When MLS began, DC United were the club to beat.
They won 3 out of the first 4 MLS Cups amongst other trophies, and that was thanks to the calibre of players the club had in the squad in those early days. Things have dropped off since, although DC United have still managed to add silverware to their trophy cabinet, and they remain one of the most successful clubs in MLS history.
They have also had some incredible soccer players pull on the black jersey over the years, with many fan favorites sticking around for 10 years or more and serving their club with pride.
Unlike clubs that are more famous outside of the US, DC United have not typically signed star names from European leagues as designated players, although there is one notable exception to that in Wayne Rooney. Mostly though, they have brought through homegrown youngsters or scouted the Americas. This has created a bond and loyalty between fans and players which few clubs can match.
When it comes to being named a DC United club legend then, it really is an honor.
I couldn’t include everyone who has made an impact at the club, so I have instead focussed on players who have given more of their careers to DC United than anyone else, or had a bigger impact on the club than anyone else.
Some club legends may be debatable, but those on this list are not.
6 – Wayne Rooney – 2018-2019 (Manager 2022-2023)
I was debating whether or not to include Wayne Rooney in this list. After all, he only played for the club for 2 seasons, but then again he did come back for a short spell as manager, albeit an unsuccessful one with a win rate of just 26.4%.
In the end though, I decided he had to be included. Why? When a player with the ability and world wide renown as Wayne Rooney joins a club like DC United it lifts them into the stratosphere as far as media attention is concerned. He worked wonders for them on the field too of course, but the value he brought to DC United just by being there can’t be underestimated.
He also seemed to genuinely love playing for the club, as team captain no less, and was understandably an instant fan favourite. He created one of MLS’ best ever moments in 2018 in a game against Orlando City. With the score 2-2 DC’s keeper had come up for a corner in the final moments. Orlando cleared the ball and with not even a goal keeper between him and the goal, Will Johnson thought he was on a freebie. But then 32 year old Rooney tracked back with a staggering pace, tackled Johnson as he stormed towards DC’s goal, took the ball back into Orlando’s half then produced a beautiful ball into the box which Luciano Acosta headed home, winning the game in the 95th minute.
You can see it here:
He looks absolutely exhausted at the end there, doesn’t he?
5 – Bill Hamid – 2009-2022
The tall strong figure of Bill Hamid in goal was a reassuring sight for DC United fans for 14 seasons.
As a native of Washington DC, his loyalty to his club was only briefly interrupted after the 2017 season when contract negotiations stalled and he joined Midtjylland in Denmark. He only ever played once for them, although they won the Danish Superliga while he was there, before returning to DC a season later on loan, then on a permanent basis.
He never won much silverware during his long spell at United, just a US Open Cup in 2013, although he made some key saves during that campaign which helped his team achieve the final victory. The club also won their conference during his tenure, in 2014, when he also won MLS goalkeeper of the year. He was known for his athleticism and reflexes, while his ability to come off his line to claim crosses and organise the defence in front of him made him a fan favourite. On numerous occasions he single-handedly kept United in the game against big clubs.
Aged 32, he finally left DC United to wind down his career in the 3rd and 4th tiers of American soccer.
4 – Ben Olsen – 1998-2009 (Manager 2010-2020)
A man who spent almost as long in the head coach role at DC as he did wearing the jersey for them, is Ben Olsen. A midfielder in his playing days, Olsen was hard working, gritty, and tenacious, which always goes down well with the fans. He got off to a flying start as a youth prospect rising through the ranks, and became known as the ‘heart and soul’ of the club. Aside from a brief stint on loan with Nottingham Forest in the UK when he was 23, he spent his whole career at DC.
As a player, Olsen was known as a box to box midfielder capable of covering a lot of ground and offering a lot of versatility to the squad. Injuries hampered his progress as the years went on and he dropped back to a more defensive role before retirement, but while he was fit he was a real workhorse. During his time in the team he won 2 MLS Cups, 3 Supporter’s Shields, a CONCACF Champions Cup and a US Open Cup.
Upon retiring he went straight into management, assisting the head coach at the time who was sacked not long afterwards. Olsen took over on an interim basis but the position was made permanent despite a less than promising start.
He spent 10 years working as a coach at United, although it has to be said that his tenure was less than successful. He did manage a US Open Cup in 2013, but with a win rate of 34.65% across 381 games, you can hardly say he did well. He parted ways with the club after a 22 year career in 2020.
3 – Eddie Pope – 1996-2002
Eddie Pope might well have been a name that is more widely recognised had his loyalty to his club not been so strong.
He was widely touted as one of the best central defenders in America, if not the world, and offers came in for him from the likes of Ajax, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan. He turned them all down. His reasons? He wanted to stay and promote soccer in the USA.
If that isn’t legend material then I don’t know what is.
He had as much class on the field as he did off it, with a reputation for being strong, reliable, and very good in a crisis, which coupled with a strangely elegant style of play and his aerial abilities made him brilliant to watch. He was a very intelligent player who could read the game well, and he always seemed so calm and composed. He knew how to turn it on in big moments too, as evidenced when he scored the match winning golden goal in the very first MLS Cup final, winning the trophy for DC. He was only 22 at the time and has been a club hero ever since.
As well as winning 3 MLS Cups, 2 Supporter’s Shields, a US Open Cup, and a CONCACAF Champions Cup with United, Pope was also a regular in the USA men’s team for over a decade, notching up 82 caps and 8 goals. He’s not just a DC United Legend then, but an all out American soccer legend.
2 – Marco Etcheverry – 1996-2003
A solid contender for number one on this list, but no less of a legend for being pipped to the post.
Marco Etcheverry was an attacking midfielder who joined DC before the inaugural MLS season kicked off. Known by fans as El Diablo (The Devil), he spent 8 years at the club before heading back to his native Bolivia for a final season before retirement. During his time in America, he notched up 3 MLS Cups, 2 Supporter’s Shields, a CONCACAF Champions Cup, a US Open Cup, and a string of personal accolades including being named in the MLS All Time Best XI, a team of MLS legends selected as part of the league’s 10 year anniversary celebrations.
As a player, he was the creative powerhouse responsible for a lot of the success DC United had in the early days of MLS. He had incredible vision and his reputation as a playmaker with world class passing and technical abilities were instrumental in the team’s approach to games. He was not a player to be trifled with either. Fiercely competitive, intensely passionate and with a big personality, he was a very big voice on the pitch and often wore the captain’s armband as a result.
He left the club and the league at the end of the 2003 season when he was 33, but remains one of the few players to have racked up more than 100 assists in MLS – one of less than 10 people to have done so.
1 – Jaime Moreno – 1996-2002 and 2004-2010
There could only be one name at the top spot on this list.
Jamie Moreno is the record goal scorer and the record appearance holder at DC United, and given that he spent 14 seasons at the club it’s no wonder. Another Bolivian, he is a legend in every sense of the word, and not just to DC United fans but to MLS as a whole. He was even the league’s top scorer when he retired with 133 MLS goals, and is one of only two players to have played in all of the first 15 MLS seasons.
As one of the club’s first ever players, he was instrumental in D.C. United’s early success, winning four MLS Cups, two Supporters’ Shields and a CONCCAF Champions Cup during the club’s glory years. He added two for Supporters Shields later in his career. Moreno was also the first player in MLS history to score 100 goals and register 100 assists.
He was incredibly consisted as a forward, displaying excellent technical ability and dribbling skills, as well as solid leadership abilities. It’s sad how things ended though. In 2010 United declined Moreno’s contract option so he took part in the re-entry draft… but was not selected. He was 36 by this point and had only managed 3 goals the previous season so it’s understandable, but the fact he was forced into retirement is a shame for a legend of the American game.