HOUSTON - One of the cornerstones of Houston Dynamo's MLS Cup 2006 championship team will remain with the Orange until at least the end 2010 season, as Dynamo announced Monday they have reached agreement on a contract extension with two-time all-star midfielder Dwayne De Rosario.
De Rosario's former contract would have expired at the end of the 2008 season. The financial details of the new deal were not disclosed.
"I'm definitely pleased about this new deal," De Rosario said. "This is a great organization, and the franchise showed a lot of commitment with this new contract. The fans are great here in Houston, and I'm looking forward to playing in front of them for a number of years to come and repeating what we did last year."
De Rosario said the contract negotiations were on his mind this season and affected him some on the field, since he was concerned a new deal wouldn't be reached.
"Of course that was a concern. You work hard on the field on doing what you can as a player to help your team be successful," De Rosario said. "We have a group of guys who have done that year in and year out. It's good that they have taken note of that and they are starting to reward players. I think there are a bunch of guys that give 100 percent week in and week out and definitely deserve to be looked at very carefully in terms of contract extensions and so forth.
"When you are negotiating a new contract and finding it hard to find a meeting ground, it's in the back of your mind, and you want to get it over with. You want to get a deal you are comfortable with to move on. Not only for yourself, but if the media gets involved, it effects you and it could affect the whole team. I didn't want it to get to that point."
Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear said at a Monday morning press conference that Dwayne's play showed he deserved a new contract.
"Give credit to Todd Durbin in the league office and Richard Motzkin, who is Dwayne's representative, who have been working on this for quite a while," Kinnear said. "I'm glad this happened. I'm happy for Dwayne. I think it's well deserved. I think his play speaks volumes of the success that we have had on and off the field. I know he has become a fan favorite in two cities - San Jose and Houston.
"It's always nice to reward people for success, and I think ... Dwayne's play has definitely elevated him into elite company of the better players in the league."
De Rosario hasn't just done the job for Dynamo. He's also a star for the Canadian national team. De Rosario was named Canada's MVP in 2006. Kinnear said locking De Rosario down with a long-term deal is vital to Dynamo's success.
"He's shown with Canada and the Dynamo this year that he's an important part of our team, and if we are serious about making a drive to defend our championship, Dwayne is an important part of that," he said. "I think it's well deserved. Dwayne's elevated play has been rewarded with a new contract."
De Rosario, 29, will make his second career appearance as an MLS All-Star later this month. Last season, De Rosario was named the Most Valuable Player of the All Star Game - a 1-0 win over Chelsea FC - and he was a finalist for Goal of the Year after winning the award two years running.
With Dynamo in the middle of a five games in 10 days stretch, De Rosario said now was a good time to get the contract done.
"I think [signing the extension] is important right now, especially with this month being very hectic in our run for the playoffs and to hopefully, keep the Cup in Houston," De Rosario said. "I can focus on what I need to do here."
De Rosario is in his seventh MLS season, spending his first five years with the San Jose Earthquakes and the last two in Houston. He has played in 12 games this season for the Orange, scoring three goals. He also spent a considerable amount of time this season with the Canadian national team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
