Everyone loves lists and always default to five or ten, so let’s go with seven. There are seven deadly sins and all seven of these will probably be wrong, so it seems fitting.
Number 1: Coach Ben Olsen Reaches Year 10
DC United has achieved above average success under Olsen’s tenure, reaching the playoffs in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. He became the youngest coach ever to reach 100 career wins and has a good-enough record. The overall results are disappointing, though, for a team that has high expectations for success. Since his 2014 Coach of the Year Award, DC hasn’t finished higher than 4th and continues to lose out early in the playoffs. Recent years were especially rough considering the hype around Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta. Many pre-season rankings have DC in the middle of the pack for 2020, so if the team doesn’t over-perform, Olsen may not get a Year 11.
Number 2: Forget Rooney and Acosta, Meet Flores and Gressel
DC looks to succeed or fail with the abilities of new arrivals Edison Flores and Julian Gressel. United paid a record $5 million transfer fee to gain the duel-threat winger in the 25 year old Flores who’s young, quick, and aggressive. Gressel, only 26 , is a rising star who can play almost anywhere on the field. He comes from a trade with Atlanta earlier in the year and signed a three-year deal (with fourth-year club option). Gressel collected 35 assists in his first 88 starts and stands to become the midfield focal point of DC’s play. The duo looked sharp against Colorado and we can expect good things to come.
Number 3: Ola Kamara to shoot again and again and again
Kamara scored in his very first start with DC last August after transferring from China only to suffer an ACL injury a few games later. He appears healthy and ready to go for 2020. With double-digit goals in each of his previous MLS seasons. He’s an experienced forward who the black and red will rely on to put some aggression into their offense.
Number 4: Adding experience with Federico Higuaín
The 35 year-old Higuain brings over 350 professional games of knowledge with him to the nation’s capital and will use it in his capacity as a duel player-coach for the team. On the field, he’ll help in the midfield, while on the sidelines he’ll work as a Player Development Coach to help mold the team’s young talent into accomplished veterans. He comes to the team after an ACL ended his time with Columbus last year (and likely accelerates his transition to coaching). The offense already lacked unity against Colorado in their opening game, and Higuain’s presence in the locker room and on the field may help alleviate that confusion going forward.
Number 5: Hamid continues to bring stability in the goal
DC legend Bill Hamid returns once again after leading the league in shut-outs last season. Hamid set a club record 14 clean sheets last year and racked up a career-high 127 saves (2nd in MLS). This was a no-brainer, and Hamid’s skill should give United a buffer while the newer players build cohesion and smooth out the edges for the team’s new look. Besides a short stint in Europe, he’s been with the team since signing out of their academy in 2009 and will continue to collect team records in 2020. You can’t hold him back.
Number 6: Veterans add more consistency
Long-time DC defender Steve Birnbaum signed a new 3-year deal this week. Birnbaum has started every game for two years (and played every minute in 2018) and is a stallwart outside the goal. His companion Frédéric Brillant also returns to the red and black with a new two-year contract. Though 34, his continued solid play on defense allows him to get signficant playing time.
Number 7: Expect more transactions to build up the roster
The team is wheeling and dealing as it looks to shore up additional weak-points before the season gets into full-swing. Midfielder Mohammad Abu joins the team from Norway and hasn’t played in the MLS since 2018 but adds defensive help to the team’s middle. The team also added Higuain (see above), and Forward Erik Sorga joined a month ago from Estonia. With Paul Arriola missing the whole season from his pre-season knee injury, only 22 players are on the active roster currently. The team definitely needs to add some depth so look for more player movement in the days to come.