| Club: | D.C. United |
| Season: | 2003 |
| League: | MLS |
| League Result: | 7th |
| Chrtitle: | Owner |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | Ray Hudson |
| Cup1: | MLS Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Conference Semifinals |
| Cup2: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Semifinals |
| Cup3: | Atlantic Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Runners-up |
| Season Topscorer: | Kovalenko Etcheverry (06) |
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| Prevseason: | 2002 |
| Nextseason: | 2004 |
The 2003 D.C. United season was the clubs' ninth year of existence, as well as their seventh season in Major League Soccer.
Led by Ray Hudson, D.C. United's 2003 campaign was highlighted by the club's return to the MLS Cup Playoffs, their first postseason appearance since 1999. In the playoffs, United who didn't qualify for the playoffs until the final day of the regular season, took on the Eastern Conference regular season champions, Chicago Fire. The Fire defeated United 4–0 on aggregates in the conference semifinals, winning each leg by a 2–0 margin of victory.
On November 1, 2003, D.C. United played their first playoff match in nearly four years, entering the 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. In the Conference semifinals, United faced the Eastern Conference regular season champions, Chicago Fire. The two-match, aggregate series was first contested at United's RFK Stadium. The match ended in a 2–0 defeat thanks to goals from the Fire's Andy Williams and Ante Razov in the 4th and 94th minutes, respectively.[1]
A week later, on November 9, 2003, the second leg was played at Chicago Fire's Soldier Field, where the Fire defeated United by the same 2–0 scoreline, thus ultimately winning the series 4–0 on aggregate, and advancing to the Eastern Conference championship. The defeat ended United's playoff campaign and their season altogether.
See main article: 2003 Major League Soccer season.
| width=30 | Club | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | Qualification | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Fire (E1) (SS) | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 53 | 43 | 10 | 53 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 55 | 47 | 8 | 45 | 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs | ||||||||||
| 3 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 42 | |||||||||||
| 4 | D.C. United | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 38 | 36 | 2 | 39 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 38 |
| width=30 | Club | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | Qualification | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Fire (E1) (SS) | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 53 | 43 | 10 | 53 | 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2004 CONCACAF Champions' Cup | |||||||||
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes (W1) | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 45 | 35 | 10 | 51 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 55 | 47 | 8 | 45 | 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs | ||||||||||
| 4 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 48 | 44 | 4 | 42 | |||||||||||
| 5 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 42 | |||||||||||
| 6 | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 40 | 45 | -5 | 40 | |||||||||||
| 7 | D.C. United | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 38 | 36 | 2 | 39 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 38 | ||||||||||
| 9 | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 36 | 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs | ||||||||||
| 10 | Dallas Burn | 30 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 35 | 64 | -29 | 23 | ||||||||||
See main article: 2003 U.S. Open Cup.
Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.
See main article: 2003 MLS SuperDraft.
D.C. United made a total of seven selections in the 2003 MLS Draft. Five of the draft picks were ultimately signed for the 2003 season.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |  Alecko Eskandarian | FW | Virginia | Signed to first team |
| 1 | 5 | David Stokes | DF | North Carolina | Signed to first team |
| 2 | 11 | Brian Carroll | MF | Wake Forest | Signed with first team |
| 2 | 14 | Doug Warren | GK | Clemson | Signed with first team |
| 4 | 31 | Hayden Woodworth | MF | Messiah | Did not sign |
| 5 | 41 | John Swann | DF | Indiana | Did not sign |
| 6 | 51 | Michael Behonick | GK | American | Signed with first team |