2017 D.C. United season

D.C. United
2017 season
General Manager Dave Kasper
Head Coach Ben Olsen
Stadium RFK Stadium
MLS Conference: 11th
Overall: 21st
MLS Cup Playoffs Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup Fifth round
Atlantic Cup Runners-up
Top goalscorer League: Luciano Acosta (5)
All: Luciano Acosta (5)
Highest home attendance 41,418
(Oct. 22 vs. RB New York)
Lowest home attendance 5,286
(Jun. 13 vs. Christos)
Average home league attendance 17,904
Home colors
Away colors

The 2017 D.C. United season was D.C. United's 22nd season of existence, and their 22nd in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer.

An array of injuries to key players such as Steve Birnbaum and Patrick Mullins greatly affected D.C. United's form, as the team's scoring output and defensive performance suffered. United finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and second-bottom of the overall league table. United failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2013, and for only the second time in the last six seasons. United also had a short spell in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, where they were bounced in the fifth round proper by New England Revolution.

The season was also United's final season at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, ending a 22-year run for the club leasing the stadium. RFK Stadium was the final original stadium to be used by one of the charter franchises in MLS. It was at the time, the longest tenure for an MLS team in a specific stadium. Starting the following season, United moved into Audi Field, a soccer-specific stadium situated in the Buzzard Point neighborhood of Washington, D.C..

Review

Off season

D.C. United began the off-season by dealing a copy of international reserve players to gain spots on the expansion draft protection list for domestic players they valued more. Former draft choice Miguel Aguilar and Kennedy Igboananike were traded, with the team acquiring lower round draft picks. None of United's players were selected in the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft, allowing the team to focus on building on the foundation of the surprising 2016 team. Luciano Acosta's loan status ended as he was signed on a permanent transfer from Boca Juniors. Shortly after the expansion draft, the team announced it had acquired on loan from Club Sport Herediano a young forward, José Guillermo Ortiz who was transferred from Alajuelense, for whom he had scored twice against D.C. in CONCACAF Champions League play, to Club Sport Herediano, which turned around and loaned him out to D.C. United. In the 2017 MLS SuperDraft D.C. dipped into a familiar talent pool, selecting University of Maryland fullback Chris Odoi-Atsem in the first round, In the second round, the team selected goalie Eric Klenofsky and defender Jo Vetle Rimstad. Following the draft, the team signed a Homegrown Player deal with midfielder Ian Harkes, winner of the Hermann Trophy and son of former D.C. United captain John Harkes. Before the season started, the team also added some veteran depth, signing Sebastien Le Toux.

Early season

The month of March proved to be frustrating. DC opened the season with a scoreless draw at home against Sporting Kansas City, followed by 2 straight shutout losses against New York City FC and Columbus Crew SC, barely creating any chances. Finally, the United offense broke through in their fourth match as off-season signing José Guillermo Ortiz scored an early goal against the Philadelphia Union on a deflected shot. Luciano Acosta added a penalty kick goal to give D.C. a 2–0 lead, which held up for a 2–1 victory as United recorded first win of the season. D.C. followed that result with a surprising 2–1 victory over NYCFC, on goals by Lloyd Sam and Acosta. Despite a subsequent 2–0 loss at New York Red Bulls, United continued a good stretch of play with a 2–2 draw at New England Revolution, on goals by Jared Jeffrey and Le Toux. D.C. United's first ever trip to Atlanta resulted in 3–1 victory, as the visitors rallied after an early goal, evening the score on an own goal and sealing the three points on goals by Le Toux and Acosta.

D.C. could not sustain those results, though, and dropped the next three matches at home, once again failing to score in three straight matches, including losses to Montreal Impact, Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire. D.C. went on the road to play Vancouver Whitecaps and earned another road win, on Lamar Neagle's penalty kick goal. that result was followed by yet another 3 game scoreless stretch including a loss to Orlando City S.C., a home draw with Los Angeles Galaxy, and a 2–0 loss to Toronto F.C.. Following that loss, United added Deshorn Brown to try to inject some venom into the attack. United did get back on the winning side, with a 2–1 victory of goals by Acosta and Patrick Nyarko, as expansion side Atlanta United F.C. made its first visit to D.C. It would be two more months before D.C. United recorded another victory.

Shutout road losses in Philadelphia and Montreal were sandwiched around a 2–1 U.S. Open Cup loss in New England despite an early goal by Ortiz. A trip to F.C. Dallas produced a disappointing 4–2 result, despite goals by Harkes and Brown, the first goals for each in a United uniform. Another road trip to face Seattle Sounders F.C. resulted in a 4–3 defeat, with United becoming the first Major League Soccer team to lose after taking a 3–0 lead. Brown and Harkes got the side off to a fast start with goals in their second straight game, and Sam added what might have seemed a clincher, but the late collapse seemed to be the ultimate word on a disastrous 2017 season. However, it only got worse. United lost to Houston Dynamo by 3–1, despite what would prove to be Bobby Boswell's last goal for D.C. United. That would be the team's fifth straight loss, the last four with Travis Worra in goal because Bill Hamid was with the national team for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The first visit to Minnesota United marked Hamid's return to the lineup, but the defense was still wanting during a 4–0 thrashing by the previously struggling expansion side, the sixth straight loss for D.C. United.

Summer signings

Those losses provided the impetus for the front office to finally move to bolster the team. Boswell was sent to Atlanta to free up roster space. Neagle was returned to Seattle for the same reason, and Le Toux was given his release. Ortiz and Alhaji Kamara were released to free up international roster slots. D.C. added young Bolivian striker Bruno Miranda. That signing was followed in days to come by the acquisition of Hungarian international Zoltan Stieber, who was playing in the Bundesliga second-flight, and a dramatic move to sign U.S. international Paul Arriola, after dealing $500,000 in allocation funds to acquire his MLS rights from the L.A. Galaxy. In addition to Arriola, the team added a U.S. youth international, Russell Canouse. The Pennsylvania native left Germany to return and play for his boyhood favorite team. The wheeling and dealing also included the acquisition of former Columbus Crew standout goalkeeper Steve Clark, to provide insurance in case the team was unable to sign star goalie Bill Hamid to a new contract.

These moves really did seem to raise the play of the team. United almost took three points from league-leading Toronto after an early goal by Sam, but an own goal by Steve Birnbaum forced the team to settle for a draw. D.C. did lose two consecutive hard-fought 1–0 matches, against Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids. D.C. then completed a sweep of the season series with Atlanta United, winning 1–0 on an own goal. In the next match, the team earned the win over New England on a second-half goal by Acosta. Homegrown player centerback Jalen Robinson contributed to the consecutive clean sheets, going 90 in each, only his second and third appearance of the year.

While August had seemed bright for D.C., September saw the team suffer more reversals. Sloppy defensive play allowed Orlando City S.C. to take a 2–0 first half lead at R.F.K. Stadium, and a late goal by Kofi Opare was not enough to salvage a result. Despite a strong start in Chicago, an own goal by Harkes put the team behind the eight-ball, and the Chicago Fire sealed the deal with 2 second-half goals. However, the D.C. team rebounded before over 25,000 people in the next-to-last ever home game at R.F.K. Stadium, against San Jose Earthquakes. D.C. failed to convert on a number of early chances, but the second half produced the fastest four-goal outburst by one player in league history, as Patrick Mullins ended his long goalless start to the 2017 season, scoring a hat trick with 3 finishes in front of goal, followed by a stunning free kick goal to cap the 4–0 win. Mullins was the first player to score four goals in one half of a MLS match. New Designated Player Paul Arriola got his first two assists in his seventh game with the team. The game may have also been noteworthy for being Steve Clark's first match in goal for D.C. Clark was barely tested in turning in a clean sheet. The win did not move the team out of the Eastern Conference cellar, but it did move the team ahead of a pair of Western Conference teams in the league-wide table. It also raised questions as to what might have been for a team that never seemed to finish chances, wasting the frequent heroic efforts of goalie Bill Hamid throughout the season.

D.C. kicked off a three-game road trip with a midweek match against New York Red Bulls. As usual, NYRB dominated possession and took the lead when youngster Tyler Adams scored his first career MLS goal. D.C., however, drew even on a free kick in first half stoppage time, as Zoltan Stieber notched his first in MLS when the ball deflected off the wall past NY goalie Luis Robles. The home team constantly tested the D.C. goal but Clark (playing for an injured Hamid) proved up to the task, including stopping a point-blank shot by Bradley Wright-Phillips. Against the run of play, D.C. briefly took the lead, when Russell Canouse got his first assist, threading a pass to Mullins, who scored his fifth goal in five days. NYRB, however, regained the lead on another goal by Adams and penalty kick goal by Gonzalo Veron. D.C. seemed destined for defeat, but they struck again in stoppage time, the tying goal coming when a defender misplayed a cross by Canouse, resulting in an own goal, the fourth of the season that counted for United. Nonetheless, D.C. needed a full three points to remain in playoff contention, so the draw ended any possibility of post-season play.

With little to lay for on a trip to Columbus, D.C. United fell 2-0. A road game in Portland started brightly, but a giveaway in the box by Korb forced Clark to foul, and the resultant penalty kick put United in a hole. The Timbers added three goals in the second half, including one while defender Steve Birnbaum lay unconscious, suffering his third concussion of the season.

RFK finale

In the build-up to the final match of the season, the team sought to honor their history in R.F.K. Stadium. as they prepared to leave the stadium behind. First, came the announcement that longtime goalkeeper Bill Hamid would not return in 2018, having agreed to join a team in Denmark, F.C. Midtjylland. On the day of the game, players from the team's 21-year history came together for a "Legends" game, featuring goals by Marco Etcheverry, Luciano Emilio and Freddy Adu, among others. The main event was the deciding event of the 2018 version of the Atlantic Cup, against New York Red Bulls. One of the largest regular-season home crowds in team history came to celebrate history, but also had the pleasure of seeing the team take the lead before halftime on a scintillating cross by Acosta that was finished by Arriola, who scored his first ever MLS goal, which later captured Goal of the Week honors. The visitors tied the score in the second half and, after Acosta was ejected, it was probably only a matter of time before the Red Bulls took the lead. As it was, D.C. closed the season with yet another defeat—the third consecutive loss, and finished even on points with the L.A. Galaxy in the league cellar. Because D.C. had more wins, they would be drafting after the Galaxy in the league's 2018 pre-season drafts.

Non-competitive

Preseason

Midseason

Competitive

MLS

U.S. Open Cup

Player statistics

As of June 14, 2017[1]

Appearances and goals

No. Pos Nat Player TotalMLSMLS CupU.S. Open Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK United States Travis Worra 201+000010
24 GK United States Eric Klenofsky 00000000
28 GK United States Bill Hamid 13013+000000
50 GK United States Steve Clark 505+000000
Defenders
2 DF United States Taylor Kemp 1301300000
3 DF United States Chris Odoi-Atsem 200+100010
5 DF United States Sean Franklin 907+200000
6 DF Ghana Kofi Opare 907+10000+10
15 DF United States Steve Birnbaum 10010+000000
20 DF United States Jalen Robinson 20100010
22 DF United States Chris Korb 503+100010
Midfielders
4 MF United States Russell Canouse 10010+000000
7 MF Brazil Marcelo Sarvas 1207+400010
8 MF Ghana Lloyd Sam 14213+01000+11
10 MF Argentina Luciano Acosta 11310+130000
12 MF Ghana Patrick Nyarko 706+100000
13 MF United States Paul Arriola 10010+000000
14 MF United States Nick DeLeon 606+000000
19 FW Hungary Zoltán Stieber 816+210000
21 MF United States Chris Durkin 10000010
23 MF United States Ian Harkes 13111+10000+11
25 MF United States Jared Jeffrey 13112+110000
26 MF England Rob Vincent 200+200000
33 MF Germany Julian Büscher 422+100012
Forwards
16 FW United States Patrick Mullins 805+300000
17 FW Jamaica Deshorn Brown 00000000
18 FW United States Chris Rolfe 00000000
27 FW Bolivia Bruno Miranda 500+500000
Left during the season
9 FW Costa Rica José Guillermo Ortiz 1827+910021
11 FW France Sébastien Le Toux 1728+820010
13 FW United States Lamar Neagle 2319+1310010
31 DF Canada Maxim Tissot 101+000000
32 DF United States Bobby Boswell 11110+010010
45 FW Sierra Leone Alhaji Kamara 100+100000

Top scorers

As of August 14, 2017[2]
Rank Position Name MLS MLS Cup Open Cup Total
1 MF Argentina Luciano Acosta 5 0 0 5
2 MF United States Ian Harkes 2 0 2 4
MF Ghana Lloyd Sam 2 0 1 3
FW Jamaica Deshorn Brown 2 0 0 2
FW France Sébastien Le Toux 2 0 0 2
MF Germany Julian Büscher 0 0 2 2
7 MF United States Jared Jeffrey 1 0 0 1
FW Costa Rica José Guillermo Ortiz 1 0 0 1
Total 8 0 4 12

Disciplinary record

Rank Position Name MLS MLS Cup USOC Cup Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
1MFMarcelo Sarvas 40000040
2DFSean Franklin 30000030
MFLamar Neagle 30000030
MFLloyd Sam 30000030
3FWLuciano Acosta 11000011
MFJared Jeffrey 20000020
MFRob Vincent 20000020
MFIan Harkes 10001020
4DFSteve Birnbaum 10000010
MFNick DeLeon 10000010
FWSébastien Le Toux 10000010
DFKofi Opare 10000010
DFJalen Robinson 00001010
DFTaylor Kemp 10000010

Transfers

In

N
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 Age
 Moving from
 Type
 Transfer
window		 Ends
 Transfer
fee		 Source
10 MF Argentina Luciano Acosta 22 Boca Juniors Argentina Transfer Pre-season Undisclosed Undisclosed [3]
9 FW Costa Rica José Guillermo Ortiz 24 Herediano Costa Rica Loan Pre-season 2017 Undisclosed [4]
23 MF United States Ian Harkes 21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Transfer Pre-season Undisclosed Free[note 1] [5]
11 FW France Sébastien Le Toux 33 Colorado Rapids Transfer Pre-season 2017 Free [6]
31 DF Canada Maxim Tissot 24 Ottawa Fury Canada Transfer Pre-season Free [7]
3 DF United States Chris Odoi-Atsem 21 Maryland Terrapins Draft Pre-season Free [8]
24 GK United States Eric Klenofsky 22 Monmouth Hawks Draft Pre-season Free [9]
22 DF United States Chris Korb 29 Re-signed Mid-season Free [10]
17 FW Jamaica Deshorn Brown 26 Tampa Bay Rowdies Transfer Mid-season Free [11]
27 FW Bolivia Bruno Miranda 19 Universidad de Chile Chile Loan Mid-season
19 MF Hungary Zoltán Stieber 28 1. FC Kaiserslautern Germany Transfer Mid-season
4 MF United States Russell Canouse 22 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Germany Transfer Mid-season
13 MF United States Paul Arriola 22 Tijuana Mexico Transfer Mid-season
50 GK United States Steve Clark 31 AC Horsens Denmark Transfer Mid-season Free

Draft picks

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of 2017 MLS SuperDraft will be listed in the notes.

2017 D.C. United SuperDraft Picks
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeStatus
112 United States Chris Odoi-Atsem DF Maryland Signed by DC United & loaned to Richmond.
234 United States Eric Klenofsky GK Monmouth Signed by DC United & loaned to Richmond.
43 Norway Jo Vetle Rimstad DF Radford Not signed.
478 PASS

Out

N
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 Age
 Moving to
 Type
 Transfer
window		 Transfer
fee		 Source
9 FW Costa Rica Álvaro Saborío 34 Costa Rica Saprissa Release Pre-season Free [12]
34 DF United States Luke Mishu 25 Retirement Pre-season [13]
17 MF Mexico Miguel Aguilar 23 LA Galaxy Trade Pre-season [note 2] [14]
77 FW Nigeria Kennedy Igboananike 27 Portland Timbers Trade Pre-season [note 3] [15]
50 GK United States Andrew Dykstra 31 Sporting Kansas City Waiver Pre-season 2016 MLS Re-Entry Draft [16]
27 MF United States Collin Martin 22 Minnesota United Trade Pre-season [note 4] [17]
30 GK United States Charlie Horton 22 Release Pre-season [18]
31 MF Canada Maxim Tissot 25 San Francisco Deltas Release Mid-season Free [19]
45 FW Sierra Leone Alhaji Kamara 23 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun Transfer Mid-season Free
9 FW Costa Rica José Guillermo Ortiz 24 Waiver Mid-season
13 MF United States Lamar Neagle 30 Seattle Sounders Trade Mid-season
45 DF United States Bobby Boswell 34 Atlanta United FC Trade Mid-season
11 FW France Sébastien Le Toux 33 Release Mid-season

Notes

  1. ↑ Harkes signed a Homegrown player contract. This means his salary will not count against the salary cap. There was no fee for signing Harkes.
  2. ↑ Traded for two fourth round picks in the 2018 and 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
  3. ↑ Traded for second-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
  4. ↑ Traded for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.

References

  1. ↑ "2017 D.C. United Season Statistics". D.C. United. dcunited.com. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  2. ↑ "2017 D.C. United Season Statistics". D.C. United. dcunited.com. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ Stejskal, Sam (November 16, 2016). "DC United finalize permanent transfer of Luciano Acosta from Boca Juniors" (Web). MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ "United acquire José Guillermo Ortiz on loan". DC United. DC United. December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  5. ↑ "United sign MAC Hermann Trophy winner Ian Harkes as ninth Homegrown Player". dcunited.com. DC United. January 23, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  6. ↑ "United sign MLS veteran Sébastien Le Toux". dcunited.com. DC United. January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  7. ↑ "United sign Canadian National Team member Max Tissot". dcunited.com. DC United. February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  8. ↑ Anderson, Jason. "MLS Draft 2017: D.C. United selects Maryland Terrapins defender Chris Odoi-Atsem". Black and Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  9. ↑ Streff, Steven. "MLS Draft 2017: D.C. United selects Monmouth University goalkeeper Eric Klenofsky". Black and Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  10. ↑ "United sign defender Chris Korb". D.C. United. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  11. ↑ "United acquire Jamaican forward Deshorn Brown following Allocation Ranking trade with Houston Dynamo". D.C. United. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Boehm, Charles (November 14, 2016). "Alvaro Saborio announces departure from DC United". MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer.
  13. ↑ Goff, Steven (December 6, 2016). "After only 2 MLS seasons, D.C. United's Luke Mishu retires". Washington Post. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  14. ↑ Bromley, Ben (December 12, 2016). "Miguel Aguilar traded to the LA Galaxy". Black & Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  15. ↑ "Toronto, Seattle set markers for fruits of ambition as MLS evolves". FourFourTwo. 2016-12-12. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  16. ↑ Kovzan, Sam (December 22, 2016). "Sporting KC selects goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra in Stage Two of MLS Re-Entry Draft". SportingKC.com. Sporting Kansas City.
  17. ↑ Goff, Steven (January 3, 2017). "D.C. United trades homegrown midfielder Collin Martin to Minnesota". The Washington Post – Soccer Insider. WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  18. ↑ Bromley, Ben (February 13, 2017). "D.C. United releases almost all preseason trialists". Black & Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  19. ↑ "SF Deltas sign Canadian national team winger Maxim Tissot". SF Deltas. May 9, 2017.
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