2022 D.C. United season explained

Season:	2022
League:	MLS
Chrtitle:	General manager
Chairman:	Lucy Rushton
Mgrtitle:	Head coach
Manager:	(until April 21) (April 22 – July 30) (from July 31)
Stadium:	Audi Field
League Result:
Cup1:	MLS Cup Playoffs
Cup1 Result:	Did not qualify
Cup2:	U.S. Open Cup
Cup2 Result:	Fourth round
Cup3:	Atlantic Cup
Cup3 Result:	Runners-up
Highest Attendance:	19,325 (vs FC Cincinnati, October 9, MLS)
Lowest Attendance:	10,128 (vs Columbus Crew, July 13, MLS)
Largest Win:	3–0, twice
Largest Loss:	0–7 (vs Philadelphia (A), July 8, MLS)
League Topscorer:	Fountas (12)
Season Topscorer:	Fountas (12)
American:	true
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Prevseason:	2021
Nextseason:	2023

The 2022 season was D.C. United's 27th in existence and their 27th consecutive season in the top division of American soccer, Major League Soccer. In addition to MLS, D.C. United participated in this season's editions of the U.S. Open Cup. United also participated in the Coachella Valley Invitational and the Capital Cup friendly tournaments. The season covered the period from 1 December 2021 to 30 November 2022.

During this season, United had a poor run of form, finishing in last place for the fourth time in franchise history, the third time with Dave Kasper as General Manager or President, and the second time with Jason Levien as owner. During the season, United broke their club record for the most goals conceded during a season (75), largest home loss (6 goals), and largest away loss (7 goals).

During the season, there were several notable departures from United including Paul Arriola, Julian Gressel, Kevin Paredes, and Frédéric Brillant. The club brought in David Ochoa, Christian Benteke, Taxiarchis Fountas, and Martín Rodríguez.

Club

Team management

Position	Name
Chairman	Jason Levien
Co-Chairman	Stephen Kaplan
President of Soccer Operations	Dave Kasper
General Manager	Lucy Rushton
Technical Director	Stewart Mairs
Head coach	Wayne Rooney
Assistant coach	Chad Ashton
Assistant coach
Assistant coach
Assistant coach	Pete Shuttleworth
Goalkeeping coach	Diego Restrepo

Roster

Squad No.	Name	Nationality	Position(s)	Date of birth (Age)	Apps	Goals	Assists	Signed from
Goalkeepers
1	Rafael Romo		GK	25 February 1990	15	0	0	OH Leuven
21	Jon Kempin		GK	8 April 1993	13	0	0	Columbus Crew
24	Bill Hamid		GK	25 November 1990	297	0	0	Midtjylland
32	David Ochoa		GK	16 January 2001	9	0	0	Real Salt Lake
Defenders
2	Gaoussou Samaké		LB	4 November 1997	4	0	0	ASEC Mimosas
3	Chris Odoi-Atsem		RB	27 May 1995	59	1	0	Maryland Terrapins
4	Brendan Hines-Ike		CB	30 November 1994	33	1	0	Kortrijk
5	Brad Smith		LB	9 April 1994	16	0	1	Seattle Sounders FC
14	Andy Najar		RB	16 March 1993	136	11	15	Los Angeles FC
15	Steve Birnbaum		CB	23 January 1991	247	13	6	California Golden Bears
23	Donovan Pines		CB	7 March 1998	67	3	1	Maryland Terrapins
33	Jacob Greene		LB / RB	23 March 2003	1	0	0	D.C. United Academy
45	Matai Akinmboni		CB	17 October 2006	2	0	0	D.C. United Academy
93	Tony Alfaro		CB	15 June 1993	45	1	2	Reno 1868
97	Sami Guediri		LB	18 August 1997	14	0	0	Loudoun United
Midfielders
6	Russell Canouse		DM	11 June 1995	113	5	5	Hoffenheim
8	Chris Durkin		DM	8 February 2000	71	2	4	Sint-Truiden
12	Drew Skundrich		CM	17 September 1995	41	0	2	Loudoun United
13	Sofiane Djeffal		MF	19 April 1999	28	0	1	Oregon State Beavers
18	Jeremy Garay		MF	1 April 2003	1	0	0	D.C. United Academy
25	Jackson Hopkins		AM / SS	1 July 2004	22	0	1	D.C. United Academy
35	Ted Ku-DiPietro		MF	28 January 2002	12	0	0	Loudoun United
44	Victor Pálsson		DM	30 April 1991	10	0	0	Schalke 04
49	Ravel Morrison		MF	2 February 1993	14	2	0	Derby County
77	Martín Rodríguez		MF / LW	5 August 1994	14	0	1	Altay SK
Forwards
9	Ola Kamara		ST	15 October 1989	87	37	6	Shenzhen
11	Taxiarchis Fountas		SS	4 September 1995	21	12	1	Rapid Wien
16	Adrien Perez		FW	13 October 1995	19	0	2	Los Angeles FC
17	Kimarni Smith		LW	14 March 1998	22	1	1	Clemson Tigers
19	Nigel Robertha		FW	13 March 1998	36	6	4	Levski Sofia
20	Christian Benteke		ST	3 December 1990	7	1	0	Crystal Palace
22	Miguel Berry		ST	16 September 1997	14	0	0	Columbus Crew

Non-competitive

Preseason exhibitions

Coachella Valley Invitational

Midseason exhibitions

Competitive

Major League Soccer

See main article: 2022 Major League Soccer season.

Results

U.S. Open Cup

See main article: 2022 U.S. Open Cup.

Transfers

Transfers in

Date	Position	No.	Name	From	Fee/notes	Ref.
November 22, 2021	DF	2	Gaoussou Samaké	ASEC Mimosas	Signed through 2023, team options for 2024-25	^[1]
January 4, 2022	MF	4	Brendan Hines-Ike	Kortrijk	Loan option exercised	^[2]
January 13, 2022	MF	35	Ted Ku-DiPietro	Loudoun United	Homegrown contract through 2023, team options for 2024-2025	^[3]
January 24, 2022	DF	20	Hayden Sargis	Sacramento Republic	Signed through 2024, team options for 2025-26 $25,000 to Sacramento, plus bonuses at certain benchmarks.	^[4]
January 27, 2022	DF	5	Brad Smith	Seattle Sounders FC	$750,000 GAM, with 10% sell-on fee	^[5]
	FW	11	Taxiarchis Fountas	Rapid Wien	Designated Player through 2024 with club option for 2025.	^[6]
February 25, 2022	MF	13	Sofiane Djeffal	Oregon State Beavers	MLS SuperDraft Pick	^[7]
March 24, 2022	MF	8	Chris Durkin	Sint-Truiden	$600,000 fee to Sint-Truiden, $200,000 GAM to Houston Dynamo for MLS rights	^[8]
April 13, 2022	MF	25	Jackson Hopkins	D.C. United Academy	Homegrown Player	^[9]
April 27, 2022	GK	1	Rafael Romo	OH Leuven		^[10]
June 23, 2022	MF	77	Martín Rodríguez	Altay SK	Signed through 2024, team option for 2025	^[11]
July 13, 2022	DF	97	Sami Guediri	Loudoun United		^[12]
July 20, 2022	FW	22	Miguel Berry	Columbus Crew		^[13]
July 21, 2022	MF	49	Ravel Morrison	Derby County	Signed through 2023, with 2024 team option	^[14]
July 21, 2022	MF	44	Victor Pálsson	Schalke 04	Designated Player, signed through 2024, club option for 2025	^[15]
July 29, 2022	GK	32	David Ochoa	Real Salt Lake	$75,000 GAM, plus up to $300,000 GAM in 2023 25% sell-on fee for transfer outside MLS Homegrown Player	^[16] ^[17]
August 5, 2022	FW	20	Christian Benteke	Crystal Palace	Designated Player, signed through 2024, club option for 2025	^[18]
August 30, 2022	FW	26	Kristian Fletcher	Loudoun United	Precontract (effective January 1, 2023) through 2025, club option for 2026 Homegrown Player	^[19]
August 31, 2022	DF	45	Matai Akinmboni	D.C. United Academy	Homegrown Player, signed through 2025, club options for 2026-27	^[20]

Transfers out

Date	Position	No.	Name	To	Fee/notes	Ref.
November 29, 2021	FW	32	Ramón Ábila	Boca Juniors	End of loan	^[21]
	FW	20	Jovanny Bolívar	Deportivo La Guaira	End of loan
	MF	11	Yamil Asad	Universidad Católica	Option declined
	FW	29	Yordy Reyna	Charlotte FC	Option declined
	DF	28	Joseph Mora	Charlotte FC	Option declined, selected in 2021 MLS Expansion Draft
	DF	35	Michael DeShields	New England Revolution II	Option declined
	GK	1	Chris Seitz	N/A	Option declined, retired
	MF	18	Felipe	Austin FC	End of contract
	DF	13		N/A	End of contract, retired
January 8, 2022	FW	50	Erik Sorga	IFK Göteborg	€450,000	^[22]
January 26, 2022	MF	7	Paul Arriola	FC Dallas	$2,000,000 GAM	^[23]
January 28, 2022	DF	30	Kevin Paredes	Wolfsburg	$7,350,000	^[24]
February 22, 2022	MF	5	Júnior Moreno	FC Cincinnati	$250,000 GAM, plus up to $175,000 GAM if benchmarks are hit	^[25]
June 23, 2022	FW	10	Edison Flores	Atlas	Undisclosed	^[26]
July 4, 2022	FW	22	Griffin Yow	Westerlo	$100,000, 35% sell-on fee and additional cash	^[27] ^[28]
July 15, 2022	MF	31	Julian Gressel	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	$400,000 GAM (up to $900,000 through 2024)	^[29]
August 29, 2022	MF	27	Moses Nyeman	Beveren	$350,000, 25% sell-on fee	^[30]

Loan in

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned from	Start	End	Source
7	FW	Michael Estrada	Deportivo Toluca			^[31] ^[32]
24						^[33]

Loan out

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned to	Start	End	Source
21				June 10, 2022	June 17, 2022	^[34] ^[35]
30	DF			September 8, 2022	December 31, 2022	^[36]

MLS SuperDraft picks

See main article: 2022 MLS SuperDraft.

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Status
2	36	Sofiane Djeffal	MF	Oregon State	Signed to First Team roster
2	41	Alex Nagy	FW	Vermont	Returned to school
3	69	Skage Simonsen	MF	SMU	Signed with Loudoun United FC

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Numbers after plus-sign(+) denote appearances as a substitute.|-|-!colspan="12"|Players who left during the season|-|-!colspan="4"|Total!36!!39!!34!!36!!2!!3!!0!!0

Top scorers

Rank	Position	No.	Name				Total
1		11		12	0	0	12
2		9		9	2	0	11
3		7		4	0	0	4
4		15		2	0	0	2
		49		2	0	0	2
		19		1	1	0	2
7		20		1	0	0	1
		6		1	0	0	1
		8		1	0	0	1
		26		1	0	0	1
		10		1	0	0	1
		17		1	0	0	1
Total				35	3	0	38 Top assists Rank Position No. Name Total 1 31 7 0 0 7 2 8 6 0 0 6 3 7 4 0 0 4 4 11 3 0 0 3 19 3 0 0 3 77 3 0 0 3 17 3 0 0 3 8 14 2 0 0 2 12 2 0 0 2 9 1 1 0 2 11 93 1 0 0 1 6 1 0 0 1 13 Sofiane Djeffal 1 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 1 25 1 0 0 1 23 1 0 0 1 5 1 0 0 1 Total 40 1 0 41 Disciplinary record Player MLS U.S. Open Cup MLS Cup Total width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#ff8888; width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#ff8888; width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#ff8888; width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#fe9; width=34; background:#ff8888; 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 16 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 27 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Total 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 Clean sheets No. Name Total Games 1 1 0 0 1 14 21 0 1 0 1 4 28 2 0 0 2 10 32 2 0 0 2 9

Notes and References

1. Web site: D.C. United Acquire Defender Gaoussou Samaké from ASEC Mimosas . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 22 November 2021 . en . 22 November 2021.
2. Web site: D.C. United Sign Defender Brendan Hines-Ike on a Permanent Transfer from K.V. Kortrijk . DCUnited.com . January 4, 2022 . January 4, 2022.
3. Web site: D.C. United Sign Midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro to Homegrown Deal . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 13 January 2022 . en . 13 January 2022.
4. Web site: Anderson . Jason . Official: DCU signs Hayden Sargis from Sacramento Republic . Black And Red United . SB Nation . 24 January 2022 . en . 24 January 2022.
5. Web site: D.C. United Acquire Seattle Sounders FC Defender Brad Smith . DC United . MLS . 27 January 2022 . en . 27 January 2022.
6. Web site: D.C. United Agree to New Terms with Designated Player Taxiarchis "Taxi" Fountas . DC United . MLS . 24 April 2022 . en . 21 March 2022.
7. Web site: D.C. United Sign Midfielder Sofiane Djeffal . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 25 February 2022 . en . 25 February 2022.
8. News: Goff . Steven . D.C. United reacquires homegrown midfielder Chris Durkin . Washington Post . 31 March 2022 . 24 March 2022.
9. Web site: D.C. United Sign Jackson Hopkins as 18th Homegrown Signing in Club History DC United . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 13 April 2022 . en . 13 April 2022.
10. Web site: Anderson . Jason . Official: D.C. United adds goalkeeper Rafael Romo . Black And Red United . SB Nation . 27 April 2022 . en . 27 April 2022.
11. Web site: Keefer . Ryan . Official: D.C. United adds winger Martin Rodriguez . Black And Red United . 12 July 2022 . en . 23 June 2022.
12. Web site: D.C. United Promote Loudoun United FC Defender Sami Guediri to a First Team Contract . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 13 July 2022 . en . 13 July 2022.
13. Web site: D.C. United Acquire Columbus Crew SC Forward Miguel Berry . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 20 July 2022 . en . 20 July 2022.
14. News: Floyd . Thomas . D.C. United finalizes signing of journeyman playmaker Ravel Morrison . Washington Post . 21 July 2022 . 18 July 2022.
15. News: Goff . Steven . D.C. United acquires Victor Pálsson from Germany's Schalke . Washington Post . 27 July 2022 . 27 July 2022.
16. News: Goff . Steven . D.C. United acquiring goalkeeper David Ochoa in trade with Real Salt Lake . Washington Post . 30 July 2022 . 28 July 2022.
17. Web site: D.C. United Acquire Goalkeeper David Ochoa from Real Salt Lake DC United . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 30 July 2022 . en . 29 July 2022.
18. Web site: D.C. United Sign Belgian International Christian Benteke from Crystal Palace as a Designated Player . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 5 August 2022 . en . 5 August 2022.
19. Web site: D.C. United Sign Forward Kristian Fletcher to a Homegrown Player . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 30 August 2022 . en . 30 August 2022.
20. Web site: D.C. United Sign Matai Akinmboni to a Homegrown Contract . Loudoun United FC . USL Championship . 31 August 2022 . 31 August 2022.
21. Web site: Keefer . Ryan . D.C. United announce end-of-season roster moves . Black And Red United . 29 November 2021 . en . 29 November 2021.
22. Web site: D.C. United Announce the Permanent Transfer of Erik Sorga to IFK Göteborg DC United . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 8 January 2022 . en . 8 January 2022.
23. Web site: Official: FC Dallas acquire Paul Arriola in MLS-record trade from DC United MLS . MLS website . Major League Soccer . 26 January 2022 . en . 26 January 2022.
24. Web site: Official: DC United transfer Kevin Paredes to Wolfsburg in club-record deal MLS . MLS website . Major League Soccer . 28 January 2022 . en . 28 January 2022.
25. News: Goff . Steven . MLS is 'bullish' on Las Vegas for expansion; D.C. United trades Júnior Moreno's rights . Washington Post . 22 February 2022 . 22 February 2022.
26. Web site: Official: DC United transfer DP midfielder Edison Flores to Atlas FC . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 5 July 2022 . 23 June 2022.
27. Web site: D.C. United Agree Terms with KVC Westerlo for the permanent transfer of Griffin Yow. Dcunited.com. July 5, 2022.
28. Web site: The transfer of @griffin_yow to Westerlo in Belgium is now official. DCU received $100,000, 35% sell-on and additional cash tied to his appearances/performances.. Twitter.com. 5 July 2022.
29. Web site: D.C. United Acquire Up To $900,000 GAM from the Vancouver Whitecaps for Wingback Julian Gressel . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 15 July 2022 . en . 15 July 2022.
30. Web site: D.C. United Agree Terms with S.K. Beveren for the permanent transfer of Moses Nyeman . D.C. United . Major League Soccer . 30 August 2022 . en . 29 August 2022.
31. News: Goff . Steven . D.C. United acquires Ecuador's Michael Estrada on loan from Toluca . Washington Post . 11 August 2022 . 8 February 2022.
32. Web site: Lecanda . León . Cruz Azul: Michael Estrada será nuevo refuerzo de la Máquina . ESPNdeportes.com . ESPN . 11 August 2022 . es . 11 August 2022.
33. Web site: D.C. United acquire Loudoun United winger Azaad Liadi on loan . D.C. United . March 7, 2022 . February 26, 2022.
34. D.C. United Loan Goalkeeper Jon Kempin to San Diego Loyal SC. D.C. United. Washington, D.C.. June 12, 2022. June 10, 2022.
35. News: Kallassy. Sarah. Friday Freedom Kicks: Jon Kempin recalled early from San Diego Loyal, D.C. United return to the regular season, Juneteenth, and more. Black and Red United. SB Nation. June 20, 2022. June 17, 2022.
36. Web site: D.C. United Loan Defender Hayden Sargis to Phoenix Rising FC | DC United .