D.C. United’s former goalkeeper returns to the club on a year and a half loan from FC Midtjylland
Bill Hamid is back with D.C. United. On Wednesday the club announced that Hamid would return on a year and a half loan from FC Midtjylland of Denmark.
Hamid, 27, made 184 appearances with United from 2009-2017 before signing with the Danish club last fall. Hamid made just one appearance with the side. In 2014 he was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and was a member of the league’s Best XI side. He has also earned six caps with the United States Men’s National Team, the most recent one coming in June against the Republic of Ireland.
This move seems to have been made for two reasons. First, neither Steve Clark nor David Ousted have been able to successfully replace Hamid. While directly placing all of United’s troubles on their goalkeepers i is unfair there have been enough mental lapses in the box that Hamid would normally make. Hamid is far more athletic than either Clark or Ousted and D.C.’s defense still is built around having a goalkeeper that can put a team on his back.
Second, Hamid needs playing time and he wasn’t receiving at FC Midtjylland. At 27 he really shouldn’t be serving as a back-up and given his aspirations for the USMNT, it doesn’t really service his career. Goalies are also very different from field position players in that their market value really doesn’t peak until around 28-29. So going back on loan to a D.C. United side that needs a goalkeeper for the stretch run and getting the chance to play at Audi Field and in front of friends and family is a win-win. Midtjylland retain his rights and if he impresses with D.C, and once again piques the interest of European clubs they can sell him elsewhere.
In terms of when we might see Hamid in Black-and-Red again in a real match that is still to be determined. The club has three home matches over the next week against Orlando City SC (Sunday August 12), Portland Timbers (Wednesday August 15), and the New England Revolution (Sunday August 19) so there will be ample opportunities for Hamid to get some match-time. While the Orlando match might be a bit early given that he is still in preseason mode the midweek match against the Timbers looks promising.
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