SAN JOSE - San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Dwayne De Rosario today was named the October Honda MLS Player of the Month. The Quakes leading scorer netted a goal in three straight games and added one assist during the month. A Honda MVP finalist, De Rosario was instrumental in helping San Jose earn the 2005 Supporters' Shield with an 18-4-10 record (64 points), becoming only the second team in MLS history to accumulate more than 60 points for a season (LA - 68 points in 1998). He finished the year with nine goals and a league-leading 13 assists, both career-highs.
The Canadian international started off the month with a goal against the New England Revolution on October 1 to clinch a 2-0 road victory over the top team in the Eastern Conference. After scoring and notching an assist against Real Salt Lake on October 8 to help San Jose finish unbeaten at home, De Rosario concluded the month in spectacular fashion, scoring one of the goals of the year against the Galaxy on Saturday, October 15. Seconds before the halftime break, the 27-year old drilled a free kick from 25 yards that bent around the outside of the wall and into upper-corner of the near post for the game-winning goal in the Quakes 3-1 win over their arch-rival victory. The goal versus the Galaxy was named the Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Week for this past week.
De Rosario was the second Quakes player to earn Honda Player of the Month honors in 2005, as Ricardo Clark earned the distinction for July. Six Earthquakes players have been named Player of the Month during the League's 10 seasons. Along with De Rosario and Clark, Ronald Cerritos (September 1999), Ariel Graziani (June 2002), Landon Donovan (April and September 2003) and Pat Onstad (August 2004), have earned the award.
MetroStars goalkeeper Tony Meola was the runner-up for the monthly award. The Honda Major League Soccer Player of the Month is selected following the last game of each month throughout the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA).
2005 PLAYER OF THE MONTH WINNERS
April: Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution)
May: Carlos Ruiz (FC Dallas)
June: Nate Jaqua (Chicago Fire)
July: Ricardo Clark (San Jose Earthquakes)
August: Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards)
September: Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
October: Dwayne De Rosario (San Jose Earthquakes)
