Dwayne De Rosario facts for kids
De Rosario in 2023
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Dwayne Anthony De Rosario | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | May 15, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Scarborough, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder, forward | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Scarborough Blizzard SC | |||||||||||||||||||
| Malvern Majors | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Toronto Lynx | 7 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | FSV Zwickau | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Richmond Kickers | 35 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | 108 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Houston Dynamo | 78 | (24) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Toronto FC | 57 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | New York Red Bulls | 13 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | D.C. United | 68 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Toronto FC | 19 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Mississauga MetroStars (indoor) | 11 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 408 | (133) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Canada U20 | 8 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Canada U23 | 11 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2015 | Canada | 81 | (22) | ||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Dwayne Anthony De Rosario (born May 15, 1978) is a Canadian former professional soccer player. He played as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Dwayne is known for being a very flexible attacker on the field.
He played for several teams early in his career, including the Toronto Lynx and FSV Zwickau. He became well-known in the 2000s while playing in Major League Soccer (MLS). He played for teams like the San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls, and D.C. United.
Dwayne won the MLS Cup four times and was named the MLS Most Valuable Player in 2011. He is one of the top goal scorers in MLS history with 104 goals. Many people consider him one of the best Canadian soccer players ever.
He also played for the Canadian national team from 1998 to 2015. He was Canada's all-time leading scorer with 22 goals in 81 games for a long time. Dwayne won the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup with Canada and was named Canadian Player of the Year four times. He is now a respected member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Soccer
Dwayne De Rosario was born in Scarborough, Ontario, which is a part of Toronto. His parents moved to Canada from Guyana. He started playing soccer at just three years old with Scarborough Blizzard SC. Later, he played with the Malvern Majors.
When he was 14, Dwayne had a chance to join the famous Italian club A.C. Milan. However, he decided not to go because he wasn't ready to live in Italy at that age. He went to Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute in Scarborough.
Dwayne began his professional soccer journey in 1997 when he was 18. He signed with the Toronto Lynx team. Later that year, he moved to Germany to play for FSV Zwickau. After two seasons there, he came back to North America. He joined the Richmond Kickers in 1999. In 2000, he had a great season, scoring 15 goals and helping his team win many games.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for San Jose Earthquakes
In 2001, a Canadian coach named Frank Yallop became the head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes. He quickly brought Dwayne De Rosario to the team. Dwayne proved to be a great choice. He scored five goals and made four assists in his first season. He played a big part in helping the Earthquakes win the MLS Cup that year. He even scored the winning goal in the final game and was named the MLS Cup's best player!
In 2003, Dwayne had a knee injury, but he still managed to score four goals and make three assists. He helped his team win another MLS Cup. In 2004, he scored five goals, including the "MLS Goal of the Year."
In 2005, Dwayne moved to play in the midfield. He led the MLS in assists with 13 and scored nine goals. He also won the "MLS Goal of the Year" again, becoming the only player to win it two years in a row! He was chosen for the "MLS Best XI" team six times during his career.
Success with Houston Dynamo
In 2006, Dwayne joined the Houston Dynamo. During the 2006 MLS All-Star Game, he scored the only goal, helping the MLS All-Stars beat the famous English team Chelsea.
Dwayne and the Houston Dynamo won the MLS Cup in 2006. They won in a penalty shootout, and Dwayne scored his penalty kick. The next year, in the 2007 MLS Cup final, Dwayne scored the winning goal, giving Houston their second championship. He was named MLS Cup MVP again, becoming the first player to win this award twice!
In 2008, Dwayne played in his third straight MLS All-Star Game. This game was held in Toronto, his home country. He scored the winning goal in the All-Stars' 3–2 victory.
Joining Toronto FC
Dwayne was traded to Toronto FC on December 12, 2008. This was exciting for him because it was his hometown club. He played his first game for Toronto FC in March 2009. He scored his first goal for the team in a 1–1 draw against FC Dallas.
In April 2010, Dwayne became the captain of Toronto FC. He was the second captain in the club's history. He quickly started scoring goals, becoming Toronto FC's all-time leading scorer in the regular season. He was named "MLS Player of the Week" twice that season.
Dwayne continued to have a great 2010 season. He was chosen for the MLS All-Star team and scored a goal in a game against Manchester United. In 2011, he scored the first goal for Toronto FC in their season opener. This goal was also the 8000th goal scored in Major League Soccer history!
Time with New York Red Bulls and D.C. United
In April 2011, Dwayne was traded to the New York Red Bulls. He scored his first goal for them from a penalty kick.
Later that year, on June 27, 2011, Dwayne moved to D.C. United. He scored his first goal for D.C. United against his old team, the New York Red Bulls. He had an amazing game on August 6, 2011, scoring three goals (a hat-trick) against Toronto FC. He scored another hat-trick on September 25, 2011, scoring all three goals in just 9 minutes, which set a new MLS record! He finished the season with 13 goals and 7 assists in 17 games for D.C. United.
On August 29, 2012, Dwayne scored his 100th MLS goal. He was only the seventh player to reach this milestone.
Back to Toronto FC and Retirement
Dwayne returned to Toronto FC in December 2013. He officially signed with the club in January 2014. He played one more season with them before his contract ended in December 2014.
Dwayne announced his retirement from professional soccer on May 10, 2015. He took on a new role as an ambassador for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a big sports company.
Playing Indoor Soccer
In October 2018, Dwayne came out of retirement to play indoor soccer for the new MASL club, the Mississauga MetroStars. He scored his first goal for them in their first game.
International Career for Canada
Dwayne played for the Canadian U-20 team in 1997. He also played for the Canadian U-23 team in 1999. He played his first game for the senior Canadian national team on May 18, 1998, when he was 20 years old.
He helped Canada win the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He also represented Canada in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup.
In 2007, Dwayne won the "Canadian Player of the Year" award for the third year in a row. He scored five goals in eight games that year, which was the most goals by a Canadian player since 1993.
In 2011, Dwayne scored two goals for Canada in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He continued to score goals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification games. His goal against Saint Kitts and Nevis in November 2011 tied him as Canada's all-time top goal scorer with Dale Mitchell.
On December 14, 2011, Dwayne was named "Canadian Player of the Year" for the fourth time! On September 7, 2012, he scored his 20th goal for Canada, making him the all-time leading goal scorer for the country.
In his last game for Canada, on January 19, 2015, Dwayne scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against Iceland. He was Canada's all-time leading male goal scorer with 22 goals in 81 matches until Cyle Larin broke his record in 2022.
Personal Life and Academy
Dwayne De Rosario is married to Brandy De Rosario. They have four children, including two sons, Osaze and Adisa, who are also professional soccer players. His cousin, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, is an Olympic hurdler.
In February 2020, Dwayne was honored with the Order of Ontario. This is a special award given to people who have made a big difference in the province of Ontario. In May 2021, he released his autobiography, 'DeRo: My Life'.
DeRo United Futbol Academy
In 2012, Dwayne started his own soccer school called the DeRo United Futbol Academy. This academy helps young players develop their soccer skills. In 2018, they even started a women's team in the League1 Ontario league. In 2021, the academy became an official partner with Dwayne's former club, Toronto FC. It was then renamed DeRo TFC and joined their academy system.
Honours and Awards
Club Achievements
- San Jose Earthquakes
- MLS Cup: 2001, 2003
- Supporters' Shield: 2005
- Houston Dynamo
- MLS Cup: 2006, 2007
- Toronto FC
- Canadian Championship: 2009, 2010
- D.C. United
- U.S. Open Cup: 2013
International Achievements
- Canada
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2000
Individual Awards
- MLS MVP Award: 2011
- MLS All-Star: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- MLS Best XI: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
- MLS Golden Boot: 2011 (for scoring the most goals)
- MLS 100 goals club (scored 100 or more MLS goals)
- MLS 50/50 Club (scored 50+ goals and 50+ assists)
- MLS Goal of the Year Award: 2004, 2005
- George Gross Memorial Trophy: 2009, 2010 (best player in the Canadian Championship)
- Canadian Players of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011
- Red Patch Boys Player of the Year: 2009
- Major League Soccer 25 Greatest Players
- Inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, 2019
- Appointed to The Order of Ontario, 2020
- Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, 2022
Images for kids
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De Rosario warming up for a friendly while with San Jose Earthquakes in 2004
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De Rosario in training with Houston Dynamo
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De Rosario playing for Toronto FC in 2010
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De Rosario playing with D.C. United
See Also
In Spanish: Dwayne De Rosario para niños
