Know Your Foe: D.C. United

Charlotte FC face off against D.C. United, a club filled with history that is looking to get back to their winning ways.

Here is everything you need to know about our foe:

History

Often regarded as the “flagship franchise”, Washington D.C. was the first franchise awarded by Major League Soccer in its inception in 1995. D.C United was one of the original 10 MLS franchises and would go on to dominate those early stages of the league.

In the first-ever MLS season, when the league debuted in 1996, D.C. United couldn’t have had a better inaugural season when they went on to win the MLS Cup and shortly afterwards accomplished a “double” when they won the U.S. Open Cup, winning both league and domestic championships.

They followed their initial success by winning back-to-back MLS Cups the following year in 1997 as well as the Supporter’s Shield that same year. In international competition, they went on to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup and Copa Interamericana in 1998, the first American and MLS club to win a continental title.

D.C. United went on to continue its MLS success by winning the MLS Cup once again in 1999 and their last MLS Cup came in 2004. However, D.C. United continued to fill their trophy cabinet with Supporter’s Shield and U.S Open awards.

They are one of the most successful MLS clubs in history with their total trophy count coming to 13: 4x MLS Cup, 4x Supporter’s Shield, 3x U.S. Open Cup, 1x CONCACAF Interamericana, and a CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Currently

D.C. have struggled to get back to their old trophy winning ways since their 2013 U. S Open Cup win. They’ve made sporadic MLS playoff appearances since, but they’ve never amounted to anything in the trophy cabinet.

But with the recent hiring of head coach Hernán Losada, things are beginning to shift for the better in the nation's capital. In 2020, D.C. finished 13th out of 14 teams in the Eastern conference resulting in the hiring of Losada.

Under Losada, D.C. United made notable strides improving on their 2020 results by finishing in 8th just two points away from earning a playoff spot. They were arguably the most improved team of 2021 and will be looking to build off that momentum this season.

Key Players

Julian Gressel: Listing a right wingback might seem odd, but Gressel is so much more than just a wingback. He’s one of the most dangerous attacking threats for D.C. and provides service to his teammates with pinpoint crossing.

Andy Najar: Najar plays perhaps the most unorthodox version of a center back you will ever see. He plays on the same side as Gressel and is given the liberty to push into the attack, normally underlapping Gressel and helping create havoc against opponents on that right side.

Edison Flores: The Peruvian international, Flores is always a threat to defenses with his quick acceleration and 1-v-1 dribbling ability. He’s also very versatile and can shift across all the attacking positions.

Other Things to Note:

• Current Charlotte F.C. Joseph Mora and Yordy Reyna both previously played for D.C. United
• Miguel Ramírez (37) and Hernán Losada (39) are currently the two youngest active coaches in MLS