Once a playmaker, now a goalscorer - Rising star: Eliseo Quintanilla

Soccer Digest, Dec, 2003 by Joseph D'Hippolito

SINCE ARRIVING FROM EL Salvador in 2002, Eliseo Quintanilla has evolved from a shy teenager to an integral member of D.C. United. Quintanilla, who turns 21 in February, came to United after scoring 14 goals in less than two years for Salvadoran clubs FAS and Aguila. With United, Quintanilla started 19 of 25 games over two seasons through early October, recording five goals and five assists.

"In El Salvador, Eliseo was considered a pure playmaker," says D.C. coach Ray Hudson. "That trickery is his hallmark He's a nice, clean passer; he can really open the field. And if he has a chance in front of the goal, he'll take it. He's such a clinical finisher."

But with Marco Etcheverry as United's playmaker, Quintanilla spent 2002 at forward and 2003 on the flank while adjusting to MLS. "Tactically it's a big difference," says Quintanilla. "I had to adjust quite a bit. I had been used to a lot more mobility. MLS has lots of physical contact and long passes."

Quintanilla also had to adapt to a new country and life away from his parents and 10 siblings--all while raising his eight-month-old daughter, Paola Nicole, by himself. "More than anything, the language was a barrier," he says. "Also, I don't have any family in Washington. That's a big problem for me because I feel separated from them."

But Washington's Salvadoran community is helping Quintanilla "in getting used to the city, its atmosphere and its culture," he says. "Seeing the Salvadoran community makes me feel like I'm in El Salvador."

On the field, Etcheverry acts as Quintanilla's mentor. "I've had the good fortune to play with one of the greats," says Quintanilla "Marco has helped me a lot in understanding how the team was run, how to behave as a player, and how to relate with the rest of the team."

Perhaps Quintanilla's most successful adjustment is his ability to contribute defensively. Against San Jose in September, Quintanilla took a kick in the back of the leg while protecting the ball against an Earthquake attacker in the final five minutes of a 2-1 victory. "That sort of sacrifice is in Eliseo's game now," says Hudson. "That's how far the kid has come."

Nevertheless, Hudson emphasizes that Quintanilla is very much a work in progress. "He's still a precocious player and he's a shy unassuming kid," he says. "He still seems like a little boy lost in the big city, sometimes. But he's got so much going for him and he's contributed infinitely more."