Slowed by injury last season, the Finland international will be depended on in 2016 to help fill the void left by D.C. United stalwart Perry Kitchen.
Markus Halsti joined D.C. United last winter as a prized offseason addition, bringing national team experience and a UEFA Champions League pedigree to the club's spine.
On paper, it was a savvy acquisition. In execution, Halsti didn't live up to expectations after a preseason knee injury — and he's the first to acknowledge as much.
"Mentally, the hardest of course was coming back from an injury and really understanding that you're not where you want to be," Halsti told Goal USA.