2023 MLS Regular Season Record: 10W - 10D - 14L
What I said last winter:
The club did turnover the roster and front office after a winning the Wooden Spoon in 2022
They’ll do better than their bottom finish, but it’s a rebuild and not to expect a huge turnaround
What happened:
Mateusz Klich and Benteke were productive in their roles
Defensively, they fared well
Taxi Fountas was bid farewell after another racial abuse allegation
They improved from their previous season
However, it wasn’t enough and head coach Wayne Rooney left the club after failing to qualify for playoffs
Key Takeaways from 2023
Well, better than last
I didn't have many high hopes for DC United going into this season, and I think they did slightly exceed my expectations. It was a season to hopefully right the ship, and I believe they executed well in some ways, but it just never seemed to be enough.
DC never settled on a consistent formation, but they did alternate through different three-back setups like the 3-4-2-1, 3-4-3, and 3-5-2. Towards the end of the year, they switched to four-back formations. I list them in a 4-3-1-2 below, but in the three-back formations, they'd slot in Brendon Hines-Ike, Donovan Pines or another center-back and take out a midfielder.
In the attacking department, they managed an average number of goals but struggled to create chances. There were lots of attempted assists from set pieces and crosses, and their top scorer, Christian Benteke, consistently capitalized on those opportunities. Benteke excelled in aerial duels, finishing in the 98th percentile for aerials won according to FBRef. DC United also concluded the year with 11 goals from set pieces, contrasting with 28 open-play goals, a rate that ranked seventh-highest in MLS.
In terms of Goals minus Expected Goals, DC finished just below zero with -2.6, and most players met or slightly exceeded their expected totals.
Benteke finished with a net-negative performance of -2.3 but also tied for the third-highest total shots in the league.
The top performers in G - xG were Theodore Ku-Dipietro (5 goals vs. 4.5 xG), Mateusz Klich (4 goals vs. 3.0 xG), and Chris Durkin (3 goals vs. 1.3 xG).
Possession stats were intriguing for DC, primarily due to their choice for Rooney's replacement, but I'll get to that in a second. They excelled in winning duels and possession battles but struggled to string together passes, resembling a style almost reminiscent of the Red Bulls.
Finally, goalkeeping was a sore point, even though the stats don't fully reflect it. They were below average in save percentage but allowed a lower number of shots on target from opponents. The Achilles heel for DC was that their goalkeepers played too far out of goal and were caught off their line more than once.
DC alternated between Tyler Miller and Alex Bono throughout the season, and as a club, they finished with a net-negative in post-shot expected goals at -1.1.
Miller finished the year with a net-negative of -3.3 in 25 starts, while Bono ended with a net-positive of +2.2.
This writeup may seem a little lighter because I'm a bit confused about what DC was trying to establish as their identity. While they did well in bringing in and letting go of players, when Benteke's scoring stopped, their performance dipped, prompting a change in tactics. For instance, he went 11 straight appearances without scoring or assisting, and DC scored one or fewer goals in 10 of those matches while posting a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 8 losses during that time. They need more playmakers to step forward and draw attention.
Heading into the next season, Troy Lesesne, who most recently served as the interim manager at the New York Red Bulls, will take the helm as manager. I'm uncertain about how this bodes for them tactically. Will they adopt an off-brand Red Bulls' style, or does Lesesne, along with the front office, have other ideas? It's definitely a story to watch this preseason.
Top Sorare Fantasy Performers
Goalkeeper: Alex Bono | L15: 54 | 60+ pts games: 7 | Clean sheets: 7 | Penalties saved: 0
Defender: Donovan Pines | L15: 53 | 60+ pts games: 13 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 0 | Clean sheets: 9
Midfielder: Mateusz Klich | L15: 57 | 60+ pts games: 14 | Goals: 4 | Assists: 7
Forward: Christian Benteke | L15: 51 | 60+ pts games: 12 | Goals: 14 | Assists: 3
Extra: Chris Durkin | L15: 40 | 60+ pts games: 7 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 2
2024 Outlook
Last Updated 2/4/2024
Rebuild Rating:
Outgoing Players
Yamil Asad - Winger - Option Declined
Eric Davis - Left-back - Option Declined
José Fajardo - Centre-forward - Option Declined
Jacob Greene - Left-back - Option Declined
Brendan Hines-Ike - Centre-back - Option Declined
Erik Hurtado - Centre-forward - Option Declined
Andy Najar - Right-back - Option Declined
Nigel Robertha - Centre-forward - Option Declined
Gaoussou Samaké - Left-back - Option Declined
Donovan Pines - Centre-back - Out of Contract
Derrick Williams - Centre-back Out of Contract
Ruan - Right-back - Traded to CF Montreal along with $500k in General Allocation Money (GAM) in exchange for Aaron Herrera
Chris Durkin - Defensive Midfielder - Traded to St. Louis in exchange for Jared Stroud, Lucas Bartlett, and $300k in GAM
Incoming Players
Jared Stroud - Winger - Acquired from St. Louis in trade for Chris Durkin
Lucas Bartlett - Centre-back - Acquired from St. Louis in trade for Chris Durkin
Aaron Herrera - Right-back - Acquired from CF Montreal in exchange for Ruan and $500k in GAM
Ethan Dobbelaere - Central Midfielder - Picked up off of waivers
Garrison Tubbs - Centre-back - Acquired from Atlanta United for $275k in GAM
Gabriel Pirani - Attacking Midfielder - Exercised loan option to buy
Christopher McVey - Centre-back - Acquired from Inter Miami for $100k in GAM and an international roster spot
Matti Peltola - Centre-back - Free transfer from HJK Helsinki
Rebuilding after a Rebuild
DC cleaned house after Rooney’s departure, clearing up space in their salary cap. Understandably, they've been actively shaping their roster during the offseason, and many of their moves appear sensible.
They brought in Troy Lesesne, who was most recently the Red Bulls interim manager. Before announcing Lesesne, they also added Jared Stroud and Lucas Bartlett from St. Louis, both well-versed in the Red Bulls style. Aaron Herrera, joining from Montreal, is likely to start at right-back. Additionally, they secured the attacking midfielder Gabriel Pirani by exercising the loan purchase option, and just signed Matti Peltola to compete for a starting role at centre-back. DC’s had a very efficient winter window.
In terms of needs, I’d like to see DC use their remaining designated player spot to secure another playmaker who can draw defenders away from Christian Benteke.
Overall, there's plenty for DC fans to look forward to this year. The shift in the front office's recruitment strategy has led to the creation of a solid starting eleven, with Mateusz Klich and Benteke as key players. While it might not result in a massive turnaround, I believe DC should, at the very least, be in contention for a playoff spot this year.
Projected Starting Lineup
Take this lineup with a grain of salt. Based on the lineups for friendlies, DC have tried both 4-back and 3-back formations. At Red Bulls Lesesne actually played more often in a 4-4-2 which is my other top choice for DC. If it is a 4-4-2, I’d say take out the left winger and pair Theodore Ku-Dipietro up with Benteke.