D.C. United captain Jaime Moreno made MLS history Wednesday evening, scoring his 109th career regular season goal, the most all-time in League history. With his second half penalty kick in United's 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls, the United legend surpassed the recently retired Jason Kreis.
"For me, in the back of my head, the main thing is the team," said Moreno after the match. "I think everyone knows it's a big achievement, proving I work hard for this. Anything you do is because you work hard at it, and nobody can take it from you. I'm proud, and now I'm just going to keep working, keep scoring, and we'll see what happens."
Moreno's goal came in the 48th minute after Luciano Emilio was taken down in New York's penalty area. Up 2-1, the Bolivian stepped up and struck a well-driven ball into the lower left-hand corner of the goal. The strike adds on to his MLS-record 33 penalty-kick goals.</p>
Moreno is widely considered to be one of the best players to ever play in Major League Soccer. The 33-year-old is third all-time in shots on goal (346), fifth all-time in game-winning goals (24) and multi-goal games (15), fifth all-time in total shots (602), sixth all-time in assists (87) and eighth all time in games played (262). Moreno is a six-time all-star (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006) and five-time member of the MLS Best XI (1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006). Following the League's 10th season, he was also named to the RadioShack MLS All-time Best XI.</p>
United originally acquired Moreno in August 1996 following his stint with Middlesbrough in the English Premier League -- the first Bolivian to compete at England's top level. During his first season with United, Moreno helped lead the team to the inaugural MLS Cup, as he scored three goals and had three assists in the final nine regular season games and then added a goal and an assist in four playoff games. In 1997, Moreno led the league in goals (16) and helped the team eapture another MLS Cup. 1998 was his best statistical season as he contributed another 16 goals and 11 assists. He helped United become the first U.S. team to capture the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and also contributed to the team winning the InterAmerican Cup over Vasco da Gama. In 1999, Moreno collected ten goals and thirteen assists during the regular season before going on a tear in the playoffs. He scored five goals and added an assist in six games, as United went on to win its third MLS Cup.</p>
Over the next three seasons (2000-03), he scored 24 goals and contributed 17 assists in 74 games (73 starts), before being traded to the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) in an off-season move. The forward dealt with injury problems and made only 11 appearances (seven starts), notching two goals. In August of 2003 he underwent career-threatening surgery to repair a pair of herniated disks in his back.
Just a month before the beginning of the 2004 season, United reacquired Moreno, and the Bolivian made a heroic return to the pitch, collecting seven goals and a career-high 14 assists. He helped lead United to its fourth MLS Cup with two goals and an assist in four games. In the two seasons preceding 2007, Moreno scored 27 goals and 17 assists.
In addition to his extensive contributions to United and MLS, Moreno has been in and out of duty for the Bolivian national team. He began his international career as the youngest member of Bolivia's World Cup team in 1994. More recent appearances have come in 2000, in four qualifying matches in Bolivia's run at the 2002 World Cup. On May 26, he represented his country in its friendly against Ireland, helping to set-up the equalizer in the 1-1 draw. This year he also competed in Copa America. In the group phases, Moreno scored two goals, including the thrilling equalizer in Bolivia's 2-2 tie with tournament host Venezuela.</p>
As a member of the ownership group of both United and Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, D.C. United co-managing director Will Chang has enjoyed a unique perspective of the historic pursuits of both Moreno and Barry Bonds, baseball's recently crowned home run king. Said Chang: "It's been a very exciting summer for me, watching two legendary athletes achieve monumental feats. It's a thrill for me to be to see them eclipse such prestigious records and I am so happy for them both."</p>
