A great summary from Sunday's match, but it ends on a sad note. Dante is a class act. After the game, Andrulis stood at Washington's locker and put his arm around Dante, speaking directly into his ear and saying good-bye. Washington, who is unsure of what he will do next, was asked if he had any words for the fans. "Yes," he said. He paused, maintaining his composure during a clearly difficult moment. He smiled sadly and took a deep breath. The locker room seemed more quiet, even if that didn't really happen. "Thanks," he said. He wanted to say more, but he couldn't. "Just... thanks." http://www.cybersoccernews.com/mls/crew/030324crewdau.shtml
It's ashame, I always liked him. An unfortunate result of the nature of the league at this time. He was class, always worked hard and did what was asked...real professional. I hope some one picks him up in MLS, if not he could go to the A-league if he wanted. But I do hope he can catch on somewhere in MLS.
This did not make my morning a good morning. Dante has been one of the better people we have had in Columbus. His attitude, work ethic, and persistance were attributes that were, and in my opion still, needed for our team. Hopefully Dante will find a place here in the league that he "fits" into their scheme...
Dante was and still is a force to be reckoned with. He'll get a chance somewhere if he wants it. Good Luck Dante. You are a classy guy.
I first saw Dante play when I was in college and he was at Radford. Total dominance. I first met Dante after the World Cup in 1994 when he was playing with the Washington Warthogs of the CISL and the team had a meet the players session. Total class. Since then, I've watched Dante's career, hoping he'd end up on United. Though that never happened, I always enjoyed his success and was happy for him even if it came against DCU. My favorite Dante moment will be after he scored at the all-star game in Columbus and how he rushed up to the Crew supporters behind the goal and just shared in the moment with the fans. That was fun to watch an I'm sure it was more memorable for him and the fans than it was for me. Never great, but always good and more importantly, always, always, very professional. I don't know where 52 goals and 29 assists ranks in the all-time ranks of MLS but it's pretty damned good for a guy that was frequently overlooked or ceded the spotlight to teammates (Kreis in Dallas, McBride and Cunningham in Columbus). More importantly, I know that if class was an MLS stat, he'd be on the top of the list. Personally, I'll be shocked if another team doesn't pick him up. But, if this is the end, thanks for being class. BTW - Worthless but mildly interesting trivia. Dante's one of just a handful of players to win multiple US Open Cups in the MLS Era and one of a very few to win them with multiple teams.
It's a shame that the Crew didn't put Dante into the final 10 minutes of the match or so just as a salute to his contribution to the team. I've always been glad to have his talents on our team, even if he would frustrate us sometimes. His depth was tremendous and his ability to be where he needed to be was always astounding. Thanks for all the memories Dante. Just don't want to see him in a DCU kit. It's times like this when you know we really need more roster space, but it is also a good sign of our teams current position. Its a shame we couldn't find a loop-hole to keep him, even if he had to hide out in the A-league to fill in for an injured or NAT call-up striker.
My other thought: We still own the rights to Dante, correct? So if another MLS team wants him they have to shell out some compensation, yes? The rumor seems to be DCU still wants him. They better offer up a first round pick for next year.
Thnaks for yout hard work, Dante, you have always been first class...we will miss you...good luck in the future... -PB20
damn, stuff like that makes me want to cry a little. i was never really hyped over dante, but that story makes me want to cheer for the guy. good luck dante, here's to you finding a good team and scoring more goals.
IMO there are 3 teams in the league who could start for. Columbus just has the most talent of any team up top. I hope to see him catch on with someone.
Damn the 18 man roster anyway. How the heck are we gonna get through the summer with callups and the stray injury or two? If Oughton and Garcia are gone, and Arena calls up three or four guys, and we have a couple routine injuries, we may have to put Presthus out there at forward.
Thanks for the wonderful memories, Dante. It's a shame to loose a guy who's led by example on and off the field, but time is a merciless manager. I'd like to be your team mate and you'd be welcome in my house anytime. Dante to replace Ty Keough!
Depends. If Columbus simply declined to pick up a contract extension, then you'd still own the rights (which is what happened with Jorge Rodriguez and Andy Williams). On the otherhand, if the contract has expired, I don't think any compensation would be involved (such as with John Harkes). As for DCU and Dante Washington, I'd love to see him there but I don't think that is going to happen. Last year, DCU inquired about Dante and Columbus is supposed to have demanded a first round pick and Hudson and Kasper walked. The priority for DCU right now would likely be a D-mid, the Russian/Ukraine Yuri Petrov is evidently willing to sign for low bucks and Earnie Stewart highly recommends him--it's only a green card issue. I have no idea if Petrov is any good. But what it all means is that DCU is probably not that interested in Dante Washington now. Which is a shame--as Sandon noted, he's a class act and a fine player who makes any team he's on a much better one. I personnally think that San Jose and the Metros are teams that should be eager to add him. Donovan has publicly said (from his experiences with McBride) that when LD is at forward, he plays much better when he's paired with a burly target type who wins balls, is unselfish, runs off the ball. That describes McBride very well and isn't too far off Dante either. And for the SoS, even if they get Guevara, it'll take 4-6 weeks to get a work visa, Mathis is coming off a hernia operation and Moreno is reputed to have had a so-so pre-season. Getting Dante would allow them to play either Moreno or Mathis at A-mid. Unfortunately, the cap puts lots of "mid-range" salary guys like Dante Washington at risk.
Washington would work well with Donovan and hes a better match than DeRosario, Ching or Mullan. If the Quakes don't at least offer him a job, they have their heads up their a$$ further than even I thought.
No way, man! He's in Columbus trying to close down his affairs and sell his house right now, but as soon as he returns to Virginia, he'll be in the black and white of Gildar!
What'd ya think of his throw-ins? Yep, the Maryland native who played his collegiate ball in Virginia has always been a great guy and wonderful team player. I sure hope hends up in DC. -Digital