Washington, D.C. (August 14, 2009) – D.C. United announced today the club has acquired defender Julius James from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for a third round pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. James will serve as a replacement for forward Ange N’Silu, who has been placed on Injured Reserve.
“Julius is a big, athletic defender who will help us at several positions in our back line,” said General Manager Dave Kasper. “He has a bright future and we look forward to getting him on board as we enter the final phase of our season.”
This season, as a member of the Dynamo, James saw time in eight games (five starts), totaling 508 minutes on the pitch. The defender was acquired by Houston from Toronto FC – along with allocation money – for midfielder Dwayne DeRosario on December 12, 2008. During his rookie season with Toronto FC in 2008, James played in 13 games (10 starts) and scored one goal in 899 minutes on the field. In his MLS debut on May 31, 2008, he scored in the 49th minute against the Los Angeles Galaxy, a goal that was the eventual game-winner. James was the ninth overall selection in the 2008 SuperDraft out of the University of Connecticut.
At Connecticut, James earned First Team All-Northeast and First Team All-Big East honors. Additionally, he was named to the Big East All-Tournament Team and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year three years in a row. He was also a M.A.C. Herman Trophy semifinalist in 2007.
James is a Trinidad & Tobago native and member of its national team. He earned his first cap against Guyana on September 3, 2008.
Ange N’Silu was originally signed on February 23, 2009. He played in nine League games (four starts) and tallied a goal and an assist before suffering an injury. In all competitions, N’Silu has played in 14 games (nine starts), scoring two goals and an assist. He suffered a hamstring strain after United’s Open Cup semifinal win on 7/21.
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Doug Hicks,
dhicks@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5448,
Boris Flores,
bflores@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5452,
Kyle Sheldon,
ksheldon@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5450 or
Cristina Cruz,
ccruz@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5440
