When a player gets traded across the country, it can certainly come as a big surprise. For new DC United goalie Steve Cronin, the news that he had been shipped from new MLS side Portland to the nation’s capital came when he was on his way for a vacation south of the border.
“I was in between flights going down to Mexico going on vacation with some family, and I just got a message from John Spencer [Portland manager], and he told me to give him a call back,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “I gave him a call back, had about 20 minutes to get on my next flight, and [he] told me the news.”
The 27-year-old goalkeeper's arrival in DC will be a return to somewhat familiar territory. Cronin played three games for the club at the end of 2009, after ending up on loan from the Timbers for the conclusion of United’s season.
That short stint aside, there have been other occasions that might have brought Cronin to DC on a permanent basis.
“It seemed like for the last few years I was on the verge of going [to DC] a couple of times," Cronin said. "And I really enjoyed my time playing for the organization last year [2009], and I’m really looking forward to representing them.”
Traded straight up for United ‘keeper Troy Perkins, Cronin is now back in MLS on a full-time basis, a goal that has been at the forefront of his mind after a four-year stint as a Galaxy backup in Los Angeles came to an end following the 2008 season.
Cronin ended up in Portland, playing for the second division club from 2008-2009. By joining the Timbers, he ensured himself a better shot at playing time, and the numbers proved it. After four seasons in Los Angeles that saw him only make 28 starts, Cronin started 54 games in his two years in Portland.
Now, a return to DC offers a chance at an MLS starting gig, and a second go-around with a few of the players he knew from his 2009 loan.
Ben Olsen, now the head coach, was Cronin’s roommate during DC’s last game of the 2009 season in Kansas City, and he also trained with promising young goalie Bill Hamid.
“He’s young and he’s got a lot of promise," Cronin said. "I look forward to training with him next year.”
The recent addition of Pat Onstad as an assistant coach also reunites Cronin with a former teammate.
“I got drafted to San Jose in 2004, and [Onstad] was the No. 1 goalkeeper at the club then, so I was there with him for a year,” he said. “I always liked the guy, and I’m really looking forward to reaping whatever rewards I can in a player-coach relationship.”
By now, the shock of that mid-vacation phone call has worn off, and Cronin has been able to enjoy the holidays with family.
He plans on making the trip out to Washington in mid-January to look for a place to live, and the rest of his family will join him sometime in February.
