The full D.C. United preseason roster was released on Friday. Below, we introduce the seven trialists on the list.
Kyle Altman
A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 26-year-old Altman currently plays for the Minnesota Stars FC. The defender was originally drafted by the New England Revolution in the second round of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, but joined the Minnesota Thunder after being waived by the club. Since joining the Minnesota Stars in 2010, Altman took on the role of team captain and earned more minutes in the past two seasons than any other player on the team.
Neven Markovic
Neven Markovic is 25-year-old Serbian soccer player, who most recently played for MLS' Sporting Kansas City. Markovic was a member of the 2012 Sporting roster who won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The left back previously played for a couple of teams in the Serbian SuperLiga, including FC Rad Belgrade from 2005 to 2008.
Joseph Nane
A graduate of Old Dominion University, Joseph Nane was originally drafted by Toronto FC in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. At the end of the 2010 campaign, the Cameroonian native was traded to the Colorado where he spent two seasons playing for the Rapids. The midfielder appeared in nine games in 2012, notching one goal in 446 minutes.
Demitrius Omphroy
Demitrius Omphroy is an American-born soccer player from Alameda, California. With his Filipino roots, the versatile 23-year-old has one cap with the Philippines National Team. After four years at the University of California, Berkley, Omphroy was drafted by Toronto FC in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
Diego Restrepo
Although he was born in Venezuela and lived in Colombia until he was 13, Restrepo is an American who has seen time with both the U-17 and U-20 US National Teams. The goalkeeper won the starting role with the University of Virginia Cavaliers in 2009, leading the team to a National Championship. While at the UVA, Restrepo broke several of US Soccer Star Tony Meola's records including games played (25), minutes played (2348), shutouts (16), consecutive shutouts (11) and consecutive scoreless minutes (1176).
Ryan Richter
Ryan Richter is a 23-year-old midfielder out of Pennsylvania. He currently plays for the Charleston Battery in the USL. A graduate of LaSalle University, Richter was drafted by the Philadelphia Union in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft. After his contract was not picked up in 2012, Richter joined D.C. United for preseason and finally landed with the Battery for the 2012 season.
Matt VanOekel
Like Kyle Altman, Matt VanOekel currently plays with the Minnesota Stars. VanOekel originally played for the Minnesota Thunder of the USL before the team folded, he was then picked up by their successors, the NASL Minnesota Stars where he soon became the starting goal keeper.
