Santino Quaranta and Other MLS Underachievers

Today's terse announcement by the New York Red Bulls that they had waived the undeniably talented, but perennially underachieving former Galaxy midfielder Santino Quaranta, comes as no surprise to anyone who follows MLS:

Quaranta was acquired June 29, 2007, from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for a conditional fourth round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. Quaranta appeared in three games for the Red Bulls in 2007 logging 47 minutes of action. The Baltimore, MD, native has appeared in 83 matches over the course of his MLS career and scored 17 goals.

At age 23, Quaranta may have squandered his final chance in MLS.

Quaranta turned pro at age 16 and was the youngest player in MLS history. He had a tough upbringing, had the tattoos to prove it and saw soccer as his chance to escape the streets.

But injuries, inconsistency, attitude and a lack of a work ethic has likely ended his career. It seemed he was always seeking a new beginning that never came.

"It came to the point where he needed a fresh start," then-United Coach Peter Nowak told the Washington Post when Quaranta was traded to the Galaxy. "That's what he requested and that's what we tried to accommodate. He just needs another environment."

He played in 18 games over two years with the Galaxy, scoring just three goals.

At his best, Quaranta combined speed, instinct and a lovely touch that made the likes of former U.S. Coach Bruce Arena take notice. But those came only in flashes and Quaranta it seems will likely remain an enigma, even to himself.

Still, Galaxy fans won't soon forget the thumping goal that came on his Galaxy debut in 2006 and gave LA a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo. It's the first clip in this montage:

MLS has always had its fair share of projects ( Denilson), but whether a career ends through injuries ( John O'Brien) or is threatened by a lack of mental discipline ( Clint Mathis), it's always a loss for soccer when a talented player's career trajectory doesn't live up to potential.