While D.C. United fans may still be smarting from a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Columbus Crew, a little perspective goes a long way when thinking about the club’s future. An abysmal start to the season had the Black and Red sitting at the bottom of the table in mid-July, but a blockbuster move, a new state-of-the-art stadium, and a rejuvenated squad coalesced perfectly to land a postseason berth.
Wayne Rooney, his immediate chemistry with Luciano Acosta, and Mr. Reliable Steve Birnbaum (who played every minute of the regular season) are obvious choices, but here are two additional bright spots from D.C.’s 2018 campaign that ought to have supporters elevating expectations ahead of the club’s 24th MLS season.
The Emergence Of Russell Canouse
While flashy offensive players typically steal the headlines — and rightly so in the case of Rooney and Acosta — D.C.’s midfield workhorse was nothing short of vital to the mid-season turnaround. Born less than three hours north in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Russell Canouse’s career has already taken him to Germany and back at the ripe age of 23.
64.7 - D.C. United won 64.7% of the 17 games in which Russell Canouse started. They won just 17.6% of the 17 games he did not start. Influence. pic.twitter.com/2k8sWLTvgA
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) December 20, 2018
Canouse moved across the pond as a teenager to join TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s youth academy in 2011. Just over six years later, Canouse elected to join D.C. rather than stay in Germany and likely struggle for playing time in the second division.
The decision has proved fruitful, as Canouse’s positional awareness, passing accuracy, and defensive prowess have made him D.C.’s midfield engine following his first start on July 28. This season he completed 89.2 percent of his passes, good for 11th-best in the league. Additionally, he led the team in both tackles and interceptions per game (2.7 and 1.9, according to WhoScored.com).
No statistic paints a better picture of Canouse’s multifaceted contributions than what he produced in a September 8 match against NYC FC: The 23-year-old became the first D.C. player since 2013 to record more than six tackles, clearances, and recoveries in a single outing (Opta).
The Return Of Bill Hamid
Many soccer experts dubbed Bill Hamid as the next great American goalkeeper, a lofty title given the careers of predecessors Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, and even Brad Guzan. Hamid helped bolster such claims through making 184 starts between 2010 and 2017 and earning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2014. However, he encountered bumps in the road when high-profile figures such as Eric Wynalda and former U.S. coach Jurgen Klinnsman publically questioned his ability and development. When asked about the trajectory of young players in his system, Klinnsman responded to the Wall Street Journal:
“What is going on the goalkeeper front? Tim Howard is 37. [Brad] Guzan is 31. Nick Rimando is 36. Where is our next wave? Holy moly. We lost that generation that didn’t qualify for [the] London [Olympics]. What happened to the Bill Hamids, the Sean Johnsons, the Brek Sheas, the Mix Diskeruds?”
Wynalda offered his thoughts on Hamid on his XM Radio Show in 2016, saying, “I'm not a big fan of Bill Hamid. Everybody says that this guy is great. I don’t get it, I’ve never seen so many shots [go] between the [legs]."
Hamid made the jump to Europe at the end of the 2017 season, signing with Danish outfit FC Midtjylland on a free transfer. A lack of playing time in Denmark turned out to be a blessing for the D.C. United faithful. On August 8 the club announced they had reacquired Hamid on a 1 1/2-year loan from Midtjylland, and the Virginia native wasted no time in making his presence felt.
Hamid helped further solidify the United defense and was pivotal in their stellar run to go from bottom to fourth in the Eastern Conference. Following his return to Major League Soccer, Hamid managed to divert 81 percent of shots faced, good for the leading save percentage in the league. In the final two months of the season, D.C. were able to gain points when it mattered most, notching wins against eventual finalists Portland and Atlanta and a draw against Supporter’s Shield winners New York Red Bulls.
The Rooney-Acosta connection late in stoppage against Orlando provided arguably the moment of the season in MLS and their partnership took the league by storm. Through helping the club to fully capitalize on their offensive pieces, Russell Canouse and Bill Hamid were crucial in D.C.’s backbone on their way to an unlikely playoff appearance.
Wesley is a graduate of the University of Alabama (BA) and the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign (MA). He currently works in youth soccer in Austin, Texas, and can be found on Twitter.