Team
Yesterday, MLS and adidas unveiled the new official match ball for 2013. The adidas PRIME features a few updates from it's 2012 version, including a slightly new look and upgraded technology.
The updates make the PRIME more water resistant and increasingly more aerodynamic with a cutting-edge panel bonding technique. The ball features a matte finish with slight texture to help with ball control, while changes to the bladder help prevent air and shape loss across all weather conditions.
The PRIME keeps it's traditional MLS colors of green, blue and white, while it also still features the signature of League Commissioner Don Garber. The design change is in the shapes, which were changed to emulate the handles of the Philip F. Anschutz trophy.
D.C. United faces Houston on March 2, 2013 marking their first match with the new ball.
With the holidays upon us, D.C. United players share their travel and celebration plans with fans via Twitter.
Chris Pontius heads back home.
Last day in DC before I head back to Cali for the holidays. Busy busy busy
— Chris Pontius (@ChrisPontius13) December 20, 2012
Dwayne De Rosario is looking for the best place to celebrate the New Year. Any suggestions?
Best New Years party destination???
— Dwayne De Rosario (@dwaynederosario) December 19, 2012
Dejan Jakovic spends time with family.
It's always nice to be back home with the fam
— Dejan Jakovic (@DejanJakovic) December 20, 2012
Marcelo Saragosa finds time to enjoy a poolside vacation.
Vacation !!!! instagr.am/p/Ta443rPsZl/
—M.Saragosa (@MarceloSaragosa) December 19, 2012
Do you ever wonder what professional athletes do during the offseason? It's easy to keep up with D.C. United players through their Tweets.
For veteran captain Dwayne De Rosario, work never stops. DeRo plays an active role in his winter camp series:
Was real nice to see all the kids at my #derofutbol development & power training session today. Keep up the good work the future is bright!
— Dwayne De Rosario (@dwaynederosario) December 8, 2012
Chris Pontius and Perry Kitchen catch up on their favorite TV shows and movies:
Cool runnings on earlier...now Home Alone is on. Becoming best friends with the couch today
— Chris Pontius (@ChrisPontius13) December 11, 2012
Dexter and Homeland were intense! Season Finales gonna be crazy!
— Perry Kitchen (@PerryKitchen23) December 10, 2012
Dejan Jakovic shares his passion for DC sports:
MNF - playoffs at stake! couldn't have picked a better game to go to! #skins @chrispontius13 @ethanwhite15
— Dejan Jakovic (@DejanJakovic) December 3, 2012
Wizards playing some good basketball right now vs the Heat
— Dejan Jakovic (@DejanJakovic) December 5, 2012
Brandon McDonald travels visit friends and family:
Arizona bound!!
— Brandon McDonald (@BMcDonald4) December 10, 2012
Morning view this morning out here in La Jolla, Ca!! #westCoastLiving twitter.com/BMcDonald4/sta…
— Brandon McDonald (@BMcDonald4) November 29, 2012
Hello NYC!! #5thAve #AuthenticCubanFood #Sophies #itis twitter.com/BMcDonald4/sta…
— Brandon McDonald (@BMcDonald4) November 26, 2012
Bill Hamid and Ethan White keep themselves physically and mentally fit:
Off to training
— Bill Hamid (@BillHamid28) December 13, 2012
Early morning workouts starting today. #leggoo
— Ethan White (@EthanWhite15) December 5, 2012
From Left: Ethan White, Chris Pontius, Brian Orakpo (Redskins #98), Fred Davis (Redskins #83), Kurt Morsink, Dejan Jakovic. Photo Credit: Washington Redskins
Last night, defender Dejan Jakovic, midfielder Chris Pontius and defender Ethan White, as well as Scouting Coordinator Kurt Morsink, watched RGIII lead the Washington Redskins (6-6) to a 17-16 grudge match win over the New York Giants (7-5).
While the G-Men have the overall edge in this rivalry – compiling a 93-65-4 record and winning four Super Bowls over the Redskins’ three – the exciting talent of rookie QB Robert Griffin III has Washington prime to change the tides. Comparably, D.C. United has dominated its series against Atlantic Cup Foes New York Red Bulls, posting an all-time 32-20-9 mark. In fact, no other club has defeated a team as much the Black-and-Red has beat the Red Bulls.
Tweet Tweet - United players share pictures and thoughts from their Monday Night Football experience
Anyone else heading to the Redskins game tonight? Pumped for this tailgate @ethanwhite15 @dejanjakovic @diesel50gut
— Chris Pontius (@ChrisPontius13) December 3, 2012
MNF - playoffs at stake! couldn't have picked a better game to go to! #skins @chrispontius13 @ethanwhite15
— Dejan Jakovic (@DejanJakovic) December 3, 2012
We here! @diesel50gut party bus! Me and @ethanwhite15 twitter.com/ChrisPontius13…
— Chris Pontius (@ChrisPontius13) December 3, 2012
Tailgating with the boys. Shoutout to @diesel50gut with the sick Skins bus. twitter.com/EthanWhite15/s…
— Ethan White (@EthanWhite15) December 3, 2012
Big win by the skins!
— Dejan Jakovic (@DejanJakovic) December 4, 2012
Pontius, DeLeon, Hamid and Kitchen all ascend December’s list after impressive MLS Cup playoff appearances
Chris Pontius, Nick DeLeon, Bill Hamid and Perry Kitchen all increased their player ratings from November to December in American Soccer Now’s (ASN) 100. Voted on by the likes of former U.S. Men’s National Team players (USMNT) – Jimmy Conrad, Alexi Lalas and Kyle Martino – as well as members of the soccer media, such as Grant Wahl, Jason Davis and Brian Sciaretta, among others, the list ranks the American player pool from 1-100.
Moving up three spots to #22, Pontius looks prime to earn a spot in the USMNT’s upcoming January camp. In the biggest Black-and-Red jump for the month, DeLeon catapulted 11 spots to #50. The rookie had two goals in the MLS playoffs – United’s first post-season appearance since 2007 – including the game-winner against the New York Red Bulls in Leg 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Hamid shows up not far behind, at #52 (up two spots from November), jumping ahead of Chicago Fire netminder Sean Johnson. And 20-year-old Perry Kitchen continues his gradual ascend, climbing six spots up to #64.
The next USMNT camp will occur on Jan. 14, and will include no more than 23 players. Typically pooling from MLS and players in the Scandinavian leagues, DeLeon, Hamid, Kitchen and Pontius could very well be in the mix. Immediately following this camp (and a possible friendly), Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann will select the roster that will kickstart the Hexagonal Round of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying on Feb. 6 against Honduras.
Today, the Canadian Soccer Association announced the list of nominees for the BMO Canadian Players of the Year Award. Among the list was D.C. United midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. The award will be voted on by Canadian media and coaches.
De Rosario appeared in five matches for the Canadian National Team in 2012, notching one goal, a game-winner over Panama in World Cup Qualifying. With 71 total appearances and 20 goals, De Rosario is Canada's all-time leading goal scorer.
2012 BMO Canadian Player of the Year nominees:
- Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal / Brossard, QC
- Julian de Guzman | USA / FC Dallas / Scarborough, ON
- Dwayne De Rosario | USA / DC United | Scarborough, ON
- André Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo | Hudson, QC
- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball | Edmonton, AB
- Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven | Brampton, ON
- Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln | Calgary, AB
- Olivier Occean | GER / Eintracht Frankfurt | Brossard, QC
- other selection/ autre
On Monday evening, D.C. United midfielder Perry Kitchen sat courtside with his fiance at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. The Indiana native was in attendance to watch the Washington Wizards versus the Indiana Pacers game. (Photos by Jose Argueta)
Perry Kitchen
Chris Singleton of the Washington Wizards
Perry Kitchen with his fiancée
DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray has been a vocal supporter of D.C. United during the 2012 MLS Cup Playoff run. Today, he congratulated the team on a successful season.
Tough loss on aggregate for @dcunited yesterday.Congratulations on a great season w/ a return to playoff form! #vamosunited @conventionsdc
— Vincent C. Gray (@mayorvincegray) November 19, 2012
Major League Soccer today announced that Chicago Fire defender Austin Berry is the 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year. D.C. United midfielder Nick DeLeon finished second in the voting.
DeLeon played in 28 matches (25 starts) is his first professional season and broke the club's rookie goal-scoring record with six goals. The talented winger also scored two goals in four matches during the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs.
DeLeon is United's fourth consecutive MLS Rookie of the Year finalist. He is the third player to come in second (Pontius - 2009, Kitchen - 2011). Andy Najar won the award in 2010.
Below is a breakdown of the voting:
| PLAYER | % CLUB VOTES | % MEDIA VOTES | % PLAYER VOTES | WEIGHTED TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Berry (CHI) | 51.79 | 56.92 | 31.96 | 140.67 |
| Nick DeLeon (DC) | 25 | 26.15 | 22.68 | 73.83 |
| Darren Mattocks (VAN) | 7.14 | 4.62 | 14.43 | 26.19 |
| Luis Silva (TOR) | 10.71 | 1.54 | 7.22 | 18.93 |
| Connor Lade (NY) | 0 | 1.54 | 7.22 | 8.76 |
D.C. United bar partner The Queen Vic (1206 H St. NE) has a special offer for Sunday's Eastern Conference Championship (4pm ET, RFK Stadium).
$40 will get you:
- A ticket to Sunday's match
- A shuttle ride to/from The Queen Vic and RFK Stadium (both pre and post-game)
- A shot of Irish whisky & a draft beer
- UPDATE: A fleece D.C. United blanket
The shuttle will begin making loops to RFK Stadium from The Queen Vic at 1:30pm, with the last shuttle leaving RFK Stadium for H Street at 7:30pm after the game. The shuttle will drop patrons off at RFK Stadium near Lot 8 - just a short walk to the official D.C. United tailgate and the tailgates of La Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles.
Fans who already have tickets to the game will also be able to ride the shuttle (just be sure to get a hand stamp) and are encouraged to join other supporters at either The Queen Vic or The Pug (1234 H St. NE) pre and post-game.
To take advantage of this special offer, call The Queen Vic's Ryan at 703-869-0081.
View the full list of D.C. United's official bar partners.
