With the marquee exits of Wayne Rooney, Luciano Acosta, and Lucas Rodriguez; DC United was going to have a big overhaul of their offensive attack this season. Phase one of the new influx of talent came to fruition yesterday, as the Black and Red officially signed Peruvian midfielder Edison Flores from Liga MX side, Monarcas Morelia, for a five million dollar transfer fee (a club record).
United will hope that Flores, who has agreed to a five-year deal that should pay the 25-year old midfielder around two million a year, will inject the kind of creativity lost in the offseason departures of the more heralded trio of attackers that left the club this offseason.
Make no mistake: This was an important move for United to make. DC had faded into the end of last season following a strong start and with Rooney leaving for EFL Championship side, Derby County, and the disappointing seasons (and ultimately departures) of Acosta and Rodriguez, the Black and Red seemed to be a team without momentum or direction.
Flores’ (delightfully nicknamed Orejas in part to his pointy ears) signing should change that. With the Peruvian in tow, DC has found a ready replacement for the void that Acosta and Rooney leaves behind. Flores is first and foremost a creative scorer. The Peruvian scored 12 goals and six assists in 45 appearances for Monarcas, through a mix of his searing pace, his proclivity for finding spaces in advanced areas and having the confidence and skill to shoot from distance (53 of his 78 shots for Monarcas came from outside the box).
Flores typically plays as one the left side as a winger/attacking midfielder but during his time in LigaMX, the former Aalborg BK player oftentimes drifts in centrally with an aggressive push to put defenders on their backheels. He is a strong dribbler who knows how to navigate tight spaces and either create opportunities for himself or others.
The Peruvian’s signing is a positive move for a club that needed positive momentum. As a club that has a relatively new stadium in a market where the other teams, especially the baseball team, are doing well, DC United needed a strong signing to bring back some of the momentum they were losing towards the end of last year.
Will this signing be what brings people to Audi Field in the same way they did last year? Probably not. Wayne Rooney was one of the most famous sportsmen in the world and being able to replace that level of shine will be hard for the club.
However, with a prominent Peruvian international joining the team (in an area where there is a strong and ever growing Peruvian population), DC definitely has a chance to bring in some new soccer mad fans into the fold and if Flores performs the way the club hopes, United’s momentum should start trending back in the right direction.
DC United
MLS Eastern
