Larentowicz's long-shot climb to MLS crown

TORONTO - West Chester's Jeff Larentowicz is the first to admit he was among the longest of long shots to even become a professional soccer player.

He considered himself lucky just to make the varsity at Brown.

But these days, five years after graduating from the Ivy League school, he's not only turned his love of soccer into a career, he has reached the pinnacle of the sport in America.

Larentowicz, who played for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer from 2005-09, was traded to the Colorado Rapids in January. On Sunday, in a game held in BMO Field, home of Toronto FC, he concluded a dream season when the upstart Rapids won the MLS championship game, 2-1, in extra time over heavily favored FC Dallas.

"There was a lot of uncertainty coming into this year for me," said Larentowicz, a 27-year-old central midfielder who helped Chestnut Hill Academy win back-to-back Inter-Ac League championships in 2000 and 2001. "I was unsure of where I'd be and what I would be doing. I took on a new challenge for myself in moving to a new place. So when the game ends and we're on top, it's extreme satisfaction and happiness."

Larentowicz was drafted by the Revolution in the fourth round of the 2005 supplemental draft. After staying on New England's developmental team while completing his studies that year at Brown, he was given some playing time in 2006 when the team was hit by a rash of injuries. Then came more injuries and international call-ups in 2007, which gave him the chance to be a starter.

He took full advantage of the opportunity, becoming a fixture on the team through to the end of 2009.

"Leaving New England was really tough," Larentowicz said. "There was a lot of stress last year, kind of held over from the year before with contract negotiations. I'd have to say I turned my back on them, decided not to re-sign the year before. And then last year, it just seemed like things weren't going to connect.

"As the year [wound] down I knew that I wasn't going to be there, so it was really difficult because that's where I grew immensely as a player."

The trade to Colorado was just what Larentowicz needed to take his career to a new level. In July, after an excellent first half of the season, he was named for the first time to the league's 23-man all-star team that played Manchester United in an exhibition match.

It was followed by a memorable highlight in August, when he scored a spectacular goal in his debut performance as a pro in his hometown, with the Rapids tying the expansion Union 1-1.

"That was awesome," said the 6-foot-1, 175-pound redhead, who is known to his fans as the "Ginga Ninja" because he scored a colorful goal in 2007 by jumping into the air and kicking the ball martial-arts style. "I had over 100 people I knew were there, let alone however many people went and I didn't see after the game. I was just happy to be playing. To score the goal, it was just extra, extra special."

Most important of all, he was a key factor in an autumn playoff run in which Colorado won one of the most unlikely titles in MLS history. The Rapids squeaked into the postseason, tying for the final playoff spot. They upset Columbus on penalty kicks in the opening round and beat San Jose, 1-0, on a fluky goal to reach the title game.

In Sunday's championship match, Larentowicz - who was playing in his fourth MLS Cup, having lost his previous three with New England - was both a defensive stalwart and an offensive force. He barely missed scoring what could have been a game-winning goal after taking a thundering free kick from 25 yards away that was headed for the bottom corner of the net before FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman just got his fingertips on the ball to deflect it inches wide.

"To be honest, I started to run away [in celebration] because I thought it went in," said Larentowicz, who captained the FC Delco Arsenal to two USYSA national championships in 2002 and 2003 and won two Ivy League championships at Brown.

Colorado head coach Gary Smith said Larentowicz, who had four goals and an assist while playing in all of the team's 30 games this year, was critical to the Rapids' success this year.

"There's no doubt in my mind he was always going to be an integral piece to add to this group. And it's not only worked out that way but times that by ten," said the Englishman. "He's one of the best central midfield players in the league without a shadow of a doubt. But also he's brought some character and a different perspective to the locker room as well. He's a strong character. He's been in the playoffs before. He expects to be in the playoffs. He expects to win things. And when he doesn't, he gets disappointed, and he brings more out of others."

The only disappointment Larentowicz had this season was missing out on playing for the U.S. national team. He was selected to attend a training camp in January and said he had a realistic chance to make the World Cup team but never got the chance to compete in that camp because of an off-season knee injury.

As for the MLS Cup, his only complaint is that he missed his cousin Kimmie's wedding.

"When she told me when they were getting married she said they set the date for the final, so she told me, 'Don't make the final,' " joked Larentowicz, whose father, Ron, used to coach the basketball team at Chestnut Hill. "But I saw a lot of the cell phone photos of the wedding, and it looked like a lot of fun. But I guess I had a job to do, and this is pretty good, too."

Next up for the avid golfer is a trip home for Thanksgiving to spend time with his family and take a closer look at more wedding photos and videos. Then he'll visit FC Delco to share his championship medal with old friends who now coach there and youngsters he might be able to inspire.

For 2011, Larentowicz is committed to one more year with Colorado before he'll reconsider his soccer options and long-term career plans, which may involve his degree in Public Policy and American Institutions.

"At this point I'm thinking about soccer, but I still have a great interest in politics – not being a politician but maybe something in that field would be good."