D.C. United entered this past summer’s transfer window in need of a spark. United were mired in a 1W-5D-2L run, and that lone win required a 70-yard goal from Wayne Rooney to knock off an ever-hapless Orlando City. The season was drifting away from the club’s control, the fanbase was getting restless, and it was clear that merely having a good defense was not going to cut it.
And so, for the third summer in a row, the Black-and-Red put a few million bucks towards addressing the problem. A reported $2.5 million went to Chinese club Shenzhen FC, some classic intra-MLS shenanigans involving the Colorado Rapids, the allocation order, and $200,000 in GAM split over 2019 and 2020 played itself out, and Ola Kamara arrived in the District.