Rafa Marquez has a flair for the dramatic.
In what has now become a familiar scene for MLS observers, Marquez famously clutched at his face and fell to the ground following a post-match scuffle after a playoff game between his New York Red Bulls and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The Mexican feigned injury in the melee after clearly not getting touched by anyone on either side.
And oh yeah, it was a melee that he started.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
The first leg of the NY-LA "derby" was a scrappy affair befitting of a playoff match, with lots of physical play and some genuinely hard-fought, wonderful soccer on display. The Galaxy won 1-0, taking that scoreline back to the west coast for tonight's second leg between the two sides.
When the final whistle blew, Marquez -- with his years of top level experience and the supposed "wisdom" that comes along with it -- decided to throw the game ball at Galaxy and US national team foe Landon Donovan. Predictably, the action was not taken kindly by Donovan's Galaxy teammates, and, led by big striker Adam Cristman, they sprung to his defence.<br><br>Marquez took a wild swing at Cristman, then tried to head-butt him. Neither attempt connected. Seconds later, with multiple players from each side now involved, Marquez clutched at his face and fell to the ground in a heap -- an obvious attempt to get a Galaxy player in hot water with the approaching referee.
His plan worked, somewhat. Fellow Red Bull Stephen Keel mimicked Marquez's face grab and managed to get LA midfielder Juninho sent off, eliminating the Brazilian from tonight's decider. Unfortunately for Marquez, he, too, was shown red in the fracas, and will have to watch this one from the press box (or from his Manhattan apartment, more likely).
One would think that a $5 million former Barcelona player would be a big loss to the Red Bulls in a do-or-die situation such as tonight's.
Well, if you were to believe the message board-o-sphere, you'd be mistaken.
New York fans seem to be rejoicing the fact that Marquez will not be able to take part. The overwhelming sentiment on NY message boards is that the Mexican international killed two birds with one stone with his moronic actions over the weekend -- he took himself out of contention, and he also took a dynamic piece of the LA midfield with him.
That Red Bulls fans would be happy that their second highest paid player -- third highest in the league behind David Beckham and teammate Thierry Henry -- cannot play in a playoff match speaks volumes to just how far Marquez has fallen.
Last year, he arrived in New York amid huge fanfare, and for the most part he lived up to hit. Stepping up when Henry's injuries slowed him down and Juan Pablo Angel's declining form became painfully obvious, Marquez looked every bit the leader in his half season in 2010 as expected.
His passing was Beckham-esque at times, and he scored a scorcher of a goal at BMO Field in August of that year. But more importantly, his presence at the back calmed and organized the NY defence, a la Torsten Frings for TFC this year.
Marquez also took young defender Tim Ream under his wing, leading to an eventual partnership between the Mexican vet and the American starlet to open this season. That partnership eventually crumbled as Ream hit a huge sophomore wall and Marquez's physical skills declined sharply, leading to Marquez <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/rafa-marquez-blames-tim-ream-for-defensive-errors-14187" data-cke-saved-href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/rafa-marquez-blames-tim-ream-for-defensive-errors-14187"><u>calling out his defensive cohort</u></a> and subsequently getting himself suspended by the team.
Naturally, with Marquez out the Red Bulls flourished, putting together perhaps their most complete performance in a victory a hot Portland Timbers side. When Marquez returned, he was put into the midfield by NY coach Hans Backe, but it was clear that the 32-year-old had lost a step.
His passing was off, his positioning even more so, and he was getting beat on individual challenges at just about every opportunity.
Backe had figured out that Marquez was not longer able to play in the midfield at a level high enough to help the Red Bulls, which is why he tried to take advantage of the Mexican's wealth of experience while also limiting his need to chase the play as much by putting Marquez on the backline.
But the plan back fired, because Marquez showed that mentally he was not up to the task of playing the wily veteran role. He needs to be at the centre of the action no matter what, and last weekend's antics reaffirmed as much.
For $5 million, Marquez has become the most expensive headache in Hans Backe's career, and one that the coach will need to get rid of in order for New York to truly ascend to the next level in MLS.
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Marquez is by no means the only DP flop in the short history of the rule.
Signing an effective DP has proven a tough task for MLS GM's. For every good Designated Player signing (the aforementioned Frings, Henry, Angel, Danny Koevermans, Eric Hassli, Omar Bravo, Fredy Montero and even David Beckham this year), there seems to be a bust of equal proportions.
Here's a look at the five worst DP flops (in no particular order):
<strong>Denilson</strong> ($880,000 - FC Dallas): The Brazilian trickster turned out to be a one-trick pony. For all the freestyle-esque moves he brought to the table, Denilson played on a complete island, never clicking with his teammates or even attempting to play within the set tactical system. It's a wonder he was once a darling of the Brazilian national team.<br><br><strong>Nery Castillo</strong> ($1.8 million, Chicago Fire): The Mexican Denilson showed up to the Chicago Fire in woeful shape. On loan from Ukrainian giants Shaktar Donetsk, Castillo drifted in and out of all eight league matches he managed to feature in, not managing to score a single goal for the Fire.<br><br><strong>Mista </strong>($990,000, Toronto FC): Mo Johnston's last gasp, the Spanish forward was better known for his behind-the-goal celebrations of teammates' goals than for scoring his own. Did nab a dandy of a strike against Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions League, but that one goal wasn't nearly enough to justify his inflated contract, especially as that contract was reportedly the straw that broke DeRo's proverbial back.<br><strong><br>Claudio Reyna</strong> ($1.25 million, New York Red Bulls): The most accomplished American player ever, Reyna came to New York a broken player who spent far more time on the trainer's table than the field during his two season with the Red Bulls. This one is a real shame as a healthy Reyna likely would have contributed a lot to the league.<br><br><strong></strong><strong>Branko Boskovic</strong><strong> </strong>($525,000, DC United): Speaking of spending a lot of time on the injured list, Boskovic has barely played since signing with DC in mid-2010. He has managed 17 league appearances for the club, registering zero goals and zero assists, which is not exactly great production for someone listed as an attacking midfielder/forward.<br><br><em>Honourable mention: Freddie Ljungberg, Luis Angel Landin, Mustapha Jarju, Luis Hernandez (pre-DP rule)</em><br><br>
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<font size="1"><em>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 has contributed to Goal.com and other soccer media. Follow Rudi on Twitter, <u><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/RudiSchuller" target="_blank">@RudiSchuller</a></u>.</em></font>