Do you know which field player leads D.C. United in minutes played during MLS matches this season? Of course you do, it’s Clyde Simms. It’s always Clyde Simms. But, do you know who is second on the team? Santino Quaranta! It’s true, Santino has played only 27 minutes fewer than Clyde. The questions follows, if Quaranta has been on the field so much, how come he still only has one goal and one assist? That’s a fair question, with a complicated answer.

Santino Quaranta is an emotional player, at times fiery. Santino doesn’t try to conceal his emotions, or if he does, he’s not very good at it. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and his face is almost always a window to his soul - like when he has a huge smile on his face after a nice play or like when he looks as though he is trying to use his heat-ray vision to melt the referee after a bad call. Whether happy or furious, Santino always fights to the death on the field, and his teammates respect him for that.

As far as his offensive output this season, it seems like he hasn’t been able to use his emotions the right way. At times, Santino has been excellent at channeling his frustration into positive energy which he can use against his opponent. Other times he lets his emotions get the better of him and he takes strikes at goal from 40 yards that sail miles over the Volkswagen Garage. The team has gone through a lot of ups and downs this season, and the more emotional a player is during a stretch like that, the more difficult it is to remain in the right frame of mind.

Quaranta is an important piece of D.C.’s attack and, for the team to improve, all parts of the offense need to play well. Quaranta hasn't performed to the level he expects of himself this season, but the good news about emotional players like him is that it doesn’t take much to get straightened out. Quaranta needs one positive thing to get back to being at his best - a nice assist, a drawn penalty, a golazo, maybe, even, his game-winning assist in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal was the right medicine. Throughout that match, the Baltimore-native linked well with newly signed players Branko Boskovic and Pablo Hernandez, playing with a care-free smile on his face the whole time. Whatever Quaranta needs, he needs it quickly since United is desperate for points in a hurry. Maybe his first goal in Real Salt Lake’s new stadium will do the trick on Saturday.