Raúl Díaz Arce

Raúl Díaz Arce (born February 1, 1970) is a Salvadoran former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is El Salvador's most prolific goal scorer, with 39 goals in just 68 appearances.

Playing career

From 1985 to 1986, Arce played for Deportivo Jalapa in Guatemala. From 1988 to 1991, Arce played for Dragon in the Salvadoran second division, where he was the league's leading scorer in the 1991–92 season with 21 goals. Playing for Dragon, in two seasons in first division, "Ignacio Raul" scored 34 goals (13 in 1989–90 and 21 in 1990–91), in the second season he was the scoring champion of the regular season when he played four laps.

He then moved up to play for C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo of the Salvadoran first division from 1991 to 1996. Here he was the league's top scorer three season in a row (1993–1996) with 24, 21 and 25 goals, respectively. In Luis Ángel Firpo he scored in five seasons with a total of 119 goals. These early achievements earned him a spot in the national team and a move to the United States.

D.C. United In 1996, Diaz Arce signed with Major League Soccer, and was drafted tenth overall in the MLS Inaugural Player Draft by D.C. United on February 6. On April 20, Diaz Arce recorded the first goal in D.C. United's history when he scored in the 7th minute against the LA Galaxy. Diaz Arce was also the first player in MLS history to score a hat-trick in postseason play. He scored 3 against the Tampa Bay Mutiny on October 10, 1996. DC United won 4-1 and went on to become the first MLS champions. Diaz Arce continued to perform well in his second season, registering 15 goals, and helping D.C. United to win their second consecutive MLS Cup. thumb

New England Revolution Salary cap pressures and reported conflicts between Diaz Arce and Marco Etcheverry, resulted in D.C. trading one of the league's most prolific scorers to the New England Revolution. The deal was not well received by D.C. United's fanbase.

On February 5, 1998, in what would become the first three-team trade in MLS history, New England acquired Diaz Arce from D.C. United in exchange for Alexi Lalas and a second-round pick in the 1999 MLS College Draft, which were traded to the MetroStars with the MetroStars' second-round pick in the 1999 MLS College Draft and future considerations going to D.C. United along with New England's first-round pick in the 1999 MLS College Draft. Diaz Arce made his Revolution debut in the first match of a season, a loss to his former club, on March 29, 1998. He scored his first Revolution goal the following match, in a 2–1 defeat to the Miami Fusion on April 4. and played at several UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the 1996 and 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cups. His final international was a September 2000 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Honduras.

International goals

Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each El Salvador goal.

Honours

C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador: 1991–92, 1992–93

D.C. United MLS Cup: 1996, 1997 MLS Supporters' Shield: 1997 U.S. Open Cup: 1996

Charleston Battery USL First Division: 2003 Southern Derby: 2003

Individual MLS All-Star: 1997, 1998, 1999 DC United Hall of Tradition: August 26, 2009 Salvadoran Primera División top scorer (4): 1990-91, 1993-94, 1994-95,1995–96