By Graig Carbino -- ALBANY, NY (July 9, 2009) USSoccerPlayers - Fight, heart and perseverance. Cliché vocabulary that was thrown around over the past few weeks when speaking of the United States National Team.
At first all of these words began with “lack of” and finished with more dismissive language in the back. They said this team “showed a lack of fight,” they “had a lack of heart,” they “lacked perseverance.” You get the idea.
By the end of the Confederations Cup in South Africa it was all about “way to fight” and “huge heart” when describing the US team. A shocking run to the tournaments finale ending in runner’s up medals for America’s team tends to have that effect.
The never ending world of soccer demands that we quickly turn our attention to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Bob Bradley has assembled a team of younger players and lesser-known veterans that are looking to build on that now established reputation of toughness blended with skill. They’ll go through trials and tribulations and look to come out on top in the end.
There isn’t a player in the current National Team set-up that has demonstrated the willingness to fight and scratch and claw through his own on and off the field struggles more than DC United midfielder Santino Quaranta.
United drafted the 16 year-old Quaranta eighth overall in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft making him the youngest player in the history of the league at the time. He would go on to play 16 matches in 2001, registering five goals and an assist. Not bad for a boy playing amongst men.
The physical toll of competing against opponents that were just flat-out bigger and stronger than Quaranta proved too much over his next three seasons in the nations capital. Between 2002 and 2004 Quaranta would only appear in 24 games for United as he battled through various injuries to his still developing frame.
2005 seemed to bring a breath of fresh air to the Baltimore native as he had finally recovered from injury and looked set to live up to the unbelievable hype that surrounds a teenage draft pick. Quaranta played 18 times that season registering five goals and five assists.
You might be wondering to yourself why he was limited to only 18 league matches played after finally regaining his fitness. The reason for Quaranta’s absence from the DC lineup in 2005 was actually a good thing. He had finally been called into the full US National Team and spent the majority of that summer representing his country in the Gold Cup and various World Cup qualifiers.
After converting a penalty kick in the United States Gold Cup final victory over Panama it looked like the sky was the limit for Quaranta. He finished out the summer and early fall playing in four Gold Cup matches and four World Cup qualifiers for the US. No one could have known then where the next few years would take this promising international player.
After four games in 2006 he was traded to the LA Galaxy. There were rumors of off field issues at the time, but nothing really made the news and his move to Los Angeles was swept under the carpet as quickly and quietly as possible.
Why would DC United, a team that had invested so much in the potential of Quaranta give up on him four games into a season immediately following the break out year of his career? These were questions that the fans and media wondered about. The player himself knew the unfortunate answers.
Santino would go on to play 12 times for the Galaxy, scoring three goals in the process. He would play six more times for LA in 2007 before being traded to the New York Red Bulls in late June. New York proved to be his rock bottom as a visibly unfit Quaranta struggled through three substitute appearances (47 minutes total) before having his season ended by a foot injury.
Having been waived by New York at the conclusion of the season Quaranta was at a crossroads of his professional career. More than that, he was at a fork in the road of his life. He knew that changes needed to be made and that he needed to get things together off of the field before he could even think about making a return to soccer.
In an interview last April Santino told me that October of 2007 was the turning point of his life. He had finally decided that it was time to reach out and ask for help to conquer the demons that were controlling his everyday existence.
Quaranta’s well publicized struggles certainly do not need to be rehashed here once again. He battled and fought his way through those issues and was able to get himself in enough shape to go on trial back with DC United prior to the 2008 season. What a recovery it turned out to be as Quaranta had his best season as a professional playing in a career high 35 matches across all competitions while tallying six goals and six assists.
Then there was Wednesday night. In front of the home crowd in DC, Santino Quaranta scored for the United States.
"Bob said on the bus that it's only a game," Quaranta said during the post-game press conference. "I was trying to tell myself that all day.... "This means a lot to me, playing for my country. Before, it didn't mean as much, but it does now. It's just very special."
Quaranta went on to describe the importance of this goal on this day. Though he was quick to point out that he would be perfectly fine with scoring for the USA on any field in any game, you get that this was a moment bordering on perfect.
Whether it was too much too soon for Santino Quaranta is anybody’s best guess. In retrospect, maybe playing a few more years against players his own age might have done him some good. Then again, maybe not. One things is for sure, Quaranta has done a lot of living and learning since turning professional way back in 2001.
Most people tend to forget that he will only turn 25 this coming October and should just be hitting his stride as a pro. The transformation from boy to man, on and off the field has been one filled with ups and downs for the Maryland local. You get the sense that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Fight, heart and perseverance. Words used to describe the US National Team, terminology that can barely express the makeup of Santino Quaranta.
Graig Carbino covers American Abroad and writes a weekly column for USSoccerPlayers. Contact him at graiger11@yahoo.com
