Football Season Guide

DC United

In


Mohanad Jeahze (def) Hammarby, Derrick Williams (def) LA Galaxy, Mateusz Klich (mid) Leeds United, Ruan (def) Orlando, Tyler Miller (gk) Minnesota, Pedro Santos (att) Columbus, Alex Bono (gk) Toronto, Kristian Fletcher (att) Loudoun United, Luis Zamudio (gk) Loudoun United, Hayden Sargis (def) Phoenix Rising.

Out


Brad Smith (def) Houston, Tony Alfaro (def) New York City, David Ochoa (gk) San Luis, Drew Skundrich (mid) Switchbacks FC, Rafael Romo (gk) Uni. Catolica, Kimarni Smith (att) San Antonio FC, Sofiane Djeffal (mid) Austin, Ola Kamara (att), Bill Hamid (gk), Chris Odoi-Atsem (def), Adrien Perez (att), Sami Guediri (def), Jon Kempin (gk).

In 2022, DC United had a disastrous season, finishing not only bottom of the Eastern Conference, but also in last place in the overall MLS standings. They managed only seven wins out of a possible 34 - the fewest in MLS - and had the worst offensive and defensive record among the 28 teams. The mid-season appointment of Wayne Rooney had made little to no difference as DC still struggled to pick up points and underperformed in pretty much every aspect of the game. During the winter transfer window, the club thoroughly overhauled the squad, bringing in a number of experienced players and parting with a number of players who had played a subpar role in the last campaign. The most important additions were Mateusz Klich, who arrived on a free from Leeds, Tyler Miller, Ruan and Mohanad Jeahze. There were also a number of departures, including goalkeepers Rafael Romo and Bill Hamid, striker Ola Kamara, and Kimarni Smith, Bradley Smith and Sami Guediri. It is hard to say whether the departures of ten or so players will have a positive or negative impact on the team's dynamics, but something has to change if Rooney and Co. are to avoid a repeat of 2022 history this season.

Target


Right now, DC expectations are rather low, considering how poorly they performed in 2022. Rooney will take his time to put together his best eleven and find the right balance between defence and attack and, if he succeeds, hopefully they will have a small spark of hope to reach the playoffs.