| Theodore Ku-DiPietro | |
| Birth Date: | 28 January 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Oakton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Height: | [1] |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | D.C. United |
| Clubnumber: | 21 |
| Youthyears1: | –2019 |
| Youthclubs1: | D.C. United |
| Years1: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Loudoun United |
| Caps1: | 58 |
| Goals1: | 11 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | D.C. United |
| Caps2: | 56 |
| Goals2: | 7 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | July 17, 2024 |
Theodore "Ted” Ku-DiPietro (born January 28, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club D.C. United.
Ku-DiPietro was born on January 28, 2002, in Oakton, Virginia. He attended Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, where he was a standout soccer player.[2] In 2018, as a sophomore, he was named first-team all-state.[3] [4] Ku-DiPietro is of Chinese descent through his mother, and Polish and German descent through his father. "DiPietro" is the last name of his adoptive Italian grandfather.
Ku-DiPietro played his first professional game with Loudoun United FC, on June 28, 2019, in a 2–1 win over Atlanta United 2.[5] Ku-DiPietro scored his first-ever professional goal in his first season with Loudoun United FC, on September 25, 2019, in the 68th minute of the team's 4–1 win over the Swope Park Rangers.[6] Ku-DiPietro also received his first-ever red card in the same match.
Ku-DiPietro signed his first professional contract with Loudoun on January 7, 2020.[7]
After appearing three seasons with Loudoun, Ku-DiPietro became the 17th homegrown player to sign for D.C. United.[8] In the opening match of the 2023 season, he scored his first goal for the club – the game-winning goal in a 3–2 comeback victory over Toronto. After coming on as a second-half substitute, Ku-DiPietro assisted on Christian Benteke's game-tying goal in the 90th minute before scoring himself.[9] As a result, he was named to Major League Soccer's Team of the Matchday for week one.[10]
Due to having a mix of German, Chinese, Polish and Italian ancestry while being born in the United States, Ku-DiPietro is eligible to play for one of five different national teams, including: the United States, Germany, China, Poland and Italy.
He was called up to the United States U-23 team for the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, and scored his first international goal as the United States came from behind to beat Honduras 2–1.[11]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Loudoun United | 2019 | USL | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2020 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||||
| 2021 | 30 | 7 | — | — | — | 30 | 7 | |||||
| 2022 | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 58 | 11 | — | — | — | 58 | 11 | |||||
| D.C. United | 2022 | MLS | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 5 | ||||
| 2024 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 22 | 3 | |||
| Total | 56 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 61 | 8 | |||
| Career total | 114 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 119 | 19 | ||
Ku-DiPietro was born into a family of nine children, and six (including himself) have played soccer at least at the youth level.[12] His older brother, Michael, played for the Marymount Saints men's soccer team before graduating with a Business Administration degree.[13] His younger sister, Hope, signed a letter of intent to play with the George Washington Colonials women's soccer team in the Fall 2023 season. [14]