Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas (born September 26, 1970 in
Santa Cruz de la SierraSanta Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
) is a retired
BoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n footballer, considered one of the greatest Bolivian players of all time.
Career
Etcheverry, nicknamed
El Diablo, joined
D.C. UnitedD.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
of
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
in its inaugural season of 1996, and led the team to three
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
s and was named MLS MVP in 1998. In eight years with the team, Etcheverry played 191 league games, scoring 34 goals and registering 101 assists (the games and assists are DC records). He retired at the end of the 2003 season. In 2005, he was named to the
MLS All-Time Best XIIn 2005, as part of its tenth anniversary celebrations, Major League Soccer, the United States' top soccer league, named its All-Time Best XI, a selection of the best eleven players in the history of the league...
.
Etcheverry was trained at Bolivia's Tahuichi Academy, after which he played professionally with Bolivian sides (
DestroyersClub Destroyers is a football club from Santa Cruz, Bolivia currently playing in both the Nacional B second division and in Santa Cruz Primera A, one of the third division regional leagues....
,
BolivarClub Bolívar, a football team from Bolivia, was founded in La Paz on April 12, 1925, with the name Atletico Bolívar Literario Musical later changed to "Club Atlético Bolívar"...
,
Oriente PetroleroClub Deportivo Oriente Petrolero is a Bolivian football club based in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Founded on November 5, 1955 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia by workers of the Bolivian oil company . They play at the 38,000-capacity Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera. Oriente have been Bolivian champions four times, Copa...
),
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(
AlbaceteAlbacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
),
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(
Colo-ColoClub Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo...
),
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
(
América de CaliCorporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
) and
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
(Barcelona,
EmelecClub Sport Emelec is a Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil that is best known for their professional football team. The football team plays in the Ecuadorian Serie A, the highest level of professional football in the country....
).
On September 23, 2006, Etcheverry was honored at a home game against the New York Red Bulls. During halftime he was put up on the "
D.C. UnitedD.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
Tradition of Excellence" sign in the stadium. The only other person on that wall is
John HarkesJohn Harkes is an American former soccer player. Harkes was the first American ever to play in the English Premier League, and the second American to score at Wembley Stadium. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He appeared in two FIFA World Cup tournaments, and won two MLS Cup...
. After all of this Etcheverry walked over to the
La Barra BravaLa Barra Brava is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's D.C. United and the United States. It was founded in 1995 by Latino fans in the Washington, D.C...
part of the stadium and did his trademark clap in front of them, he would do after every game win or lose.
On October 20, 2007, Etcheverry was honored with a tribute match at RFK Stadium, prior to United's regular-season finale versus Columbus. Etcheverry is the first United player to be so honored. Etcheverry, playing with teammates from the club's 1997 MLS Cup winning side, defeated Hollywood United (a collection of former players and actors), 2–1, with Etcheverry drawing and scoring the winning penalty in the final minute.
International career
Etcheverry compiled 71 caps and scored 13 goals for the
Bolivian national teamThe Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
between 1989 and 2003. He played for them in the 1994 World Cup, where he is remembered most for getting sent off just minutes after entering the tournament's opening game against
GermanyThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
for kicking
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's star player
Lothar MatthäusLothar Herbert Matthäus , is a German football manager and former player.In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup...
.
However, he was a critical part of Bolivia's qualifying campaign for that tournament, scoring an especially vital goal to help Bolivia beat Brazil.
The
Bolivian CongressThe Plurinational Legislative Assembly also known as the National Congress is the national legislature of Bolivia, based in the nation's de facto capital, La Paz....
awarded him with the
Medal of Merit, for his sport achievements, in April 2006, shortly after his retirement, and in a match between players of the Bolivia national team and the
Friends of America team of players of the
AmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
Coaching career
On 6 October 2009, Etcheverry was announced as the new
Oriente PetroleroClub Deportivo Oriente Petrolero is a Bolivian football club based in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Founded on November 5, 1955 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia by workers of the Bolivian oil company . They play at the 38,000-capacity Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera. Oriente have been Bolivian champions four times, Copa...
coach, replacing
Pablo SánchezPablo Andrés Sánchez is a retired Argentine footballer, who played as a midfielder. During his professional career, he was nicknamed Vitamina.-Playing career:...
. But in the middle of the negotiations he decided not to go through.
Club
D.C. United
- MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
(3): 1996, 1997, 1999
- MLS Supporters' Shield
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system...
(2): 1997, 1999
- CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region ....
: 1998
- Copa Interamericana
Copa Interamericana was a football trophy contested between the champions of CONMEBOL's Copa Libertadores de América and the winners of CONCACAF's Champions' Cup...
: 1998
- U.S. Open Cup: 1996
Barcelona S.C.
- Ecuadorian League Championship: 1997
Oriente Petrolero
- Bolivian League Championship
-List of champions:*Torneo adecuacion was celebrate to adequate seasons to European style -Titles by team :-List of all-time topscorers:...
: 2001
Individual
- MLS Best XI
The MLS Best XI is an acknowledgement of the best eleven players in the league in a given season for Major League Soccer in Canada and the United States.-Winners:*Players in bold text also won the Major League Soccer MVP Award award for that season....
(4): 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
- MLS Goal of the Year
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Goal of the Year Award since its inception in 1996. It is selected from the season's Goal of the Week Award winners by fans' online vote. Here is a list of the past winners:...
(2): 1997, 1999
- MLS Most Valuable Player
The Major League Soccer MVP is a soccer award for players in Major League Soccer. The award is given to the player deemed the most valuable player in the league each season. From 1996 to 2007 the award was sponsored by Honda. The award is now sponsored by Volkswagen.Preki is the only player to win...
(1): 1998
- MLS All-Star Game MVP
The MLS All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against various competitors...
(1): 2002
- MLS All-Time Best XI
In 2005, as part of its tenth anniversary celebrations, Major League Soccer, the United States' top soccer league, named its All-Time Best XI, a selection of the best eleven players in the history of the league...
External links