Marco Etcheverry

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Etcheverry (from the Basque "Etxeberria") and the second or maternal family name is Vargas.
Marco Etcheverry
Personal information
Full name Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas
Date of birth (1970-09-26) September 26, 1970
Place of birth Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Playmaker
Youth career
1984-1986 Tahuichi Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1989 Destroyers 81 (10)
1990–1991 Bolívar 97 (29)
1992–1993 Albacete 15 (9)
1994-1995 Colo Colo 28 (12)
1995-1996 América de Cali 50 (80)
1996–2003 D.C. United 213 (34)
1997-1998Barcelona S.C. (loan) 12 (90)
1998-1999Emelec (loan) 19 (16)
1999-2001 Barcelona S.C. 246 (55)
2001-2004 Oriente 11 (21)
2004-2005 Bolívar 27 (33)
National team
1989–2003 Bolivia 71 (32)
Teams managed
2009 Aucas

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas (born September 26, 1970) is a retired Bolivian footballer, considered one of the greatest Bolivian players of all time. [1] Etcheverry played for D.C. United of Major League Soccer from 1996 to 2003. He helped D.C United win eight trophies during that time, and was nominated to the MLS Best XI in four consecutive seasons from 1996 to 1999.

Career

Etcheverry, nicknamed El Diablo (The Devil).

Etcheverry was trained at Bolivia's Tahuichi Academy, after which he played professionally with Bolivian sides (Destroyers, Bolívar, Oriente Petrolero), Spain (Albacete), Chile (Colo-Colo), Colombia (América de Cali) and Ecuador (Barcelona, Emelec).

Etchverry joined D.C. United of Major League Soccer in its inaugural season of 1996, and led the team to three MLS Cups 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 were DC records). He retired at the end of the 2003 season.

DC United honors

In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI.

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. United Tradition of Excellence" sign in the stadium. After all of this Etcheverry walked over to the La Barra Brava part of the stadium and did his trademark clap in front of them, he did 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 team between 1989 and 2003.[2] He scored four times during qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, including an 88th minute opening goal in a 2–0 defeat of Brazil in La Paz - the first ever loss by the Seleção in World Cup qualifying, to help Bolivia participate in its first FIFA World Cup since 1950.[3] At the tournament finals, El Diablo was sent off for kicking Lothar Matthäus four minutes after appearing as a substitute in the tournament's opening game against Germany.[4] The subsequent suspension meant that Etcheverry played no further part in Bolivia's tournament, as La Verde finished bottom of Group C with two losses and a draw to South Korea.[5]

Etcheverry scored twice in the 1997 Copa América as Bolivia reached the final to achieve its best performance in the competition since winning in 1963. He went on to represent the team in the subsequent FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999.[6]

On April 12, 2006, the Bolivian Congress awarded him with the "Order of Merit" and a title of "Distinguished Citizen", for his sport achievements, shortly after his retirement.[7]

Coaching career

Etcheverry made his debut as football coach in early 2009 after he accepted an offer from second division club Sociedad Deportiva Aucas, but he was sacked after only four months in charge.[8] On 6 October 2009, Etcheverry was announced as the new Oriente Petrolero coach, replacing Pablo Sánchez.[9] But in the middle of the negotiations he decided not to go through.

Honors

Club

D.C. United
Barcelona S.C.
Oriente Petrolero

Individual

References

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