WASHINGTON - In the 63rd minute of his club’s 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy in late March, D.C. United midfielder Davy Arnaud turned to meet a pass from Chris Rolfe around the midfield stripe. Taking a quick touch, Arnaud pivoted to elude LA’s Mika Väyrynen, making contact with him in the process. The referee quickly called a foul, Väyrynen helped Arnaud back to his feet and play continued without hesitation.
You wouldn’t have known it by the mundane nature of the play, but a bit of inglorious MLS history had just been made. Arnaud, the wily veteran who has brought his brand of no-nonsense, hard-working soccer to Kansas City, Montreal and the District, had just become the league’s all-time leader in fouls suffered.
In doing so, Arnaud eclipsed a D.C. United legend and one of the most notoriously difficult-to-defend players the league has ever seen, Bolivian playmaker Jaime Moreno. While the record is certainly a testament to Arnaud’s durability – the 13-year MLS veteran has been a constant for every team he’s represented – it’s also a nod to his style of play, a hard-nosed approach that has left plenty of opponents frustrated over the years.
"I don’t think I antagonize people,” Arnaud told MLSsoccer.com, chuckling, after United’s 2-2 draw against the New York Red Bullson Saturdayevening. "You might want to ask other guys in the league about that, though.
"I play the game a certain way – if I don’t play it that way, I wouldn’t be able to play [at all]. I need to [have that intensity] to be the player that I am. Maybe it can rub some guys the wrong way, but I think there’s a lot of guys around the league where when you play against them and they’re just tough to compete against – I try and be one of those guys. It leads to committing some fouls and being fouled sometimes as well."
At an age where most players are winding it down, the 34-year-old Arnaud has continued to be a difference-maker for United. He was a key piece in their 2014 renaissance, helping engineer the largest single-season turnaround in league history, and has proved to be a reliable piece again in 2015 for D.C. head coach Ben Olsen.
Presumed by many at the year’s onset to be the backup to offseason signing Markus Halsti in central midfield, Arnaud has instead retained his starting role while Halsti recovers from a knee sprain. His play so far has many suggesting he may hang on to that spot even after the Finn completes his recovery.
Others on MLS’ list of all-time fouls-suffered leaders share Arnaud’s bite and work ethic: LA Galaxy and USMNT stalwart Cobi Jones, former RSL fixture Andy Williams and even Landon Donovan himself, whose 537 fouls suffered over a 334-game career put him at No. 8 on the list.
Arnaud also finds himself nearing the top five in all-time fouls committed, though he’ll need to pick up the pace to catch the all-time leader, Kyle Beckerman, who’s been running away with it for years. Arnaud also reached two additional milestones on Saturday, becoming the 11th player in MLS history to record 300 regular-season starts and cracking the league’s all-time top 10 in career minutes played.
Of course, being the most-fouled player in league history comes with more than its fair share of bumps and bruises, and Arnaud’s longevity has come at a price. He admits that some days are harder than others, though he’s not exactly showing signs of hanging it up any time soon.
"I’ll be 35 this summer,” he said. "I don’t like to look at that number, because when I’m out there playing, I still feel great. I move well. There are some days, obviously, where it’s a little tougher getting out of bed and getting down those stairs, but that comes with the territory. Anybody who’s played for a long time deals with those things. I have my fair share of aches and pains, but I think that’s just part of all of this."
