Attack, entertain and win. That is what D.C. United head coach Hernan Losada preached when he arrived a year ago, and the Black and Red did just that before falling just one point shy of a playoff spot on the final day of the 2021 season.
United, one of Major League Soccer’s original teams, begins its 27th season and second with Losada in charge Saturday against Charlotte F.C. at Audi Field.
The identity Losada wanted for the club, which hearkens back to its early seasons, is in place. United might have made the playoffs last season by playing for a tie in some games instead of going for a win, but in the quest for goals Losada had a long-term goal.
The Argentine coach wanted a D.C. United way of playing to be clear to fans and opponents and it did not matter whether it was home or away. Because of that, the Black and Red finished tied for third in scoring among 27 teams in MLS with 56 goals in 34 matches.
To play for Losada and United, it takes a certain type of player with an unwavering commitment.
“We have intense training sessions, we play intense and we play on the front foot and we need players who are physically capable to withstand that day in and day out,” said general manager Lucy Rushton, who is also beginning her second season with United.
“We are looking for players with athleticism, speed, power, they have to be dynamic, and they have to be physically robust, but mostly as well in terms of their character they have to be a willing team player.”
To that end, United brought in on loan Ecuadorian forward Michael Estrada from Liga MX’s Toluca. He will play up top in Losada’s 3-4-2-1 system. The 25-year-old has 17 goals and six assists in 66 appearances for Toluca, while notching eight goals and five assists in 28 caps with the Ecuadorian national team.
“He really does have the capacity to play the style of play we want to play,” said Rushton. “I base that on his mobility, his speed, his agility, his strength and his strong running. But he also has goals in him, and we feel that he can come in and create goals as well for others.”
Also on attack, United signed Greek international Taxiarchis Fountas, but he will not join the club until midsummer after his contract with Austrian side Rapid Vienna expires. The 26-year-old has an impressive scoring rate of 35 goals in 68 club matches.
Ola Kamara, who finished second in the league in scoring last season with 19 goals, is back although he has been the subject of trade rumors. For now. Kamara is an option on attack along with Nigel Robertha, who returns for his second season with United after scoring four goals in 18 matches last season.
United is hoping its go-for-goal attitude will also be sparked by Peruvian international Edison Flores. The 27-year-old has special qualities to ignite an offense, but his time with United has been inconsistent. Flores arrived in 2020 but his acclamation to a new team was disrupted as COVID-19 interrupted the season.
Injuries were a part of Flores’ 2021 season and he scored twice in 16 matches, but his recent play for Peru is encouraging. Flores scored two critical goals for Peru in World Cup qualifying matches against Ecuador and Columbia. Now, Flores needs to do for his club what he has done for his country.
Buenos días.
Here’s Peruvian narration of Edison Flores’s goal last night against Colombia, a historic victory in Barranquilla.
This is what it means to us.
GRANDE, @BonattiDi GRANDE 🇵🇪 🇵🇪
(via @MovistarDeporPe) pic.twitter.com/TEpMoszJDo
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) January 29, 2022
United will not have Paul Arriola and Kevin Paredes going forward. Arriola, a U.S. men’s national team player, had 20 goals in 16 assists and 89 appearances for United but is now with F.C. Dallas following an offseason trade.
Paredes, who grew up in Northern Virginia and came through United’s academy, attracted international attention with his one-on-one skill and flair. Bundesliga side Wolfsburg paid a $7.35 million transfer fee to sign Paredes.
United is proud of its player development system including United Soccer League side Loudoun United. Riverdale, Maryland, native Moses Nyeman has displayed maturity beyond his 18 years and might partner in a critical central midfield role with Russell Canouse.
From Clifton, Virginia, 19-year old Griffin Yow will compete for more time on the field as one of the two players beneath the striker.
Led by Julian Gressel, United should once again be strong on the flanks. On the right side, Gressel has been a creative force with his precision passing from any distance that finds attacking players in stride or is place perfectly for headers.
Gressel had 13 assists last season and United is hoping for that kind of service from the left with the addition of Brad Smith from the Seattle Sounders.
“As a team dynamic, it gives us so many options,” said Rushton. “It makes the pitch big; it makes it wide to create space in the middle for other technical players in there. In addition, their deliveries are a strikers dream.”
United cannot succeed with such an emphasis on attack without strength in defense. Bill Hamid is still one of the best goalkeepers in MLS and in front of him, he has experienced defenders including Steven Birnbaum, Andy Najar, and Brendan Hines-Ike and academy product and former University of Maryland star Donovan Pines continues to excel.
“Our depth and strength at the back gives good attacking players, the confidence to go and play with freedom,” said Ashton. “Knowing that they’ve have those players behind them is a big factor in how we want to play because it ultimately allows us to go and do what we want to do and that’s play on the front foot.”
Ashton concedes that United in her words is an “underdog” and she is OK with that. There is not a dominant team in MLS. Few predicted New England to win the Supporter’s Shield last season and even fewer predicted NYCFC to win MLS Cup. In the last 10 years, there have been eight different MLS champions.
“We have the mentality and spirit where we want to prove something,” said Ashton. “There are no boundaries or no limits to what we want to achieve as a group and we are in a league where every year you have different teams competing to be at the top.”
Editor’s note: Dave Johnson does English play-by-play for D.C. United.
