WASHINGTON – Less than a week into the offseason, D.C. United already have made two moves – agreeing to a new contract with center back Dejan Jakovic and parting ways with midfielder Branko Boskovic.
And Ben Olsen and United aren’t done. At the top of their wish list is an elite forward who can score often and consistently.
“I thought all our forwards gave us good moments this year,” Olsen said. “But none of them had a real complete year from a playing, scoring and production standpoint."
Other than Chris Pontius, who switched back and forth between striker and midfield, the five players listed by the club as forwards averaged just 3.2 goals and 1 assist. Miacon Santos led that quintet with 7 goals, but he made only 16 starts on the season.
“In the end, do we need a big-time forward? Yeah,” Olsen said.
Hamdi Salihi, who had 6 goals in 2012 and led the team in goals per game (0.57), has one year remaining on his contract. He is United’s only Designated Player, and he addressed his future with the club.
“You never know because in this business, things can change every day,” the Albanian said. “Especially when it’s the transfer time. I have one more year of contract, and I’m concentrating on that.”
