It's almost impossible to argue against Dwayne De Rosario as the 2011 Canadian men's player of the year.
In what may have been the most obvious choice in the history of the award, the CSA announced today that De Rosario had topped the voting; just another feather in the cap of the man who had already wrapped up Major League Soccer's Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player trophies.
But for all the amazing things DeRo has achieved on the club level this year -- and make no mistake, it'll likely be a long time until another male player from this country dominates a league the way De Rosario did this season -- his play for the national side was, by the very standards that the man set for himself this year, sub-par.
Given that a player of the year award is purportedly recognition for an entire body of work over a 12 month period -- which includes the national team, especially since the honour is awarded by the CSA -- should his less-than-stellar form for Stephen Hart's side matter? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It's certainly an interesting question, especially in light of the fact that DeRo also achieved a milestone while playing for the national team this year.
De Rosario stepped up and etched his name alongside that of Dale Mitchell, as the two now share the title of all-time leading national team goalscorer. It's almost a foregone conclusion that DeRo will surpass Mitchell and claim the record as his own in the near future. And yet, there was something very underwhelming about it all.
Perhaps it's because he tied Mitchell via a penalty kick, one that someone else earned. Or perhaps it's because all four of his national team goals in 2011 came from the penalty spot. Don't get me wrong, the proficiency that De Rosario shows on penalties is a great weapon to have in any team's arsenal, especially a side like Canada that struggles to score goals at the best of times.
But there was something undeniably off about DeRo in Canada colours this year, especially when comparing him to the absolute monster who terrorized MLS defences and carried a poor DC United team on his back for large stretches.
That De Rosario was sorely needed by Canada during the Gold Cup. That De Rosario would have dropped a hat-trick on each of the minnows that the Canadian side faced in World Cup Qualifying this year, thus eliminating much of the navel-gazing by many fans that immediately followed what was ultimately a successful qualification round.
If that De Rosario showed up for the national team in 2011, then the debate for Best Canadian Player Ever almost becomes moot.
But he didn't.
As it is, DeRo remains a great club-level player who only shows flashes of the same brilliance when wearing the Maple Leaf on the international stage. In 2011, that is good enough to win the Canadian player of the year award. But in 2012, with so much more on the line, it better not be.
Photo: CanadaSoccer.com / Giamou
Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC, MLS, and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams, and he has spent time as soccer editor for Reuters' online publications. He has also contributed to Goal.com and other soccer media. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.