They might be considered an odd pair - Ronald Cerritos and Alejandro Moreno. Cerritos came to San Jose in 1997 as a 22-year-old kid from El Salvador, knowing hardly a word of English, but with a knack for putting the ball in the back of the net. He came out of nowhere to score 12 goals in his first San Jose Clash season. Moreno came to San Jose from Venezuela (via the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and the Los Angeles Galaxy) with knowledge of the language and with a knack for scoring but with the bad luck of being stuck behind Carlos Ruiz in L.A.
When they appeared in San Jose's 2005 preseason camp you could fairly say neither of these guys had a lock on a starting job. This despite the fact that Cerritos was the all-time leading scorer in San Jose franchise history, having played here from 1997 to 2001, and Moreno had scored a dozen goals in 22 starts in L.A. over the past two seasons.
In the latest San Jose win, a 2-0 victory at FC Dallas Saturday, Cerritos scored in the 50th minute and Moreno followed with a goal three minutes later. They have five game-winning goals between them. Both have scored more goals and have played more minutes so far this season than they did the entire 2004 season. (For Cerritos, the numbers in 2005 exceed the totals of 2003 and 2004 combined, when he rode a lot of pine in Dallas and D.C.)
Twenty-five games through the 2005 season, these two players have combined for 13 goals and 12 assists, and because of a variety of factors, not the least of which is their consistently good play, Cerritos and Moreno are the starting forwards for the hottest team in Major League Soccer. And though Brian Ching is back and appears to be healthy for the first time since mid-May, Cerritos and Moreno aren't about to cede their starting or starring roles.
From day one this year, Cerritos looked like a man who was determined to resurrect his MLS career at the age of 30. In the middle of his 2004 season at D.C. United, Cerritos left for a job with Alianza FC in his home country.
Ronald jumped at the chance to rejoin his first MLS club.
"It started with Dominic Kinnear and John Doyle," he said. "They gave me a lot of confidence. When you have the feeling and the confidence it is easier to play well."
At 26, Moreno is young and less experienced but determined to prove that the management of the Galaxy blew it on this kid who first experienced the United States as a teenager playing youth soccer tournaments in Dallas.
And in the first week of September, Moreno is the club's leading scorer, with seven goals.
"It's pleasing and it's encouraging," he said. "In Los Angeles I didn't get the opportunities I deserved at times. In the end, I'm here and I'm happy to be here. It's such a great group of guys."
When one suggests that Moreno is playing brilliantly, he respectfully responds: "I'm very pleased the way we are playing. When we are playing well and when we are doing the right things and working hard for each other, it makes it easier for everybody. It just happened to be Ronald and me (this week), but it has been all over the field all year."
Cerritos has a championship ring and dearly wants another. But he knows they can't get too far ahead of themselves, though they do have an 11-point lead over Dallas and a 12-point cushion over the Galaxy with five weeks left in the season.
"Now people are saying we want to see you in the final again," he said. "But wait, we have to go step by step. On this team we say 'wait a minute this week and next week it is Chivas and then it is Chicago'. If we have the same attitude and energy each week, we will see in the end."
Ronald Cerritos could be the Comeback Player of the Year and Moreno could be the Breakout Player of the Year. But, really, neither of them cares much about labels.
And there's not a lick of self-promotion. Too much of the "WE" thing for that.
"We're all on the same page on this team, and everybody is doing his job," Cerritos said.
"We're the 'Little Team That Could' and we just keep coming," said Moreno.
Not such an odd pair at all.
John Shrader has been the voice of the Earthquakes since 1996 and has worked in television and radio in the Bay Area for the past 20 years. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
