D.C. United’s 2016 season started slow and was full of surprises. Bill Hamid was out for the first 12 games of the season with a knee injury and was substituted by Andrew Dykstra and Travis Worra. Hamid was not the only one out. Chris Rolfe played only the first 9 games of the season and was out the remainder of the season after a concussion.
But this season was not made only of injuries. D.C United signed Marcelo Sarvas during the 2015-2016 offseason from Colorado, and the Brazilian player started 26 games during this season and helped solidify United’s midfield and the attack.
The same attack that mid-season got a buster after acquiring Patrick Mullins from New York City FC. Mullins settled well with Nyarko and De Leon and brought a new dynamic to D.C’s attack.
2016 was a season of struggles and adaptation with injuries and new players, but the team from the Capital tried its best. Results such as their 6-2 against Chicago Fire in August and making it all the way to the playoffs gave supporters hope. It may not look as a great season, but it was a season for learning and with the team keeping 11 of its this year’s main players (Acosta, Mullins, DeLeon, Birnbaum, Hamid are some of the names in the list).