DC United Great Marco Etcheverry Calls Hall of Fame Induction 'Highest Honor of My Life'

Marco Etcheverry says he made himself a promise at last year's National Soccer Hall of Fame ceremony. He was there in 2021 to introduce his former D.C. United teammate Jamie Moreno, and as he caught up with figures from his playing days and watched others be recognized, he told himself: "Next year, I have to be here."

That moment arrives on Saturday, when the Bolivian midfielder is inducted in Frisco, Texas, alongside Moreno and several other former teammates. Etcheverry, nicknamed "El Diablo," was elected through the Veteran ballot in February. Speaking publicly for the first time since the vote, he described the selection as "the highest honor of my life."

Before leaving for Texas, he was celebrated at Audi Field on Wednesday night during United's home match against NYCFC. With his wife, children, Moreno, former teammate Ben Olsen and President of Soccer Operations Dave Kasper beside him, Etcheverry held up a personalized "Hall of Fame" jersey as the club honored him at halftime in front of 16,072 supporters. He called the chance to step onto the field once more in front of United's fans "very emotional."

His path to that recognition was a long one. A regular for Bolivia's national team, Etcheverry had played for some of South America's biggest clubs and was rumored to be heading to several European teams in the 1990s. Instead, at age 26, he was drawn by the prospect of playing in the nation's capital and helping bring the sport to a wider audience. "The whole world is playing soccer minus here on a professional level so it was a dream to be a part of making the sport big here in the United States," he said in Spanish.

He became one of Major League Soccer's early "pioneros," alongside stars such as Colombia's Carlos Valderrama and Mexico's Hugo Sánchez, and was allocated to D.C. United in 1996. The area's large Bolivian community embraced him immediately, with a group of fans waiting at the airport when he landed. Etcheverry said he first assumed the crowd was there for a famous woman on his flight, the sister of Enrique Iglesias, before learning it was his community welcoming him.

On the field, the long-haired playmaker was known for dribbling past defenders with ease and delivering precise 30-yard passes. Over eight seasons he scored 34 goals and recorded 101 assists, a club record at the time, in 191 matches, and he was named the league's most valuable player in 1998.

The adjustment was not always easy. He had played before 60,000 fans with Chile's Colo-Colo, while crowds at R.F.K. Stadium ranged from 19,000 to 25,000. He also helped promote the team with meet-and-greets at places such as grocery stores and gyms. Those who did attend built a supporter culture that Etcheverry credits for powering United, with fans using the stadium's bouncing stands and chanting for most of each match. "We could be losing 1-0 and in the last five minutes, because of all that fervor from our supporters, we'd change the result," he said.

That support, he said, was a major factor in United's championship run, which produced three MLS Cups in four years. In 1998 the club also won the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Copa Interamericana against Brazil's Vasco da Gama, an achievement he counts among his highest. "We became the best team of everything, North, South and Central America," he said.

Etcheverry left United after the 2003 season and retired in 2006. He has since coached United's youth teams and professional sides in South America, and worked for seven years within the Bolivian soccer federation. He hopes to open youth academies in the United States, including in the D.C. region, and would welcome a return to coaching in MLS. For now, he says the induction leaves him fulfilled: "This is the top recognition that I could have ever dreamt to have in my life."