De Rosario was planning a move to MLS, and United hoped to keep him under wraps before submitting a claim with the league. “We recognized his talent,” Rongen recalled, “and did everything we could to keep him.”
But Rongen’s top assistant, Frank Yallop, was soon hired as the San Jose Earthquakes’ head coach. Yallop and De Rosario had been roommates while on Canada duty together, and in his San Jose rebuilding efforts, Yallop pegged De Rosario as a cornerstone. Because the Earthquakes had finished one point behind United in the overall standings, they held priority in MLS player acquisitions.
“I thought I would end up in D.C.,” said De Rosario, who was a frequent visitor to Washington during his time in Richmond, in part to see the woman whom he would marry, Brandy, who attended Howard University. “When Frank went to San Jose, everything changed.
“It took a while,” he said with a smile Tuesday, “but I made it to D.C.”
Between the El Salvador trip and his reunion with United last week, De Rosario, 33, forged one of the finest careers in MLS history.
In his first season at San Jose, paired with league newcomer Landon Donovan, he scored six minutes into sudden-death overtime as the Earthquakes won the 2001 MLS Cup with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. De Rosario was named the match’s MVP.
The Earthquakes won the title again in 2003, and after the organization moved to Houston and became the Dynamo, he was part of the 2006 trophy winner. The following year, De Rosario’s goal and assist in a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution at RFK Stadium earned him another championship game MVP award.
His portfolio also includes five Best XI all-league honors, five all-star selections and two MLS goal of the year honors. For Canada, his 17 goals rank third in national team history, two behind leader Dale Mitchell.
The past few years, however, have not been as firm or fruitful. After eight seasons with San Jose/Houston, he was traded in 2009 to Toronto FC, his hometown team.
This spring, just two weeks into his third season with the turbulent Canadian club, De Rosario was shipped to New York. He didn’t fit into the Red Bulls’ system, however, and was on the move again, this time to Washington.
United had tried to acquire De Rosario last year and “made a pretty aggressive offer,” D.C. President Kevin Payne said, declining to disclose details. “We talked to them again all through preseason and thought we had things done but they ended up doing it with New York.”
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