With the club announcing today that it has acquired former University of Maryland standout Casey Townsend, the Terrapin tally at D.C. United is now up to three; Townsend returns to the D.C. Metropolitan area to join former Maryland teammates Taylor Kemp and Ethan White at D.C. United.
Townsend and White played together in 2009 and 2010 while Kemp overlapped with Townsend from 2009-2011. Townsend and Kemp’s 2011 Terps team experienced some College Cup heartache at the hands of 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year finalist Nick DeLeon and his Louisville Cardinals. Both Townsend and DeLeon tallied for their sides, but Louisville pulled out the 4-2 win over Maryland in the third round of the tournament.
With the powerhouse UMD program just a hop, skip and a jump away from the confines of RFK, United’s technical staff has the distinct advantage of scouting top talent.
“Maryland has a great program and we’re lucky to be close to them, so we see a lot of quality college games,” said United Head Coach Ben Olsen.
The Terps – who have captured the College Cup twice within the last eight years, most recently in 2008 – have boasted at least one player selected in the MLS SuperDraft for 10 consecutive years.
“[Sasho] runs – obviously I’m biased since I went there – but what I think is the most professional college environment you can be in,” Kemp told DCUnited.com recently. “He makes you ready to be in the pros better than I think any other coach.”
