It's Round and It's White
Introducing D.C. United and FC Dallas in our third weekly introduction of the MLS Teams ahead of the 2012 play-offs
D.C. United
Joined: 1996
Ground: Robert F Kennedy Stadium, District of Columbia
Head Coach: Ben Olsen
One of the founding fathers of the league, D.C. United to date are the current flagship for the MLS, having been the most successful side in both the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup, winning them four times apiece to date. Under first head coach Bruce Arena, the club won the first ever MLS title and US Open cup, repeating their league title win the following year, and also winning the CONCACAF Champion’s Cup in 1998. After Arena left to take charge of the national team in 1998, the club were less fortunate, and despite winning the league in 1999 coach Thomas Rongen departed in 2002. The club won their last MLS cup in 2004, but made the headlines a year earlier after signing 14 year old Freddy Adu ready for the 2004 season, making him the youngest professional sportsman in the US since 1887. In recent times, United have failed to qualify for the post-season for the last four years, with an abysmal 2010 campaign which saw them lose 20 – this season however it looks like things may be turning around for DC, who look set to make the play-off first round
The Captain: Dwayne De Rosario – The 34 year old attacking midfielder is a very popular name amongst MLS fans and players alike, having won 4 MLS titles, 2011 MVP and Golden Boot, appeared in every Team of the Year since 2005, and 2 goals of the year, as well as 69 caps for his native Canada. De-Ro has a fantastic reputation in the MLS and certainly leads all his teams from the front – having scored the winning goal in 2 MLS Cup finals to bring home the league
Leading the Line: Chris Pontius – Chris Pontius burst onto the MLS scene in 2009 when chosen as the 7th overall pick of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by DC, scoring on his debut in the first game of the 2009 season against LA Galaxy. Chris can play anywhere along the forward line or as a classic centre forward, with performances that earned him a call up to the MLS AllStars this season, along with the MVP berth after the win against Chelsea, against whom he scored a goal. Chris is yet to earn any silverware at professional level, but at the age of 25 still has plenty of time to continue to make a big impact on the league
Exciting Prospect: Perry Kitchen – United States U23 defensive midfielder Perry Kitchen has already made 50 appearances for DC United after making his debut in 2011 in the season opener vs Columbus Crew. Perry enjoys a growing reputation within the game, and looks to be a future mainstay in the DC side
FC Dallas
Joined: 1996 (as Dallas Burn)
Ground: FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, TX
Head Coach: Schellas Hindman
Known as Dallas Burn until 2005, FC Dallas joined the league in 1996 as a founder member but are yet to win the MLS, coming closest in 2010 when they finished as runners up. Their only current silverware came in 1997, when the Burn beat inaugural Open Cup winners DC United to the 1997 title. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Dallas suffered frustrating times, continually disappointing in the play-offs year upon year. 2005 saw a move to their new stadium and a rename to FC Dallas, leading to better times on the pitch, with the team winning the Western Conference in 2006. Their best season by far was 2010, where the club lost only 4 games with relative unkown David Ferreira entering the season as a relative unknown, only to come away with the MVP award, with coach Schellas Hindman earning the coach of the year award. As it stands, Dallas still have a chance of making the play-offs in the first round, but are 2 points behind fifth placed Vancouver and 12 off Seattle in 4th, with only 4 games remaining
The Captain: Ugo Ihemelu – A winner of the MLS cup in his debut 2005 season with LA Galaxy, Ugo has made over 50 appearances each for the Galaxy, Colorado Rapids and current club FC Dallas. He joined Dallas in 2009, and extended his contract to 2015 in 2011 after impressive performances, which have since led to him gaining the armband for the 2012 season
International Hotshot: Julian De Guzman – brother of Swansea’s on-loan Jonathan, Julian was the first Canadian to play in La Liga for Deportivo La Coruña between 2005 and 2009. He came to the MLS with Toronto as a designated player in 2009, having won Canadian player of the year in 2008. He was traded to Dallas in July 2012 for Andrew Wiedeman
Hot Prospect: Brek Shea – considered one of the brightest American prospects, 22 year old left winger Shea started his breakthrough season in 2011 at centre back, having graduated from the Generation Adidas program in 2010. Following injuries in midfield, he was switched back to his left wing position which he has kept ever since – providing numerous goals and assists for his side
If you’ve missed any of our weekly introductions so far, or want to know more about the MLS, you can check out our MLS section by navigating to Rest Of The World > MLS, where you’ll be able to find out more about the league and meet more of the teams each week. Be sure to check back next Tuesday ahead of next week’s round up, introducing the Houston Dynamo and L.A. Galaxy
