A Santino Rebirth?

The prospect of a truly dedicated Santino Quaranta playing for DC United has me excited. What kind of dolt am I? Hopefully, not the completely gullible kind: Quaranta's Second Chance

The nameplate above Santino Quaranta's locker in the basement of RFK Stadium provides a stark reminder of his status with D.C. United.

"GUEST PLAYER."

For the most part, he is no different than the other nameless candidates competing for a contract and a roster spot, just another hopeful young player trying to make an impression on the coaching staff in the waning days of MLS training camp.

But with Quaranta, there is a history unmatched not only by the other contenders, but also some established players. After never fulfilling the promise he displayed as a 16-year-old rookie midfielder-forward with United seven years ago, after being sidelined by countless injuries, traded twice and waived this winter, the Baltimore native has resurfaced on a trial basis with his original club.

"This is where my heart is," Quaranta, 23, said yesterday. "This is where it has always been. As a professional, I haven't always done it right, but now it's time for me. This is my life, you know?"

...

"He has come a long way and, where he is in this point of his life, I think he is very excited to be a pro soccer player for the first time," United Coach Tom Soehn said. "Everyone deserves a second chance. We're going to give him that opportunity. Whether he takes it or not, we'll still see. He's in a good place and he's hungry."

I was living in DC and a United season ticket holder when Quaranta first came up, and it is hard to explain the amount of promise he showed as a 16 year old. He was the very image of the precocious talent. I can remember playing a friendly against some big time European club (Tottenham?? Bayern Munich??) where Quaranta was bouncing off players and making a dangerous little pest out of himself. You could see the staid foreign professionals shaking their heads as if to say "Who does this kid think he is?"

And that was the point. He was still trying to figure that out himself, and, if a lot of the things he tried on the field didn't quite work against savvy veterans some did work, and work well enough that you wondered what his ceiling really was. But, a rash of injuries and the grind of being a slightly out-of-shape soccer player took its toll, until he looked nothing like the 16 year old kid trying to nutmeg the multi-millionaires.

I'd pay good money to see that kid back. I'd pay even more to see that player grown up and fully dedicated to the game.