was selected to the RadioShack MLS Best XI for the first time in his career. De Rosario won his second consecutive Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Year Award for a free kick blast on 10/15 at the Los Angeles Galaxy. He was named the 2005 Earthquakes MVP and Earthquakes Golden Boot winner. He made his season debut as a substitute in the 71st minute on 4/9 versus Chivas USA, and then started his first game of on 4/23 versus the Kansas City Wizards, scoring the game-winning goal in the second half. De Rosario notched his first of many assists on 4/30 at Real Salt Lake. He missed matches on 7/2 at FC Dallas and on 7/9 at the Columbus Crew while on duty with the Canadian National Team. He returned to the Quakes and played 90 minutes on 7/15 at D.C. United. He scored a goal on 8/6 versus Columbus that was later named the club’s August Goal of the Month. He then played his 100th MLS game on 8/20 at Real Salt Lake. De Rosario scored two goals on 9/21 versus the Chicago Fire, and received a yellow card in the process. The midfielder was named the Maggiano’s September Player of the Month on 10/4. He scored a goal on 10/15 at Los Angeles that was named the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week. He was also named the Honda MLS Player of the Month for October. In the 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs, De Rosario started and played 93 minutes in the first leg of an opening round series at Los Angeles on 10/2, but had to leave the game during stoppage time due to a leg cramp. He then played the full 90 minutes in the second leg versus Los Angeles on 10/30, as the Quakes were upset in the first round. In the Open Cup, Rosario played 90 minutes on 8/3 at Portland and played 90 minutes on 8/24 versus Los Angeles.

2004: In his fourth year in MLS, De Rosario played in 21 games (12 starts), scoring five goals and adding three assists for the San Jose Earthquakes in 2004. He won the Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Year for his strike on 8/7 versus D.C. United. De Rosario started and played 81 minutes on 4/3 at D.C., and received a yellow card. He then missed matches on 5/29 at the Columbus Crew and on 6/12 versus the MetroStars while on duty with the Canadian National Team. De Rosario returned to lineup for the Quakes on 6/19 at the Chicago Fire after helping Canada reach the second round of World Cup qualifying. He came on as a substitute in the 67th minute on 9/25 versus the Los Angeles Galaxy, making his first appearance since 8/28. He scored the game-tying goal on 10/2 at the Colorado Rapids and did not play on 10/9 versus the Kansas City Wizards while with Canadian National Team for World Cup qualifying. He appeared as a substitute and played 63 minutes on 10/16 at the Dallas Burn. De Rosario scored a goal on 10/24 versus Kansas City in the first leg of a first round matchup in the 2004 MLS Cup Playoffs. He then started and played 61 minutes at Kansas City in the second leg on 10/30. In the Champions’ Cup, he started and played 66 minutes on 3/17 at LD Alajuelense and then started and played the full 90 minutes in the second leg on 3/24 versus LDA. In the U.S. Open Cup, De Rosario entered in the 45th minute on 7/14 at Portland and scored a goal in the 80th minute. He then played 75 minutes on 8/4 at Minnesota and played 90 minutes on 8/24 at Kansas City.

2003: After suffering a torn lateral collateral ligament in a preseason scrimmage on 4/3, De Rosario underwent surgery on his right knee and missed a major chunk his 2003 season with the San Jose Earthquakes. Despite the injury, the formidable young midfielder still managed to tally four goals and three assists after making his 2003 debut on 8/8 at the Kansas City Wizards as a substitute in the 77th minute. He notched his first assist of the season versus D.C. United on 8/24 and then scored his first goal on 9/7 versus the New England Revolution. He started his first game of the season on 9/13 at D.C. United. De Rosario recorded the first hat trick of his MLS career on 9/27, scoring three goals against the Dallas Burn. Remarkably, the first of the three goals was scored 11 seconds into the game, becoming the fastest goal in MLS history and earning him MLS Player of the Week honors. He did not play on 10/10 at the Colorado Rapids due to a Canadian National Team match versus Finland. De Rosario returned to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season in 2003 and fell on bad luck by straining his left hamstring, causing him to be subbed out in 21st minute of the first leg at the Los Angeles Galaxy on 11/1. He did not play in the second leg versus Los Angeles on 11/9 due to the strained hamstring. He healed quickly, however, and entered as a substitute in the 81st minute of the Western Conference Finals on 11/15 in a 3-2 extra time victory against Kansas City. De Rosario then notched an assist on 11/23 versus the Chicago Fire en route to winning the 2003 MLS Cup, his second title in three seasons. The assist set up Landon Donovan for the fourth goal in the 4-2 victory. In the Champions’ Cup, De Rosario did not play on 3/16 at CSD Municipal and on 3/26 versus CSD Municipal due to a broken right foot. In the U.S. Open Cup, he did not play on 8/5 at Seattle due to a torn LCL in his right knee. He scored a goal on 9/1 at Vancouver in the 74th minute.

2002: De Rosario built upon his stellar rookie campaign by scoring four goals and registering a career high eight assists in 2002 with the San Jose Earthquakes. He played in a career high 27 games, starting 18, racking up16 points on the season. The forward registered two assists on 6/29 versus the Kansas City Wizards. In the 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, De Rosario played six minutes in the first leg of a first round series versus the Columbus Crew on 9/25. He then started and played 84 minutes on 9/28 at Columbus in the second leg. In the 2002 Champions Cup, De Rosario started and played 82 minutes versus Olimpia on 3/13 at the Orange Bowl. He then started and played 79 minutes versus Olimpia on 3/16 at Sheldon Stadium in the second leg of the series. He also started and played 70 minutes on 4/17 at Pachuca in the first leg of the series and then played the full 90 minutes versus Pachuca on 4/24. In the U.S. Open Cup, De Rosario scored a goal on 7/17 at Seattle and entered as a substitute in the 81st minute versus the LA Galaxy on 8/7. He also tallied a goal at the Minnesota Thunder on 7/14 in an exhibition.

2001: De Rosario proved to be a professional goal scorer immediately in his first season in Major League Soccer with the San Jose Earthquakes. The 23-year-old scored five goals and had four assists during his rookie campaign. De Rosario was also named MLS Cup Final MVP for his championship-winning goal six minutes into overtime against the Los Angeles Galaxy. The rookie scored a goal in his MLS debut on 4/7 at Los Angeles and notched his first career assist on 4/21 at the Miami Fusion. He also scored the game-winning goal on 6/23 versus the Kansas City Wizards. In the 2001 MLS Cup Playoffs, De Rosario made his MLS postseason debut entering as a substitute in the 70th minute on 10/10 at Miami. He also entered as a substitute in the 75th minute and scored his first career MLS Playoffs goal in the second leg versus Miami on 10/14. De Rosario came on in the 85th minute in the MLS Cup Final and scored the game-winning goal in the 96th minute versus Los Angeles on 10/21 at Crew Stadium.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1997-2000: De Rosario turned professional at 18-years-old in 1997, signing with the Toronto Lynx of the A-League. He then opted to change clubs, signing with FSV Zwickau of the German Second Division half way through the 1997 season. The midfielder played two seasons with Zwickau. De Rosario then returned to the A-League in 1999 with the Richmond Kickers, scoring one goal and registering five assists. In 2000, he had a spectacular season, leading Richmond with 15 goals and five assists for 35 points. De Rosario was named to the 2000 All-A-League Second Team and he won A-League Player of the Month for June, helping the Kickers to a 20-6-1 record and a second place finish in the Atlantic Division in 2000.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

1998-2012: De Rosario has put together a stellar international career, scoring 20 goals – good for the all-time lead – in 71 appearances (58 starts) for the Canadian National Team, most recently featuring in the country’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He has been a member of Canada’s system since the age of 16. The playmaker scored every goal for his nation in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, tallying the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win against Guadeloupe on 6/11/11 and the lone goal in a 1-1 draw with Panama on 6/14/11. In 2008, he scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at Martinique in a friendly on 1/30/08. He played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss at Estonia on 3/26/08 and a 3-2 loss versus Brazil on 5/31/08. De Rosario set up two goals in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over St. Vincent & the Grenadines on 6/15/08 while scoring twice more and setting up two other goals in a 4-1 win in the return leg on 6/20/08. He started three matches in semifinal qualifying versus Jamaica and Honduras and at Mexico. In 2007, De Rosario won his third consecutive Male Canadian Player of the Year Award, scoring five goals in only eight matches – the most goals by a Canadian player in a season since 1993. He often played in a new position at left midfield with Canada. He started and played 70 minutes in a 3-0 win at Bermuda on 3/25/07 and scored an early goal in a 2-2 tie at Venezuela on 6/1/07. He also started every match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring two goals in a win versus Haiti on 6/11/07 to lift Canada into the quarterfinals. De Rosario scored the first goal in a 3-0 quarterfinal win over Guatemala on 6/16/07 and played all 90 minutes in a controversial 2-1 semifinal loss to the United States in which Canada had a goal disallowed in stoppage time. He then rejoined the National Team for a friendly versus Costa Rica on 9/12/07 and scored in a 1-1 tie with a left-footed shot. In 2006, De Rosario was named Male Canadian Player of the Year for the second year running. He played the full 90 minutes in Canada’s 2-0 win against Austria on 3/1/06. He also captained Canada and played 90 minutes versus the United States on 1/21/06. In 2005, De Rosario was a member of Canada’s CONCACAF Gold Cup team, appearing in all three games while also being named Male Canadian Player of the Year. He played in matches against Northern Ireland, Portugal, Honduras, Costa Rica, USA, Cuba, Spain and Luxembourg. In 2004, De Rosario was called into Frank Yallop’s first National Team training camp from 1/12/04 to 1/23/04. He appeared against Barbados, Wales, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. He notched an assist against Barbados on 1/18/04 and scored a goal in World Cup qualifying on 10/13/04 versus Costa Rica and on 11/17/04 versus Guatemala. The forward also scored two goals in an exhibition versus Belize on 6/16/04. In 2003, De Rosario broke a bone in his foot in January at the National Team training camp. He notched a goal and an assist in his international return on 10/11/03 versus Finland. In 2002, De Rosario was a part of the Canadian Gold Cup squad that finished in third place. He played in two friendly matches, scoring his first international goal in Canada’s 2-1 win over South Korea in the third place match in the Gold Cup on 2/10/02. He then played the full match in a 3-1 win over Switzerland in May and scored the lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Scotland on 10/15/02. In 2001, he played in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in Japan. He was also a key member of Canada’s Gold Cup winning squad in 2000, playing against Korea and Trinidad and Tobago. De Rosario made his international debut on 5/18/98 versus Macedonia in a 1-0 exhibition victory. In 1997, he scored a goal and notched an assist for Canada’s U-20 side that advanced to the second round of the U-20 World Cup in Malaysia. De Rosario received the Golden Boot award and Co-MVP honors as the U-20 team won the CONCACAF Championships in Mexico.