After scoring his second goal of the game June 16 against the Fire, D.C. United forward Luciano Emilio got on one knee and posed like the last Aztec emperor Cuauhtemoc.
If the goal celebration sounds familiar, that’s because it is the signature pose of Fire striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
Emilio has performed the celebration a few more times since that game. Fire general manager John Guppy even sent an e-mail to D.C. United GM Kevin Payne saying Emilio can expect a cease-and-desist letter from Blanco’s lawyers. Payne initially didn’t realize Guppy was joking.
When asked about the imitation, Blanco said he didn’t know who Emilio was and said he wasn’t bothered by it.
According to Emilio, he means no disrespect to the Mexican striker.
“I’ve always admired him,” Emilio said. “One day it occurred to me to celebrate like Blanco. He’s an inspiration to me. I’m not mocking him. I’m not trying to provoke him. I like how he celebrates.”
Emilio leads MLS in scoring with 20 goals and is a favorite to win the MVP award. He faces Blanco for the first time Saturday when the Fire meets D.C. United at RFK Stadium.
Will Emilio perform the celebration in front of Blanco if he scores?
“Maybe not,” Emilio said. “I don’t want people to think I’m provoking him.”
Borgetti on Blanco
During a news conference to promote Wednesday’s friendly at Toyota Park between the Fire and Mexico’s Cruz Azul, Jared Borgetti was asked if more Mexicans will come to MLS because of Blanco.
“There were Mexican players here before Blanco,” Borgetti said. “Blanco being here doesn’t make more want to come. [Jorge] Campos was here before Blanco.”
The friendly is the third exhibition of the year for the Fire, which defeated Poland’s Cracovia 1-0 on June 22 and tied Scotland’s Celtic 1-1 on July 22.
European aspirations
Wilman Conde has played five games with the Fire and already is establishing himself as one of the better defenders in MLS. If he continues to perform at the level he has been playing, European clubs could take notice.
Although the Colombian defender has said he would like to live in the United States the rest of his life, he concedes he could play overseas.
“The career of a soccer player is real short,” Conde said. “You need to take advantage of every moment. If there’s a chance to play in Europe or Mexico, I’d do it depending on the situation.”
Comeback kid
Since signing with Manchester United 10 years ago at 17, John Thorrington has seen injuries hamper his career. He joined the Fire in 2005 but was let go this past off-season.
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Thorrington spent the first half of the MLS season without a team until he was recently asked to return to the Fire. The midfielder has yet to see any minutes with the first team but has scored four goals in four straight reserve games.
“I haven’t gotten in a first team game — that’s obviously my goal,” he said. “But I can contribute to the first team and I think the coaches are starting to realize they can put me in high-pressure games.”
Bradley names initial roster
With the United States set to face Switzerland in Basel on Oct. 17, U.S. coach Bob Bradley has named the 21 players he will call into training camp before the exhibition.
Of the 21, eight have one cap or less, including Freddy Adu, Maurice Edu, Robbie Findley, Tally Hall, Steve Purdy, Chris Seitz, Danny Szetela and Preston Zimmerman.
Also on the roster are ex-Fire players DaMarcus Beasley and Carlos Bocanegra, plus Illinois-Chicago alum Jay DeMerit.
“This is a great opportunity to gather many of our European-based players to have some quality time together, with the reward of it being a match against a very good Switzerland team,” Bradley said.
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