Most star players would have bought Rolexes - or maybe something nicer. But after D.C. United’s MLS Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke kept a promise he made at the beginning of the season, and took the squad to Miami for the weekend after becoming the league’s top scorer.
“That was a way to thank all of my teammates because, without them, I wouldn’t be the top goalscorer,” Benteke said at MLS media day.
The trip marked the conclusion of what was an admittedly mixed 2024 campaign. D.C. was good in parts, and woeful in others. It all culminated in the club missing out on playoffs on the final day of the season.
The response from the organization? Make a litany of roster moves, and address some key areas, but neglect to bring in another star player to accompany their big-name striker. Still, for those in decision-making roles, this has been a scientific offseason, one that prioritized depth over big names with a view to building a club that has significant ambitions.
“Part of it was just the lack of depth that we had,” Ally Mackay, the club's general manager and chief soccer officer, told GOAL. “And I think that's something we've been able to rectify in the off-season. Obviously, there were a lot of players at the last game of the season that are no longer with us.”
