2021 D.C. United season

D.C. United
2021 season
General manager	Dave Kasper; (until April 14); Lucy Rushton; (from April 14)
Head coach	Hernán Losada
Stadium	Audi Field
MLS	Conference: 8th; Overall: 16th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Canceled
Atlantic Cup	Winners
Capital Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: Ola Kamara (19); All: Ola Kamara (19)
Highest home attendance	18,034 (10/16 v. NSH)
Lowest home attendance	3,935 (5/13 v. CHI)
Average home league attendance	12,791
Biggest win	DC 7–1 TOR (7/3)
Biggest defeat	NYCFC 6–0 DC (10/23)
Home colors	Away colors
	← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 D.C. United season was the club's 26th season of existence, and their 26th consecutive season playing in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing vaccination efforts, the season began on April 17, 2021 (about six weeks later than normal) and ended on November 7, 2021. Despite winning against Toronto FC on the last match of the regular season, the team did not qualify playoffs, making it their second consecutive season in which D.C. United did not qualify for the playoffs. It was the first time since 2011, that United did not qualify for the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

Beyond MLS play, D.C. United would have participated in the 2021 U.S. Open Cup, which was initially to begin on May 4, before again being delayed by about six weeks and then ultimately being canceled in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

Offseason

The 2021 season was the first season since 2010 where Ben Olsen was not the club's head coach, as he was fired before the end of the 2020 season while Chad Ashton filled in as the interim head coach. After the 2020 season ended, the team began interviewing multiple candidates for the vacancy. Among the candidates included Ashton, former New York Red Bulls manager Chris Armas, former USWNT coach Jill Ellis, Columbus Crew assistant coach and former LA Galaxy assistant Ezra Hendrickson, and Seattle Sounders FC assistant coach Gonzalo Pineda. However, the team was either unable or unwilling to hire any of those candidates for undisclosed reasons. After a couple months of interviews and expanding the search to Europe, D.C. United officially announced the signing of former Argentine player and current head coach of Beerschot, Hernán Losada, on January 18, 2021.^[1]

On the player front, D.C. United declined options on six different players, letting their deals expire. The team also traded Ulises Segura to expansion side Austin FC for cash considerations. Meanwhile, the team signed D.C. United Academy and Loudoun United defender Jacob Greene to a Homegrown Contract. Later, the team picked up forward Adrien Perez from LAFC in the MLS Re-Entry Draft, and acquired Jon Kempin from Columbus to add depth to their goalkeeping corps in exchange for their third-round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. D.C. added a few more players during the offseason, signing both of their first-round picks in the SuperDraft (Kimarni Smith and Michael DeShields) to first-team deals and later adding Dutch forward Nigel Robertha. In addition, the team took in two players on loan: American defender Brendan Hines-Ike from KV Kortrijk in Belgium, and Venezuelan forward Jovanny Bolívar from Deportivo La Guaira.

With multiple players injured or recovering from injury during the preseason, D.C. signed two additional defenders just before the season-opening match: the veteran and former DCU Academy graduate Andy Najar, and Mexican defender Tony Alfaro, and put them both on the gameday roster.

MLS Season

With multiple prospective starters on the injury list or not match-fit to Losada's liking, Losada was forced to be creative with his opening day lineup. Among those decisions: Chris Seitz was given the start in goal, Alfaro started at CB despite being signed only a few days prior, and Erik Sorga was given the starting job as the main striker. DC fell behind early as their opponents, NYCFC, got the first goal 15 minutes into the match. Shortly after that, DC woke up and scored a pair of goals from outside the box, with Hines-Ike and Canouse each scoring a goal before the end of the first half. DC would end up winning their first match of the season 2–1. The match was also notable for giving Robertha and Perez their first minutes in a D.C. United jersey, along with Najar's return to the field for D.C. since leaving in 2013, as they were subbed in late into the match.

The following match against the New England Revolution used the same starting lineup, but it turned into a grinding affair with neither team really able to pull ahead. The only action was Hines-Ike accidentally deflecting a Revolution cross into his own net to give DC their first loss of the season, 1–0.

Management team

Position	Name
Chairman	Jason Levien
Co-Chairman	Stephen Kaplan
General Manager	Dave Kasper
Technical Director	Stewart Mairs
Head coach	Hernán Losada
Assistant coach	Nicolás Frutos
Assistant coach	Oka Nikolov
Assistant coach	Chad Ashton
Goalkeeping coach	Zach Thornton

Roster

Squad No.	Name	Position(s)	Date of birth (Age)	Apps	Goals	Assists	Signed from
Goalkeepers
1	Chris Seitz	GK	(1987-03-12) March 12, 1987 (age 37)	8	0	0	Houston Dynamo
21	Jon Kempin	GK	(1993-04-08) April 8, 1993 (age 31)	0	0	0	Columbus Crew
24	Bill Hamid	GK	(1990-11-25) November 25, 1990 (age 33)	238	0	0	Midtjylland
Defenders
3	Chris Odoi-Atsem	RB	(1995-05-27) May 27, 1995 (age 29)	30	1	0	Maryland Terrapins
4	Brendan Hines-Ike	CB	(1994-11-30) November 30, 1994 (age 29)	1	1	0	KV Kortrijk (loan)
13	Frédéric Brillant	CB	(1985-06-26) June 26, 1985 (age 39)	67	3	4	New York City FC
14	Andy Najar	RB	(1993-03-16) March 16, 1993 (age 31)	83	10	11	Los Angeles FC
15	Steve Birnbaum	CB	(1991-01-23) January 23, 1991 (age 33)	163	8	3	California Golden Bears
23	Donovan Pines	CB	(1998-03-07) March 7, 1998 (age 26)	10	0	0	Maryland Terrapins
28	Joseph Mora	LB	(1993-01-15) January 15, 1993 (age 31)	51	0	3	Saprissa
33	Jacob Greene	LB / RB	(2003-03-23) March 23, 2003 (age 21)	0	0	0	D.C. United Academy
35	Michael DeShields	CB	(1998-04-23) April 23, 1998 (age 26)	0	0	0	Wake Forest Demon Deacons
93	Tony Alfaro	CB	(1993-06-15) June 15, 1993 (age 31)	1	0	0	Reno 1868
Midfielders
5	Júnior Moreno	DM	(1993-07-20) July 20, 1993 (age 31)	50	0	5	Zulia
6	Russell Canouse	DM	(1995-06-11) June 11, 1995 (age 29)	57	2	2	TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
7	Paul Arriola	RM	(1995-02-05) February 5, 1995 (age 29)	68	14	12	Tijuana
10	Edison Flores	AM / LW	(1994-05-14) May 14, 1994 (age 30)	14	0	4	Monarcas Morelia
11	Yamil Asad	LM / LW	(1994-07-24) July 24, 1994 (age 30)	55	12	7	Vélez Sarsfield
12	Drew Skundrich	CM	(1995-09-17) September 17, 1995 (age 29)	0	0	0	Loudoun United
18	Felipe	CM	(1990-09-30) September 30, 1990 (age 34)	17	0	1	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
27	Moses Nyeman	CM	(2003-11-05) November 5, 2003 (age 21)	11	0	0	D.C. United Academy
30	Kevin Paredes	MF	(2003-05-07) May 7, 2003 (age 21)	17	0	1	D.C. United Academy
31	Julian Gressel	RM	(1993-12-16) December 16, 1993 (age 30)	23	2	0	Atlanta United FC
	Jeremy Garay	MF	(2003-04-01) April 1, 2003 (age 21)	0	0	0	D.C. United Academy
Forwards
9	Ola Kamara	ST	(1989-10-15) October 15, 1989 (age 35)	27	7	0	Shenzhen
16	Adrien Perez	FW	(1995-10-13) October 13, 1995 (age 29)	1	0	0	Los Angeles FC
17	Kimarni Smith	FW	(1998-03-14) March 14, 1998 (age 26)	0	0	0	Clemson Tigers
19	Nigel Robertha	FW	(1998-03-13) March 13, 1998 (age 26)	1	0	0	Levski Sofia
20	Jovanny Bolívar	FW	(2001-12-16) December 16, 2001 (age 22)	0	0	0	Deportivo La Guaira (loan)
22	Griffin Yow	FW	(2002-09-25) September 25, 2002 (age 22)	12	2	0	D.C. United Academy
29	Yordy Reyna	ST	(1993-09-17) September 17, 1993 (age 31)	5	0	0	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
32	Ramón Ábila	ST	(1989-10-14) October 14, 1989 (age 35)	0	0	0	Boca Juniors (loan)^{[note 1]}

^ Though acquired off MLS waivers from Minnesota United FC, Abila's acquisition is considered an extension of his current loan agreement between Boca Juniors and MLS, as DC United paid $200,000 of the loan fee to Boca Juniors to complete the transfer.

Transfers

In

Date	Position	No.	Name	From	Fee/notes	Ref.
November 25, 2020	DF	33	Jacob Greene	D.C. United Academy	Homegrown Player	^[2]
January 6, 2021	FW	16	Adrien Perez	Los Angeles FC	2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft	^[3]
January 8, 2021	GK	21	Jon Kempin	Columbus Crew	Traded for third round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	^[4]
February 5, 2021	DF	35	Michael DeShields	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	Signed from the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	^[5]
March 8, 2021	FW	17	Kimarni Smith	Clemson Tigers	Signed from the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	^[6]
March 23, 2021	FW	19	Nigel Robertha	Levski Sofia		^[7]
April 15, 2021	DF	14	Andy Najar	Los Angeles FC		^[8]
April 15, 2021	DF	93	Tony Alfaro	Reno 1868		^[8]
May 12, 2021	MF	12	Drew Skundrich	Loudoun United	2021 guaranteed, 2022–23 team options	^[9]
July 2, 2021	MF		Jeremy Garay	D.C. United Academy	Homegrown Player	^[10]

Out

Date	Position	No.	Name	To	Fee/notes	Ref.
November 30, 2020	MF	25	Mohammed Abu	Vålerenga	End of loan	^[11]
	GK	36	Earl Edwards Jr.	New England Revolution	Option Declined	^[11]
	DF	91	Oniel Fisher	L.A. Galaxy	Option Declined	^[11]
	FW	20	Gelmin Rivas	Al-Shorta	Option Declined	^[11]
	DF	44	Axel Sjöberg	San Antonio FC	Option Declined	^[11]
December 13, 2020	MF	8	Ulises Segura	Austin FC	$150,000 GAM	^[12]

Loan in

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned from	Start	End	Source
4	DF	Brendan Hines-Ike	Kortrijk	March 10, 2021	December 31, 2021	^[13]
20	FW	Jovanny Bolívar	Guaira	March 10, 2021	December 31, 2021	^[14]
32	FW	Ramón Ábila	Boca Juniors	August 12, 2021	December 31, 2021	^[15]

Loan out

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned to	Start	End	Source
35	DF	Michael DeShields	Loudoun United	May 1, 2021	October 30, 2021
17	FW	Kimarni Smith	Loudoun United	June 25, 2021	October 30, 2021	^[16]
50	FW	Erik Sorga	VVV-Venlo	August 12, 2021	December 31, 2021	^[17]

MLS SuperDraft picks

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Status
2021 D.C. United SuperDraft Picks
1	4	Kimarni Smith	FW	Clemson	Signed to first team^[6]
1	5	Michael DeShields	DF	Wake Forest	Signed to first team^[5]
2	32	Logan Panchot	MF/DF	Stanford	Signed with Loudoun United FC^[18]

Non-competitive

Preseason

March 20	D.C. United	1–1	Greenville Triumph SC	Cary
14:00 EST	Smith 29'	Report	McLean 27'	Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0

March 26	D.C. United	5–1	Loudoun United FC	Washington
15:00 EST	Kamara 19' Brillant 30' Unsigned Player 72' Unsigned Player 88' Unsigned Player 90'	Report	Amoustapha 84'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 0

March 31	Philadelphia Union	2–0	D.C. United	Chester
3:00 pm	Fontana 3', 37' Bedoya 74'	Report	Moreno 67'	Stadium: Subaru Park Attendance: 0

April 4	D.C. United	1–2	New York City FC	Chester
15:00 EST	Smith 29' (Flores) Moreno 44'	Report	Castellanos 25' (Þórarinsson), 44' Jasson 50'	Stadium: Power Training Complex Attendance: 0

April 10	New York Red Bulls	1–1	D.C. United	Harrison
13:00 EST	63' (pen.)		Sorga 52'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 0

Midseason friendlies

July 7 Capital Cup first leg	D.C. United	1–0	Alajuelense	Washington
20:00 EDT	Felipe 86'	Report		Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 6,000

July 11 Capital Cup second leg	Alajuelense	0–1 (0–2 agg.)	D.C. United	Washington
20:00 EDT		Report	Bolívar 68'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 5,000

July 11	D.C. United	—	Puebla	Washington
20:00 EDT				Stadium: Audi Field
Note: Match cancelled after Club Puebla withdrew due to COVID-19 protocols.

July 14	D.C. United	1–0	Alianza	Washington
20:30 EDT	Ferrin 72'	Report		Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 3,192

Competitive

Major League Soccer

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
6	Orlando City SC	34	13	9	12	50	48	+2	51	Qualification for the playoffs first round
7	New York Red Bulls	34	13	12	9	39	33	+6	48	Qualification for the playoffs first round
8	D.C. United	34	14	15	5	56	54	+2	47
9	Columbus Crew	34	13	13	8	46	45	+1	47
10	CF Montréal^[a]	34	12	12	10	46	44	+2	46	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League^[b]

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Notes:

^ Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
^ As 2021 Canadian Championship winners

Overall table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
14	New York Red Bulls	34	13	12	9	39	33	+6	48
15	LA Galaxy	34	13	12	9	50	54	−4	48
16	D.C. United	34	14	15	5	56	54	+2	47
17	Columbus Crew	34	13	13	8	46	45	+1	47
18	CF Montréal (V)	34	12	12	10	46	44	+2	46	Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League^[a]

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
(V) Canadian Championship winner
Notes:

^ As 2021 Canadian Championship winners (CAN1)

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
22	30	9	10	3	35	32	+3	7	3	0	18	8	+10	2	7	3	17	24	−7

Source: [1]
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Stadium	H	A	A	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A
Result	W	L	L	L	W	L	L	W	W	D	L	W	L	D	W	D	W	W	L	L	L	W	D

Source: D.C. United schedule
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Match results

April 17 1	D.C. United	2–1	New York City FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Brillant 9' Hines-Ike 39' Canouse 44' Gressel 77'	Report	Castellanos 15', 74' Tinnerholm 82'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Ted Unkel

April 24 2	New England Revolution	1–0	D.C. United	Foxborough
20:00 EDT	Traustason 32' Hines-Ike 48' (o.g.) Kaptoum 60' Farrell 80' Buksa 89'	Report	Canouse 25' Moreno 58' Hines-Ike 90+4'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 8,000

May 1 3	San Jose Earthquakes	4–1	D.C. United	San Jose
22:00 EDT	López 1', 69' Cowell 26' Marie 35' Yueill 43', 85' Remedi 88'	Report	Alfaro 18', 31' Nyeman 68'	Stadium: Earthquakes Stadium Attendance: 3,600

May 8 4	Columbus Crew	3–1	D.C. United	Columbus
13:30 EDT	Zelarayán 20' Afful 29' Williams 30' Francis 58' Brillant 63' (o.g.) Alfaro 83' (o.g.)	Report	Asad 42' Kamara 82'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Attendance: 5,180

May 13 5	D.C. United	1–0	Chicago Fire FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Hines-Ike 4' Flores 7' Gressel 47'	Report	Omsberg 19' Frankowski 52' Herbers 64'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 3,935

May 16 6	D.C. United	0–1	Orlando City SC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Hines-Ike 42' Brillant 90+7'	Report	Pereyra 7' Moutinho 61' Pereyra 69' Mueller 90+3' Nani 90+5'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 5,280 Referee: Alex Chilowicz

May 23 7	D.C. United	0–1	Philadelphia Union	Washington, D.C.
19:00 EDT		Report	Przybyłko 45+1' Martínez 65' Blake 90+5'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 6,200 Referee: Tim Ford

May 29 8	Inter Miami CF	0–3	D.C. United	Fort Lauderdale
20:00 EDT	Figal 52'	Report	Kamara 15, 71' Arriola 21' 52' Paredes 52' Hines-Ike 90+2'	Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 15,945 Referee: Armando Villarreal

June 19 9	D.C. United	1–0	Inter Miami CF	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Paredes 25' Felipe 37' Kamara 72' (pen.)	Report	Makoun 23' Carranza 37' Gregore 47' 56'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 15,500 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

June 23 10	CF Montréal	0–0	D.C. United	Fort Lauderdale
19:30 EDT	Bassong 35' 45'	Report		Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 0
Note: Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the match is expected to take place at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. CF Montréal will play as the home team for this match.

June 27 11	New York City FC	2–1	D.C. United	Harrison, New Jersey
18:00 EDT	Parks 84' Andrade 90+5'	Report	Robertha 9' 70' Mora 52' Najar 78'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 4,533 Referee: Robert Sibiga
Note: The match was played at Red Bull Arena instead of Yankee Stadium due to scheduling conflicts. New York City FC played as the home team.

July 3 12	D.C. United	7–1	Toronto FC	Washington, D.C.
17:30 EDT	Paredes 2' Robertha 8' Priso 21' (o.g.) Gressel 57' Arriola 71' Kamara 81' Asad 85' Yow 90'	Report	Gonzalez 35' Akinola 39' Osorio 45+2' Zavaleta 75' 78'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Lukasz Szpala

July 17 13	Philadelphia Union	2–1	D.C. United	Chester
19:30 EDT	Santos 10' Martínez 22' Przybyłko 83'	Report	Asad 27', 51' (pen.) Reyna 45+1'	Stadium: Subaru Park Attendance: 16,821 Referee: Alex Chilowicz
Note: The match was suspended before 9:30 PM ET at the 87th minute due to inclement weather. The match later resumed at 11:20 PM ET.^[19]

July 21 14	Chicago Fire	2–2	D.C. United	Chicago
20:00 EDT	Giménez 32', 62' Najar 61' (o.g.) Medrán 65'	Report	Najar 55' Paredes 82' Skundrich 84' Kamara 87' (pen.)	Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 8,306 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

July 25 15	D.C. United	1–0	New York Red Bulls	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Alfaro 12' Kamara 27' Brillant 87' Hamid 90+6'	Report	Fábio 46' Klimala 69' Edwards 80' Cásseres Jr. 83'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 15,912 Referee: Alan Kelly

July 31 16	FC Cincinnati	0–0	D.C. United	Cincinnati
19:30 EDT	Gyau 36' Acosta 60' Hagglund 64'	Report	Moreno 15' Mora 41' 90+2' Nyeman 52' Reyna 72'	Stadium: West End Stadium Attendance: 25,060 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

August 4 17	Columbus Crew	2–4	D.C. United	Columbus
19:30 EDT	Keita 24' Etienne 30' Mensah 45+1' Molino 65' Zelarayán 71'	Report	Kamara 19', 45+3' (pen.) Reyna 40', 74' Alfaro 66'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 18,398 Referee: Victor Rivas

August 8 18	D.C. United	2–1	CF Montréal	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Najar 40' Kamara 54'	Report	Waterman 3' Brault-Guillard 16' Miller 57'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 14,169 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

August 15 19	Nashville SC	5–2	D.C. United	Nashville
19:00 EDT	Sapong 14', 31' Mukhtar 37' Muyl 80', 87' (pen.)	Report	Brillant 3' Kamara 41'	Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 20,022 Referee: Drew Fischer

August 18 20	New England Revolution	3–2	D.C. United	Foxborough
19:00 EDT	Traustason 33' 72' Kaptoum 42' McNamara 49' Buchanan 53' DeLaGarza 60' Jones 85'	Report	Arriola 10' Asad 32' Birnbaum 78' Ábila 90+6'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 11,419 Referee: Ted Unkel

August 21 21	D.C. United	1–2	Atlanta United FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Alfaro 50' Reyna 54' Canouse 58' J. Moreno 73' Gressel 75'	Report	Martínez 25' Bello 29' M. Moreno 82'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 17,180 Referee: Nima Saghafi

August 28 22	D.C. United	3–1	Philadelphia Union	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Kamara 36' (pen.) Reyna 49' Najar 55' Ábila 90+5'	Report	Birnbaum 22' (o.g.) Elliott 59'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 16,593 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

September 11 23	New York Red Bulls	1–1	D.C. United	Harrison, NJ
19:00 EDT	Yearwood 5' Nealis 44' Edwards 75'	Report	Kamara 44' (pen.) Skundrich 50'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Referee: Robert Sibiga

September 15 24	D.C. United	3–0	Chicago Fire	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Kamara 9' (pen.), 35' (pen.), 44' Pines 12' Gressel 53'	Report	Terán 7' Giménez 11'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 13,524 Referee: David Gantar

September 18 25	Atlanta United	3–2	D.C. United	Atlanta
15:30 EDT	Barco 18' Martínez 64' Franco 65' Araújo 81' Bello 87'	Report	Brillant 27' J. Moreno 34' Paredes 50' Felipe 75' Alfaro 77' Flores 90+4'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 42,608 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

September 25 26	D.C. United	4–2	FC Cincinnati	Washington, D.C.
19:30 EDT	Arriola 7', 41' Birnbaum 21' Hamid 34' Robertha 72'	Report	Vázquez 80' Acosta 84'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 16,069 Referee: Chris Penso

September 29 27	D.C. United	3–1	Minnesota United FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Kamara 23' Gressel 45' Birnbaum 59' Arriola 66' Moreno 85'	Report	Hayes 18' Dibassy 40' Trapp 43' Kallman 79' Gasper 88'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 12,262 Referee: Ramy Touchan

October 2 28	Orlando City	2–1	D.C. United	Orlando
19:30 EDT	Jansson 17' Dike 90+7'	Report	Gressel 6' Vázquez 20' Canouse 67' Hamid 90+5'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 16,848 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

October 16 29	D.C. United	0–0	Nashville SC	Washington, D.C.
19:30 EDT	Canouse 33' Mora 46'	Report	Mukhtar 62' McCarty 90+4'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 18,034 Referee: Ismail Elfath

October 20 30	D.C. United	2–3	New England Revolution	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Felipe 18' Robertha 53' Ábila 90+3'	Report	Polster 45' Buksa 61' Gil 64' Bou 79'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 13,387 Referee: Nima Saghafi

October 23 31	New York City FC	6–0	D.C. United	Harrison
19:30 EDT	Andrade 1' Castellanos 7', 11' Sands 33' Moralez 43' Callens 52' Medina 74'	Report	Canouse 3' Birnbaum 54'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Referee: Joseph Dickerson

October 27 32	D.C. United	1–0	New York Red Bulls	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Paredes 9' Moreno 36' Najar 64'	Report		Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 14,109 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

October 30 33	D.C. United	1–3	Columbus Crew	Washington, D.C.
19:30 EDT	Arriola 3', 32' Felipe 79'	Report	Valenzuela 42' Zelarayán 45' (pen.), 76' Santos 66'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 16,787 Referee: Drew Fischer

November 7 34	Toronto FC	1–3	D.C. United	Toronto
15:30 PM EST	Laryea 18' Dwyer 74'	Report	Birnbaum 13', 90' Kamara 30' (pen.), 36' Felipe 65' Pines 76' Mora 85'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 11,166 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

U.S. Open Cup

The U.S. Open Cup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic for a second consecutive year.

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		MLS Cup		Capital Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Chris Seitz	5	0	4+0	0	0	0	0+1	0
3	DF	USA	Chris Odoi-Atsem	2	0	1+1	0	0	0	0	0
4	DF	USA	Brendan Hines-Ike	11	1	11+0	1	0	0	0	0
5	MF	VEN	Júnior Moreno	19	0	19+0	0	0	0	0	0
6	MF	USA	Russell Canouse	14	1	14+0	1	0	0	0	0
7	MF	USA	Paul Arriola	14	3	13+1	3	0	0	0	0
8	MF	BRA	Felipe Martins	21	2	5+15	1	0	0	1+0	1
9	FW	NOR	Ola Kamara	19	16	13+6	16	0	0	0	0
10	MF	PER	Edison Flores	13	2	10+3	2	0	0	0	0
11	MF	ARG	Yamil Asad	18	2	8+8	2	0	0	2+0	0
12	MF	USA	Drew Skundrich	14	0	8+6	0	0	0	0	0
13	DF	FRA	Frédéric Brillant	20	1	14+4	1	0	0	2+0	0
14	DF	HON	Andy Najar	19	1	16+3	1	0	0	0	0
15	DF	USA	Steve Birnbaum	14	0	9+3	0	0	0	2+0	0
16	FW	USA	Adrien Perez	13	0	9+4	0	0	0	0	0
17	FW	ENG	Kimarni Smith	4	0	1+2	0	0	0	0+1	0
18	MF	USA	Nicky Downs	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
19	FW	CUW	Nigel Robertha	10	2	4+5	2	0	0	1+0	0
20	FW	VEN	Jovanny Bolívar	1	1	0	0	0	0	1+0	1
21	GK	USA	Jon Kempin	12	0	9+1	0	0	0	2+0	0
22	FW	USA	Griffin Yow	11	1	1+8	1	0	0	2+0	0
23	DF	USA	Donovan Pines	9	0	8+1	0	0	0	0	0
24	GK	USA	Bill Hamid	12	0	12+0	0	0	0	0	0
26	DF	CIV	Gaoussou Samaké	1	0	0	0	0	0	1+0	0
27	MF	LBR	Moses Nyeman	19	0	10+8	0	0	0	1+0	0
28	DF	CRC	Joseph Mora	21	0	13+6	0	0	0	2+0	0
29	FW	PER	Yordy Reyna	15	4	6+8	4	0	0	1+0	0
30	MF	USA	Kevin Paredes	18	2	14+4	2	0	0	0	0
31	MF	GER	Julian Gressel	25	0	22+3	0	0	0	0	0
32	FW	ARG	Ramón Ábila	6	2	0+6	2	0	0	0	0
33	DF	USA	Jacob Greene	2	0	0	0	0	0	1+1	0
35	DF	TRI	Michael DeShields	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	MF	CIV	Nanan Houssou	2	0	0	0	0	0	0+2	0
41	FW	NIG	Kairou Amoustapha	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
50	FW	EST	Erik Sorga	4	0	2+2	0	0	0	0	0
51	DF	SLV	Allexon Saravia	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
93	DF	MEX	Tony Alfaro	22	0	18+3	0	0	0	1+0	0

Last updated: September 22, 2021
Source: Soccerway

Top scorers

Rank	Position	Number	Name	MLS	Total
1	FW	9	Ola Kamara	16	16
2	FW	29	Yordy Reyna	4	4
3	MF	7	Paul Arriola	3	3
4	MF	10	Edison Flores	2	2
	MF	11	Yamil Asad	2	2
	FW	19	Nigel Robertha	2	2
	MF	30	Kevin Paredes	2	2
	FW	32	Ramón Ábila	2	2
9	DF	4	Brendan Hines-Ike	1	1
	MF	6	Russell Canouse	1	1
	DF	13	Frédéric Brillant	1	1
	DF	14	Andy Najar	1	1
	FW	22	Griffin Yow	1	1
	MF	8	Felipe Martins	1	1

Top assists

Rank	Position	Number	Name	MLS	Total
1	MF	31	Julian Gressel	5	5
2	FW	9	Ola Kamara	3	3
2	DF	14	Andy Najar	3	3
4	MF	7	Paul Arriola	2	2
	MF	10	Edison Flores	2	2
	MF	5	Júnior Moreno	2	2
	FW	16	Adrien Perez	2	2
8	FW	29	Yordy Reyna	1	1
	MF	11	Yamil Asad	1	1
	MF	6	Russell Canouse	1	1
	MF	8	Felipe Martins	1	1
	FW	22	Griffin Yow	1	1
	DF	93	Tony Alfaro	1	1
	MF	12	Drew Skundrich	1	1
	MF	27	Moses Nyeman	1	1

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Player
No.	Pos.	Player	MLS			MLS Cup			U.S. Open Cup			Total

Awards

Awards will be announced as the season begins.

References

^ "D.C. United Name Hernán Losada as Head Coach". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
^ "D.C. United Sign Academy Product Jacob Greene as 15th Homegrown Player in Club History". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
^ "D.C. United Acquire Forward Adrien Perez". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
^ "D.C. United Acquire Goalkeeper Jon Kempin from Columbus Crew SC". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Anderson, Jason (February 5, 2021). "D.C. United signs first round pick Michael DeShields". Black And Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "D.C. United Sign Forward Kimarni Smith". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
^ Goff, Steven (March 23, 2021). "D.C. United acquires Dutch forward Nigel Robertha from Bulgarian club". Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Goff, Steven (April 15, 2021). "Andy Najar signs with D.C. United, returning to his MLS roots". Washington Post. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
^ Anderson, Jason (May 12, 2021). "D.C. United signs Drew Skundrich to MLS deal". Black And Red United. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
^ Anderson, Jason (July 2, 2021). "D.C. United signs Jeremy Garay to Homegrown deal". Black And Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "D.C. United Announce End-of-Season Roster Decisions". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
^ "D.C. United Acquire $150,000 in GAM from Austin FC for Ulises Segura". D.C. United. MLS. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
^ "D.C. United Acquire Defender Brendan Hines-Ike from K.V. Kortrijk". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
^ "D.C. United Acquire Venezuelan Forward Jovanny Bolívar from Deportivo La Guaira". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^ Anderson, Jason (August 12, 2021). "D.C. United adds Ramón Ábila, loans Erik Sorga to VVV Venlo". Black And Red United. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
^ "D.C. United Loan Kimarni Smith to Loudoun United FC". Our Sports Central. June 25, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
^ "D.C. United Forward Erik Sorga joins VVV-Venlo on Loan for the Remainder of the Season". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
^ "Loudoun United FC Sign Defender Logan Panchot Ahead of the 2021 USL Championship Season". Loudoun United. USL Network. April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
^ mlssoccer. "Philadelphia Union vs. DC United in weather delay | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved June 28, 2023.

External links

D.C. United

[AbilaNote-2] Though acquired off MLS waivers from Minnesota United FC, Abila's acquisition is considered an extension of his current loan agreement between Boca Juniors and MLS, as DC United paid $200,000 of the loan fee to Boca Juniors to complete the transfer.

[table_note_MTL0.089539671824099-20] Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.

[table_note_res_CCL20.089539671824099-21] As 2021 Canadian Championship winners

[table_note_res_CCL50.50640354841314-22] As 2021 Canadian Championship winners (CAN1)

[1] "D.C. United Name Hernán Losada as Head Coach". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

[3] "D.C. United Sign Academy Product Jacob Greene as 15th Homegrown Player in Club History". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.

[4] "D.C. United Acquire Forward Adrien Perez". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.

[5] "D.C. United Acquire Goalkeeper Jon Kempin from Columbus Crew SC". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.

[MDSsign-6] Anderson, Jason (February 5, 2021). "D.C. United signs first round pick Michael DeShields". Black And Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved February 7, 2021.

[KSsign-7] "D.C. United Sign Forward Kimarni Smith". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[8] Goff, Steven (March 23, 2021). "D.C. United acquires Dutch forward Nigel Robertha from Bulgarian club". Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2021.

[GoffNajar-9] Goff, Steven (April 15, 2021). "Andy Najar signs with D.C. United, returning to his MLS roots". Washington Post. Retrieved April 15, 2021.

[10] Anderson, Jason (May 12, 2021). "D.C. United signs Drew Skundrich to MLS deal". Black And Red United. Retrieved May 12, 2021.

[11] Anderson, Jason (July 2, 2021). "D.C. United signs Jeremy Garay to Homegrown deal". Black And Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved August 13, 2021.

[EndOfYear-12] "D.C. United Announce End-of-Season Roster Decisions". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.

[13] "D.C. United Acquire $150,000 in GAM from Austin FC for Ulises Segura". D.C. United. MLS. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.

[14] "D.C. United Acquire Defender Brendan Hines-Ike from K.V. Kortrijk". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[15] "D.C. United Acquire Venezuelan Forward Jovanny Bolívar from Deportivo La Guaira". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.

[16] Anderson, Jason (August 12, 2021). "D.C. United adds Ramón Ábila, loans Erik Sorga to VVV Venlo". Black And Red United. Retrieved August 13, 2021.

[17] "D.C. United Loan Kimarni Smith to Loudoun United FC". Our Sports Central. June 25, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.

[18] "D.C. United Forward Erik Sorga joins VVV-Venlo on Loan for the Remainder of the Season". D.C. United. Major League Soccer. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.

[19] "Loudoun United FC Sign Defender Logan Panchot Ahead of the 2021 USL Championship Season". Loudoun United. USL Network. April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.

[23] ssoccer. "Philadelphia Union vs. DC United in weather delay | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved June 28, 2023.

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