Until Saturday’s match versus RSL, Dwayne De Rosario was a good pickup for DC United. &nbsp;The team was playing better with him in the lineup and he gave them an offensive spark that they had lacked with Dax McCarty. &nbsp;Then on Saturday night he took it to a new level. &nbsp;First he fed Andy Najar a beautiful pass that the Honduran converted for the first goal of the game. &nbsp;Then Najar returned the favor and served up a ball that De Rosario headed home. &nbsp;Next it was Josh Wolff who had the assist that De Ro slammed home. &nbsp;Finally, the Canadian national in the 31st minute struck a free kick that curled so perfectly into the top left corner that the crowd and players could only shake their heads in awe. &nbsp;And like that, Dwayne De Rosario had fastest hat trick in MLS history, DC had a critical three points, and the league could only gasp at the incredible play of the former MLS Cup MVP.
So Dwayne De Rosario now has the inside track for the Golden Boot but now scribes are wondering if he could garner even more hardware. &nbsp;After winning his third Player of the Week recognition today (all with DCU), the discussion in the media has centered around whether he can win the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season. &nbsp;Despite being named to the MLS Best XI team a record five times, he has never been named MVP. &nbsp;Is this the year the midfielder/forward finally wins the award?
It depends on how much you emphasize the word “valuable” in MVP. &nbsp;Since coming south on I-95, DC United is <a href="http:\/\/aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/story/2011-09-26/mls-power-poll-mvp-candidate-de-rosario-fuels-uniteds-climb" target="_blank">5-2-5</a> in games he has started and has scored 22 goals; he has scored ten of those goals and assisted on another six. &nbsp;Overall he has 13 goals and eleven assists, best for first and fourth in the league respectively. &nbsp;Regardless of where he plays (attacking midfielder, forward) or with whom he plays (Wolff, Charlie Davies), he continues to make plays for DC. &nbsp;Because of their excellent record in games he has started, DC is making a playoff run a year after having the worst record in MLS in 2010 and their worst season in franchise history. &nbsp;Saturday’s hat trick was his second in DC; as <a href="http:\/\/dc.sbnation.com/dc-united/2011/9/25/2447648/is-dwayne-de-rosario-the-mvp-of-mls" target="_blank">Samuel Chamberlain notes</a> his first was also critical as it rescued a point at home for DC in their 3-3 draw with Toronto. &nbsp;He also notes De Ro has scored the game winning goal three times in DC’s five post-acquisition wins. &nbsp;Statistically, De Rosario has a great case but in terms of value to his team, his case is eve better.
But if De Rosario wins the MVP award, he will be a unique awardee, in that he will be the first MVP winner in a major sport to play for three different teams. &nbsp;It’s important to note in this discussion why that is the case. &nbsp;De Rosario started the season with Toronto FC but everyone knew his time was short with that team; the previous season he had shown publicly his discontent with his paycheck. &nbsp;While with Toronto he looked like an aging player who <a href="http:\/\/www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011/4/3/2089470/dwayne-de-rosario-should-be-missed-but-he-wont/in/1849504" target="_blank">had alienated the fans and fellow players</a>. &nbsp;When he was traded to the Red Bulls, he was seen as a star that would propel the already soaring club to a desired MLS Cup. &nbsp;Except he didn’t. &nbsp;While with New York De Ro looked out of place and was not the offensive creator that the Red Bulls had sought. &nbsp;When DC came to them wanting to swap similarly underperforming Dax McCarty straight up for him, the deal was made and people wondered who was getting the better deal. &nbsp;If you vote for Dwayne De Rosario for MVP, you are essentially voting for a half-season MVP performance, as he has only really played like an MVP since the DCU trade.
Will Dwayne De Rosario win the MVP? &nbsp;Two things will help him, one in his control and one outside his control. &nbsp;The first factor is if DC makes the playoffs. &nbsp;Fairly or unfairly in all sports MVPs are judged on how their teams do; a failure to make the playoffs would undercut his “valuable” argument. &nbsp;However, if DC makes the playoffs (and especially if they secure a top three spot in the Eastern Conference) it will be hard to argue that Dwayne De Rosario was not the key player in taking a team that last year was miserable into the playoffs. &nbsp;The second factor is the players he is competing against. &nbsp;Landon Donovan has the stats, but he has been overshadowed down the stretch by his teammates and scored just one goal in the last seven games. &nbsp;Brek Shea looked like a lock but he and Dallas have begun to slow down as the season wears on. &nbsp;Kyle Beckerman has been dominant defensively and in the midfield, but it is hard for guys who don’t score to win an MVP. &nbsp;If no one else has a huge highlight-worthy night, the award might be De Ro’s to lose. &nbsp;In the end, factors both in and out of his control might finally give Dwayne De Rosario a long-awaited MVP award.

Is De Rosario the 2011 MLS MVP? - World Soccer Talk

Is De Rosario the 2011 MLS MVP?

Fans who saw the scoreline of September 10th’s 3-0 win by DC United over Chivas would assume that DCU would win handily against the Goats at home and, with New York’s loss, would move into the driver’s seat with their playoff push. &nbsp;But as the excellent fan blog <a href="http:\/\/www.blackandredunited.com/2011/9/21/2440613/scouting-report-chivas-usa-vs-dc-united-heath-pearce" target="_blank">Black and Red United </a>noted, Chivas actually dominated possession in the first game and bombarded DC with 29 crosses. &nbsp;A couple of early goals turned the tide arguably against the run of play, and DC could cruise to a 3-0 victory.
Last night, the same trend continued but the result was not a DC victory. &nbsp;Despite DC jumping out to a 2-0 lead early in the second half and looking like the better team, the Goats dominated the midfield and used two Juan Pablo Angel goals to take a much needed road point. &nbsp;Chivas had an edge in almost every statistical category including possession and shots, but from about the fiftieth minute to the seventieth minute of the game it was all Chivas USA, and that made the difference.
Instead of a tale of two halves, the match was actually a game of three periods. &nbsp;The first 35 minutes of the game saw both teams aggressively going forward, taking chances and trying to draw first blood. &nbsp;Chivas had the edge in possession and DC needed Bill Hamid to save a early deflected chance from Marcos Mondaini, but neither team established dominance early on, a bad sign for the home team.
But beginning with Dwayne De Rosario’s goal in the 39th minute, the second period (from roughly the 35th through 50th minutes) saw the Black and Red with control of the match. &nbsp;In a positive for DC, both goals came off of set pieces. &nbsp;The first was Andy Najar’s free kick from outside the box which found De Ro’s head and the back of the net. &nbsp;The goal was DC’s first headed goal of the year incredibly and gave the home side the momentum. &nbsp;Two minutes into the second half, DCU struck again off a set piece. &nbsp;This time, Santino Quaranta’s corner was put on goal by De Ro and the save deflected into the net by defender Ethan White for his first MLS goal.
At this point in the match, it looked like DC would cruise to victory just like they had ten days ago. &nbsp;But some critical mistakes by DC and some smart substitutions by Chivas USA turned the tide of the match. &nbsp;After the first Chivas goal, Ben Olsen sent on Steven King for Josh Wolff in hopes of grabbing more midfield possession. &nbsp;Instead, the exact opposite happened. &nbsp;Chivas subs Justin Braun and Laurent Courtois provided a major boost to the Goats lineup by adding some bite to the attack while the Chivas midfield began to dominate possession. &nbsp;The visitors from the fiftieth minute on looked like the more dangerous team, with probing runs and smart one-time passes through the DC midfield while all DC could do when they got possession was clear. &nbsp;In the 57th minute Angel scored his first goal of the night and Chivas kept up the pressure. &nbsp;His second in the 69th minute was no surprise, as Chivas was dominating the run of play. &nbsp;For DC, they had trouble mounting a comeback as Olsen’s substitutions had removed Charlie Davies and Wolff from the lineup, leaving just Joseph Ngwenya as the only offensive substitution he could have made.
The controversial moment in the match came in stoppage time, when Angel seemingly pushed De Rosario to the ground in the box. &nbsp;Replays showed the push was rather weak and the contact was likely not a penalty. &nbsp;Regardless, referee Chris Penso pointed to the spot, and De Rosario botched the penalty by sending a low shot to the right that was expertly saved by Dan Kennedy, preserving the draw.
The draw basically kept Chivas USA’s playoff hopes on life support, and Robin Fraser’s team had some positives to take from the contest (in addition to the road point). &nbsp;Juan Pablo Angel continued his good run of form since his “move” from the Galaxy. &nbsp;Their next two games (Toronto and Philadelphia) are absolute must wins because they close the season against LA and Seattle.
After the game, Ben Olsen went on a rant about the lack of urgency on the team, according to <a href="http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com/sports/united/united-vs-chivas-usa-dc-gives-away-lead-and-crucial-points-in-tie/2011/09/21/gIQATInImK_story.html" target="_blank">Steven Goff</a>. &nbsp;“Up 2-0, now we think the game’s easy. Now we think we don’t have to tackle, we don’t have to win second balls: Let’s just roll the dice and hope we get lucky. It’s absolutely gonna stop — it has to stop or we will not make the playoffs.” &nbsp;The combination of letting off by DC and poor substitutions by Olsen hurt DC in this game, but regardless this was a must win for DC. &nbsp;Saturday’s game against Real Salt Lake, who demolished New York, is now another must win for DC to keep up in the playoff race. &nbsp;Another draw or loss could mean desperation time in the nation’s capital.

Chivas Force 2-2 Draw with United - World Soccer Talk

Chivas Force 2-2 Draw with United

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Chivas Force 2-2 Draw with United