DC United’s Signing Of Charlie Davies Continues Active Off-Season
Not including players picked in the Super or Supplemental drafts, DC United has already added eight players this off-season. Charlie Davies, who officially joined the team on Wednesday, is merely the latest player to join a team that is coming off one of the worst in MLS history. Among the players DC United has added are MLS veterans Dax McCarty and Josh Wolff, Home Grown Player Ethan White and international import Rodrigo Brasesco. As SB Nation's DC United blog Black and Red United points out, every position on the field has been addressed one way or another.
Just as importantly, they appear to have done all of this without really breaking the bank. Davies is reportedly getting paid about $225,000 in base salary from DC United, meaning he’s not costing them a Designated Player spot. Using last season’s salaries as a guide, United still appear to have about $400,000 in salary-cap room.
Give credit to coach Ben Olsen. He took over the team last year and United was roundly questioned for giving him the job after first dismissing that possibility. Since being installed, though, he has shown a clear preference for certain kinds of players and has done an admirable job of finding ways to get them.
It’s obviously too early to make any grand pronouncements, but with the playoffs expanding to 10 teams this year, it hardly seems crazy to consider United one of the teams capable of making a run. Davies’ ability to return to form will play no small part in accomplishing that task. United scored a MLS-record low 21 goals last season. A healthy Davies could realistically add 50 percent to that by himself.
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