D.C. United was the original dynasty team of MLS, winners of the league’s first 2 championships, United has a history like no other in Major League Soccer. A team known for having outstanding national team talent and being fluid and attacking minded, United was near unbeatable in the early years of the league.
Under Bruce Arena the team won the first 2 out of 3 MLS Cups, they won 1 U.S. Open Cup and two international titles, 1 CONCACAF Champions Cup, and 1 Interamerica title. Arena used the backbone of his D.C. teams as he took over the USMNT and would lead them to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup.
D.C. United in total has won 13 major titles since 1996, and while recent years have been hard on the club, they did open their own Soccer Specific Stadium. Here are 15 D.C. United greats!
15. Tony Sanneh
Tony Sanneh was a fundamental piece of the early D.C. United teams under Bruce Arena. The tall defender scored the tying goal that gave D.C. their first MLS Cup and would score 1 year later to secure their second. Sanneh blossomed under Arena and the team went on to win 6 titles, Sanneh played 86 games and scored 20 goals, he would be sold in 1999 to Bundesliga club Hertha BSC and was a huge role player in the 2002 World Cup for the USMNT.
14. Richie Williams
The little engine, Richie Williams, played a big role in the midfield position at D.C. United, especially after John Harkes departed in 1998. Williams was a figure in the middle for the club with his never say die attitude and played 143 games and was around for the clubs early glory days until the 2000s saw D.C.’s fall from grace.
13. Andy Najar
Andy Najar is a more modern-day hero of D.C. United, he was an MLS rookie of the year, and the Honduran international would play a vital role for the club for 4 seasons. He played 82 games and scored 10 goals; he was a much needed hike in quality in a team that at the time seemed to be in limbo. Najar would earn a transfer to Anderlecht where he spent six seasons.
12. Ben Olsen
Ben Olsen should be much higher on this list, but his below average run as coach for nearly 10 seasons drops him. As a rookie Olsen came out flying, a hard nose workhorse midfielder, Olsen played 221 games in 11 seasons for the club. Surrounded by great players such as Harkes, Etecheverry, Moreno, Lassiter, and later on Gomez, Olsen was around for 8 titles in his D.C. playing career. His time as coach was, to put it lightly, unproductive, he only managed a 35% winning percentage and was the symbol of just how stagnant the club had gotten. Olsen was able to win 1 U.S. Open Cup as coach, but that title was shadowed by one of the worst seasons D.C. United had in their history, winning only 3 regular season games. In total Olsen has been with D.C. United in some capacity for nearly 20 years!
11. Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta
Okay this one is a bit different; we are going double or nothing on number 11. Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta were huge bright spots in D.C. United’s revival in the late 2010s. Luciano Acosta came in 2016 and was a spark in an otherwise dead attack, Rooney arrived in 2018 and revitalized the franchise once they moved to their new stadium. When they were both on the field it looked like the old days of D.C. United again.
Sadly, the end for both was a whimper of what we were watching when they played together. Acosta left on a free transfer to Mexico after the club botched a $8 million transfer from none other than PSG! Rooney, seeing the club going nowhere fast, abandoned ship citing homesickness as the cause and terminated his contract early. Still, in recent memory these two are badly missed by the team.
10. Roy Lassiter
The upgrade replacement of Raul Diaz Arce was even more effective, if not short lived, Roy Lassiter played two seasons and was a consistent if not exciting goal scorer for the club. He scored 36 goals in 55 games and won 3 titles with the team in 1998. MLS fearing that D.C. United was turning into a super club, forced the team to move Lassiter to Miami as a result.
9. Raul Diaz Arce
Raul Diaz Arce is higher on the list because he was an early fan favorite and pesky finisher, much more of a poacher than Lassiter; he scored 38 goals in 50 games and won 3 titles with the team in 1996 and 1997. Diaz Arce left the club due to salary cap issues, but rumors have it that Arce and Etcheverry no longer saw eye to eye.
8. Ryan Nelsen
Ryan Nelsen was a strong defender and much needed leader when he arrived in 2001. The New Zealand defender was a team captain and MLS best 11. He won 1 MLS Cup in 2004 and would later move on to play for Blackburn Rovers.
7. Jeff Agoos
Jeff Agoos was a leader at the back for the first years of the club. Agoos was an experienced USMNT defender amassing 134 caps and playing in 2 World Cups. Agoos won 6 titles with the club and played in 158 games.
6. Bill Hamid
One of D.C.’s first homegrown players, Bill Hamid, is a club legend, a kid that watched the early D.C. teams dominate, and grew up dreaming of playing for the club. He did, and currently does. Hamid is a good goalkeeper, but prone to some gaffers. Nonetheless he has been a vocal and dominant force in the nets for D.C. Hamid is a bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming last 6/7 years for D.C. United.
5. Christian Gomez
El Gomito, Christian Gomez came to MLS in 2004 at the tail end of the season and was the final piece in D.C. United’s run to the 2004 MLS Cup. Gomez was the mastermind in the midfield on those competitive D.C teams of the late 2000’s, although the team came up short on the title side, Gomez was clutch scoring fantastic goals and partnering very well with Jamie Moreno. An MLS MVP in 2006 and best 11 three times, Gomez was a big part of the club in recent years.
4. John Harkes
The USMNT captain John Harkes was extremely important to D.C. in the early years of the league. An American with EPL experience and World Cup games under his belt, Harkes was a vocal leader and glued a team of internationals learning soccer the American way and young Americans finding their footing in a new league. In 3 seasons, Harkes played 83 games and scored 14 goals. While not flashy like others, Harkes was an important voice in the locker room early on in setting a standard.
3. Eddie Pope
Eddie Pope might very well be the greatest USMNT defender ever, smooth, elegant, intelligent, Pope was rarely caught off guard. Pope scored the game winning goal of the team’s first MLS Cup, he played 143 games for the team and won 6 championships. A 4-time MLS Best 11, and 1997 defender of the year. Just how good was Pope? He turned down offers to go to Ajax, Liverpool, and Serie A to stay and promote a new league.
2. Marco Etcheverry
El Diablo Marco Etcheverry is one of the greatest players in the history of MLS. Silky dribbler, deadly free kicks, perfect set-up man, Etcheverry could play back then and most likely be dominating today. El Diablo won 6 titles and his personal accolades include: MLS Best XI: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, MLS Goal of the Year: 1997, 1999, MLS Most Valuable Player: 1998, MLS All-Star Game MVP: 2002, and MLS All-Time Best XI. Etcheverry played 191 league games, scored 34 goals and registered 101 assists
1.Jaime Moreno
Jaime Moreno is one of the league’s all-time goal scorers, with 131 goals. Moreno played 329 games with the club and was a part of all 4 MLS Cups. In total Jaime Moreno won 8 titles and was a team leader all the way until 2010 where he retired. Moreno was a best 11 on 5 occasions and the 1997 league MVP. A D.C. and MLS legend.