He likes to earn fashion red cards, too.
When David Beckham came across the pond five years ago, it prompted all kinds of hand-wringing. Would Beckham take the league seriously, or was he just here for a paycheck? Would he be a divisive prima donna? Would his precent upstage MLS, turning it into a retirement plan for players from abroad?
Beckham’s stay hasn’t been without it’s controversy – the AC Milan loan, the constant jet-setting to play for England, and the special treatment and favoritism were all well documented in Grant Wahl’s The Beckham Experiment. Ultimately, though, David Beckham’s run in MLS has been a good thing. He brought national TV coverage to the league, helped usher in the much-needed designated player, and at the very least created a storyline to follow that made MLS accessible to people who didn’t care about the sport. Whether Beckham played or not, his name and it’s involvement in our game brought something to the table, even if that something started and stopped at marketing.
And even at his very worst, Beckham was never as big of an asshole as Rafa Marquez.
Rafa Marquez was already not well liked by U.S. national team fans; we may not remember every foul committed against our players, but when Marquez headbutted Cobi Jones in the final minutes of Mexico’s 2-0 loss to the U.S. in the 2002 World Cup he earned his place as one of the most hated players for our archrival. He cemented that place in 2009, when he went studs up on goalkeeper Tim Howard in qualification, earning a second red card against the U.S. All told, that’s enough to build up bad blood.
Still, he talked a good game when he left Barcelona for New York in 2010, talking about helping with the team’s playoff push and how he couldn’t turn down the chance to play in the U.S. From New York’s perspective, this was a chance to tap into the elusive Mexican market; from a footballing perspective, two members of Barcelona’s treble-winning side were now playing in MLS. This should have been a win-win.
Except, well…Marquez is a dick, and he’s also apparently not that interested in playing. Over two seasons, he’s had a grand total of 19 appearances for New York. He was somehow an MLS All-Star (I already complained about that selection here), in spite of the fact that injuries and/or bitchiness held him to only nine appearances at that point in the season. In September, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle had this to say on Marquez’s total season effort:
The Mexican international’s performances haven’t been anywhere near designated-player level, unless you’re comparing them to those of former FCD midfielder Denilson, who remains the poster boy for DP busts.
That’s actually a bit unfair to Denilson; the Brazilian only earned about $880,000 from FC Dallas, while Marquez is the league’s third-best paid player (behind only Beckham and teammate Thierry Henry) at $4.6 million. That’s a bit more than five times what Denilson earned.
Still, in Marquez’s mind, he’s not the problem: it’s the lack of talent around him that should be blamed. In his words:
“I’m focusing on really performance at my highest level. That doesn’t mean that the whole back line can perform at that same level, so that’s a problem. I think this is a team game and unfortunately there isn’t an equal level between my teammates and I.”
The word “teammates” has largely been read as “Tim Ream”, the young American centerback that Marquez has been partnered with off and on throughout the season. Marquez was suspended for a match when he made that statement in September.
All of that brings us to yesterday’s meltdown at the end of New York’s 1-0 loss to Los Angeles. MLSsoccer.com has video of the incident; after the final whistle, Marquez throws the ball at Landon Donovan, and in the ensuing melee Marquez and Galaxy midfielder Juninho are given red cards. Marquez was pretty pitiful for most of the game, so the removal of Juninho for the return leg might be his best contribution to the Red Bulls’ cause; still, for $4.6 million, you expect more from a player.
It was more striking because, on the other side of the ball, David Beckham – the original designated player, who has received almost universal grief (sometimes well deserved) was not fighting with players or throwing tantrums, but doing what he does best: providing the assist for Mike Magee’s game winning goal. His stay has had it’s problems, but when you compare Beckham with the other designated players the league has seen it has to be said that he’s been one of the more successful ones to come through the league.
Good to see you again, Mags. I wholeheartedly agree. Marquez is just below John Terry on the list of defenders I hate. Also, full credit to Landon for saying what everyone has thought all year – that NY are a dirty, cheap-shotting, whiny side that thought MLS would hand them the trophy just because they put a lot of talent on the team sheet. That entitlement attitude is why they’ve been mediocre. Well that and Backe inexplicably leaving Agudelo on the bench all year. They need a much stronger personality to manage all those egos. And not leave promising scorers on the bench while Rodgers and Richards miss shots and hog the ball and the rest of the team get red cards like they’re Boy Scout merit badges.
There’s a great scene in Major League where the GM talks about Roger Dorn and says, “Forget about Dorn, he’s just high priced.” Rafa Marquez is that guy. MLS will be better off without him.
Words cannot express my pure hatred of Rafa Marquez. He’s definitely #1 in my book, followed by Terry then Oswaldo Sanchez.