Another year came and went for D.C. United, filled with more chaos and ends with another new plan for the future.
Wayne Rooney’s 18-month stay as head coach of the club came to an end; he’s the fourth head coach since 2020. D.C. still doesn’t have a GM after parting ways with Lucy Rushton after the 2022 season. D.C. hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019 and hasn’t advanced in the playoffs since 2015
The short version: D.C. United is in flux once again. There’s a lot to go through.
State of the roster
Head coach: N/A
Chief soccer officer: N/A
The good
The top of the roster is strong. Christian Benteke and Mateusz Klich are two in-prime, solid designated players; Benteke a reliable goal scorer, Klich a versatile midfielder. They’re both in their early 30s, but should still be at the end of their prime in 2024.
D.C. has begun to bring through several promising homegrown players, none more impactful than Ted Ku-DiPietro, who broke out with five goals and two assists in under 1,200 minutes. Center back Matai Akimboni is likely ready for rotational minutes in 2024 at just 16 years old. Kristian Fletcher (18 years old) and Jackson Hopkins (19 years old) both have bright futures.
It’s not all about youth, though. Chris Durkin and Russell Canouse two solid, starting-level players at defensive midfield. Pedro Santos remained a solid player even in his age-35 season.
The bad
The best way to maximize Benteke’s impact is to get plenty of quality aerial service into the box. About a month before signing Benteke, D.C. traded away Julian Gressel, perhaps the best crosser in MLS.
It’s a microcosm of the team’s short-term decision-making.
Rooney wanted to play a 4-3-3, which meant it was incredibly difficult to fit Taxi Fountas, a DP second forward, alongside Benteke (that is, before Fountas was dismissed from the team following a second allegation he used a racist slur against a teammate). Soon, the 4-3-3 went away. The attack doesn’t have an obvious chance creator as summer No. 10 signing Gabriel Pirani plays more like a second forward than a No. 10 when played centrally.
A lack of pace on the backline has led to issues in defensive transition. Rooney had goalkeeper Tyler Miller play extremely aggressively to try to sweep up through balls to help the backline, with occasionally disastrous results.
What could change
The most important changes are coming off the field, with a GM hire imminent and a new coach to follow.
As for the roster, outside of the one open DP spot, they’ll likely have to get creative for further additions. D.C. brought in 15 players this year, the majority on multi-year contracts.
The DP spot is crucial, both to add quality to the team as well as signal what style and formation they’ll play. Will it be another forward to partner Benteke or a winger to provide for him? Maybe a No. 10 to join a midfield trio with Klich or a defensive midfielder, a la FC Cincinnati’s hugely successful signing of Obi Nwobodo?
Pirani has a purchase option as part of his loan from Santos, while D.C. has contract options for the likes of Ruan, Yamil Asad and Andy Najar.
The infrastructure
D.C. opened Audi Field a few years ago, which played host to the MLS All-Star Game in 2023. They opened a brand new training facility in 2021 as well.
For the club’s mishaps in the last few years, they have started spending more money. Rooney (as a player) was huge, then Rooney (as a manager) helped continue that trend. Benteke and Klich aren’t cheap and they’re at the end of their primes, so the investment was 100% to improve the team, not chasing a sell-on value in the future.
Offseason priorities
GM search
D.C. United has interviewed Nashville SC assistant general manager Ally Mackay and Columbus Crew SC assistant GM Issa Tall for their GM opening, sources briefed on the process told The Athletic. Both are finalists for the job. On Tuesday, a person briefed on the situation said the club would likely finalize their new GM hire by the end of the MLS season.
This is the most important decision the club will make this winter. Just look at FC Cincinnati. They hired Gerard Nijkamp in 2019 and it resulted in three straight Wooden Spoons. They then hired Chris Albright in 2021, made the playoffs for the first time and won the Supporters’ Shield in 2023.
Head coach search
The new GM will hire a new head coach, hoping for more longevity than the last two hires of Losada and Rooney.
Hopefully, this new direction comes with a purposeful tactical vision that can last a few years. Under Losada, the team had to tear down the roster and bring in players that could fit a high-pressing, transition system. He lasted a season and a few games. Rooney came in that summer and another teardown came. Now he is gone as well.
Where will this search lead?
Long-term thinking
There is no quick fix to turn this group into a contender overnight. That’s not to suggest they can’t make the playoffs or even go on a run next year if things bounce right, but chasing the dragon of being one transfer window away is what caused the last half-decade of disappointment.
Maybe D.C. United opt for a young DP in that third slot, to open all three U-22 initiative slots, or a player at the beginning of their prime to complement the veterans in the group and bridge to the promising young players.
The entire offseason has to be framed around big-picture thinking, but a couple of specific areas to improve include central defense, a chance-creating attacker (be it a No. 10 or winger) plus at least one new starting fullback.
(Photos: Getty Images)