"If ever his teammates needed him, it's now." Hay man, Bolivia is in a De Facto Civil war. I'm with Marco. He needs to take care of his family. Few, if any of us have been in a situation like this. I can't imagine what is going thru Marco's head. I wish him the best and hope he returns home with his son. God's speed Marco.
Etcheverry in Bolivia Trying to Get Son Out I didn't realize it was that bad down there. It really puts everything in perspective.
Things are really bad down there. I was listening to NPR yesterday and they interviewed the former Bolivian president. He basically had to flee to the United States for his own safety. Funny thing is I wondered to myself during the interview what Etch must be thinking about all this and how it might be affecting him. I guess this is the answer. He clearly had to go there. Don't miss the notes on Warren and Stewart. Both are still injured but Warren plans to start. Looks like Baumstark will be back up as Geddes is injured too.
I'm going to offer a hypothetical--one that would be quite a terrible way to end both the season and potentially his career. Imagine that Marco can't make it back in time for the game (not an unreasonable assumption). Imagine that we fail to get a point against KC (not an unreasonable assumption--especially if Marco and Earnie and Dema are all out). If Marco Antonio Etcheverry should retire at the end of this season (not an unreasonable assumption) than b/c of the yellow card suspension and then this, he played his last match for DC United and ended his career 2 weeks ago. People can bash him, criticize his play, argue he's slowed down--Marco obviously is not someone the fans here are lukewarm about (passionate supporters of him or those who feel he should have gone 3 years ago). But I think we ALL agree that if his career were to end in such an anticlimatic fashion (and I don't mean trying to rescue his son, I mean having played a match and discovering afterwards it was the last of your career), how sad would that be for Marco, for DC United and for all of us.
I wasn't too happy about the Warren situation earlier in the season. This is completely different. He absolutely needs to be down there. Good Luck to him.
Our thoughts are with Marco during this difficult time in Bolivia. Over the years I've been supporting United Marco has continued to be one of my favorite players. I've met Marco on many occasions through my close friend Oscar and I've always admired the amount of attention he gives to United fans. He loves United without question, but a son is a son. I'll never forget the time I saw Marco stand in line with fans (Open Cup) to buy a little United pendent on a necklace and I'll always chuckle about the time Oscar left me on the phone to chat with Marco for 15 minutes at midnight. Great man and a great player in my book. I also hope that everything turns out well for the people of Bolivia, many Barra members have family there.
How about this: Marco gets to RFK right at kickoff, Ray doesn't let on that he has arrived. Marco spends the first half in the lockerroom warming up and comes out to start the second half, plays like the Diablo of old, leads United to a win and into the playoffs. Yeah, its a fairy tale, but its a good one.
How old is Marco's son and what is his name? Also, what was he doing living in Bolvia? I thought Marco and his family lived in Va. Is this a kid from a different relationship who lives with his mom who is not Marco's wife? And, if Marco has a Green Card, wouldn't his kids automatically be permanent residents as well - provided they're minors - and not need a visa? I'm not passing judgement and in the end it doesn't really matter, just curious about the details. I hope he and Marco are OK and arrive safely. Having said that, if he, a player whose fitness is questionable anyway, doesn't train all week should he start Saturday? I mean, it's not like he is likely getting good nights sleep and eating well while he's down there. An it's not like making a transcontinental flight leavs your refreshed and rarin' to go. The most important thing is Marco and his kid are OK but if he misses training all week, I don't thinking asking about his availability or sharpness are unreasonable.
Hope everything goes well down there and he and his son return safely and soon. We may well need him against the Fire in a couple weeks.
I'm an Etch supporter but I'm a bit leery about this. I don't know much about Marco's son. His age, who he lives with, and the relative danger and possibility for violence in the area where he lives are all legitimate factors which may well justify Etch's decision to go down there. But the overwhelming majority of Bolivians are probably not in grave danger from these disturbances. Unfortunately, Bolivia has a long tradition of political instability. While most Bolivians will be affected and incovenienced by this almost all will find a way to muddle through. I think Etch should stay with the team unless his son is in some legitimate danger. Again, I don't know his particular circumstances, but this seems like the worst possible time for Etch to be away from the team. Here's a few newslinks about events in Bolivia: Yahoo: Trial Urged for Bolivia’s Former Leader http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...&e=5&u=/ap/20031023/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/bolivia Washington Post: Protests Force Bolivian Leader to Resign http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43699-2003Oct17.html
I disagree. This may be Etch's last real game in a DC United uniform. I don't think you can keep him out entirely. You've at least gotta put him in as a sub. But look at this quote: "Team officials were hoping he would return in time for today's practice." Today in that sentence is Friday - the day before the game. And team officials are still "hoping" he'll be there. My question is this: Is he even going to be back for this match?
If he wasn't at practice today it means he was either in transit or hasn't left Bolivia yet. If he left Bolivia tonight on a non-stop flight (which I have flown 100 times) they don't leave until about 10:00pm. If it's a direct flight into Miami it's about an 8 hour flight with about an hour to get thru customs and immigration.Then another 2 and a half hour flight into DC. If it's a direct flight into Dulles it's about a 11 to 12 hour flight with all the customs and immigration ritual you have to go thru. Either way, it's an exhausting itinerary not to mention the emotional upheaval he probably went thru thinking about his son. Granted Marco has carte blanche in Bolivia but never the less it's still an ordeal. If we see him play the last 30, I'll be surprised.
We've "muddled" thru countless revolutions and thousands of deaths. What makes this different is that the indigenous population has found power and a political voice (rightfully so). But violence seems to follow their pattern and well to do people like the Etcheverry family can get caught up in it in the blink of an eye. Marco has been a hero to our country ever since he was a kid, but that doesn't mean shit to a poor starving campesino.
I guess we're lucky the game is a late kickoff, giving Marco more time to rest if he is going to try and play.