Marco Etcheverry

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Etcheverry and the second or maternal family name is Vargas.

Marco Etcheverry

Personal information
Full name	Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas
Date of birth	September 26, 1970 (1970-09-26) (age 41)
Place of birth	Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	Tahuichi Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1986–1989	Destroyers	81	(17)
1990–1991	Bolívar	99	(29)
1992–1993	Albacete Balompié	15	(2)
1994	Colo Colo	28	(8)
1995	América de Cali	21	(0)
1996–2003	D.C. United	190	(34)
1997	→ Barcelona S.C. (loan)	13	(6)
1998	→ Emelec (loan)	6	(0)
1999	→ Barcelona S.C. (loan)
2001	→ Oriente Petrolero (loan)
2004	Bolívar	7	(0)
National team
1989–2003	Bolivia	71	(13)
Teams managed
2009	Aucas
2009	Oriente Petrolero
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas (born September 26, 1970 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra) is a retired Bolivian footballer, considered one of the greatest Bolivian players of all time.^[1]

Career

Etcheverry, nicknamed El Diablo, 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 are DC records). He retired at the end of the 2003 season. In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI.

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

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. The only other person on that wall is John Harkes. 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 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 team between 1989 and 2003.^[2] 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 Germany for kicking Germany's striker Lothar Matthäus.^[3] However, he was a critical part of Bolivia's qualifying campaign for that tournament, scoring an especially vital goal to help Bolivia beat Brazil.^[4]

The Bolivian Congress 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 Americas.

Coaching career

On 6 October 2009, Etcheverry was announced as the new Oriente Petrolero coach, replacing Pablo Sánchez.^[5] But in the middle of the negotiations he decided not to go through.

Honors

Club

D.C. United

• MLS Cup (3): 1996, 1997, 1999
• MLS Supporters' Shield (2): 1997, 1999
• CONCACAF Champions League: 1998
• Copa Interamericana: 1998
• U.S. Open Cup: 1996

Barcelona S.C.

• Ecuadorian League Championship: 1997

Oriente Petrolero

• Bolivian League Championship: 2001

Individual

• MLS Best XI (4): 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
• MLS Goal of the Year (2): 1997, 1999
• MLS Most Valuable Player (1): 1998
• MLS All-Star Game MVP (1): 2002
• MLS All-Time Best XI

References

1. ^ Marco ETCHEVERRY - "El Diablo" in Washington
2. ^ rsssf: Bolivia record international footballers
3. ^ "Klinsmann provides Germany's first thrust". The Independent. 18 June 1994. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football--world-cup-usa-94-klinsmann-provides-germanys-first-thrust-1423406.html. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
4. ^ Marco Etcheverry _ World Footballers
5. ^ Bolivian Legend Marco Etcheverry Becomes New Coach Of Oriente Petrolero

External links

• International statistics at rsssf
• Career details at National Football Teams

Persondata
Name	Etcheverry, Marco
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1970-09-26
Place of birth	Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Date of death
Place of death