By ChestRockwell of BlackandRedUnited.com
The big move for D.C. United going into the 2007 season was to sign a relatively obscure Brazilian striker named Luciano Emilio. Emilio had been something of a journeyman, but made his name in the Honduran league, where he had scored 74 goals in 104 matches for Real Espana and CD Olimpia. Few (if any) United fans knew anything about the guy, though the club's front office indicated that they'd been monitoring him for a year or two.
The payoff was immediate: Emilio was the 2007 MVP, scored 20 goals on the way to the Golden Boot, he sang songs after practice, DC won the Supporters Shield, and the fans were happy.
Since then, United's good moves have almost all come via the Academy, the draft, or trades within MLS. Our foreign signings, on the other hand, have either been poor (Danny Allsopp, Christian Castillo, and Gonzalo Peralta), too old (Carlos Varela), stopped caring about being here (Marcelo Gallardo and Gonzalo Martinez), or were flat-out bizarre (Franco Niell). Take away picking up Charlie Davies on loan, and our most successful signing from abroad is probably Dejan Jakovic. Over the same period of time, MLS clubs have signed guys like Mauro Rosales, Teemu Tainio, Juninho, and Javier Morales without offering Designated Player salaries.
You can read the rest of the story here: D.C. United Should Look To CONCACAF Champions League For 2012 Reinforcements
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