D.C. United’s offseason rebuilding process took another step forward during Wednesday’s Re-Entry Draft, as the club acquired and signed former Sporting Kansas City striker Josh Wolff.
Wolff, 33, brings with him 12 years of MLS experience, important for a team whose oldest player remaining from last season is 30-year-old midfielder Branko Boskovic.
“It’s no secret we have a young roster,” D.C. head coach Ben Olsen said. “I think good teams need guys that have been through it, and guys that are team guys, and can help around the locker with young guys and also still play at a high level.
“Josh is a very good soccer player; he’s scored a lot of goals in this league," Olsen added. "He’s put up good numbers.”
Wolff spent five seasons with the Chicago Fire before joining Kansas City in 2003. He also made 34 appearances for 1860 Munich of the Bundesliga from 2006-2008, and earned 52 caps with the US national team. He played for the Americans in the 2002 World Cup and was on the roster for the 2006 World Cup.
“I compare it to myself,” Olsen said. “When I came into the league, I had a team full of guys who have been through a lot at that particular point in their careers and I think it helped me in my approach to the game, and how I went about my job.”
Wolff is a proven goalscorer in MLS, with 75 career goals to his credit. While the experience he brings to a team featuring reigning Rookie of the Year Andy Najar and recent homegrown signing Ethan White is invaluable, he will also boost an offense that scored a league-worst 21 goals in 2010.
“We’re not done putting the team together,” he said. “Like most teams in this league right now, we still have our work to do to get our team where we want it to be at the start of the season. It’s another good piece I think we’ve added to help us on and off the field.”
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