2016 D.C. United season
No Pos Player Transferred From Fee/Notes Date
13 MF Lamar Neagle Seattle Sounders Trade December 7 , 2015
12 FW Patrick Nyarko Chicago Fire Traded for SuperDraft pick January 6 , 2016
33 MF Julian Büscher Syracuse Orange 2016 MLS SuperDraft 1st round pick January 14 , 2016
16 MF Paul Clowes Clemson Tigers 2016 MLS SuperDraft 2nd round pick January 14 , 2016
DF Liam Doyle Ohio State Buckeyes 2016 MLS SuperDraft 4th round pick January 19 , 2016
7 MF Marcelo Sarvas Colorado Rapids Approximately $ 180,000 February 1 , 2016
11 MF Luciano Acosta Boca Juniors On loan , with buyout option February 15 , 2016
26 MF Rob Vincent Pittsburgh Riverhounds Undisclosed Fee February 17 , 2016
30 GK Charlie Horton Leeds United Free Transfer February 29 , 2016
41 MF Andrea Mancini Szombathelyi Haladás Free Transfer March 27 , 2016
1 GK Tally Hall Orlando City Free Transfer April 1 , 2016
45 FW Alhaji Kamara Norrköping Free Transfer May 10 , 2016
21 MF Chris Durkin Richmond Kickers Signed as a Homegrown Player June 14 , 2016
8 MF Lloyd Sam New York Red Bulls Acquired in exchange for General Allocation Money July 7 , 2016
16 FW Patrick Mullins New York City F.C Acquired in exchange for General Allocation Money and international roster slot July 20 , 2016
77 FW Kennedy Igboananike Chicago Fire Acquired in exchange for Targeted Allocation Money and a 3rd round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft July 29 , 2016
Transfers -- In
The 2016 D.C. United season was the club's twenty-first season of existence, and their twenty-first in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. The 2016 season began in February 2016, with United playing Liga MX club, Querétaro, in the quarterfinal series of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League. United ultimately lost 1-3 on aggregate to Querétaro and were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the second consecutive season. United began the Major League regular season winless in their first five matches, before winning at home 4-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Through the spring and summer, United maintained a playoff bubble position in the Eastern Conference table. Additionally, during this time, United was bumped from the fourth round of the 2016 U.S. Open Cup by NASL club, Fort Lauderdale Strikers. In the fall, United went on a regular season surge, which saw the Black-and-Red win four of their final five games, allowing them to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference and tied for ninth overall. This resulted in United qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season. In the preliminary round of the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, United lost at home to Montreal Impact, 2-4. The late October loss in the MLS Cup Playoffs was United's last competitive game of the year. United's top scorers during the campaign came from newcomers, both of whom had previous played for MLS franchises: Lamar Neagle from Seattle Sounders FC lead the team with 10 goals across all competitions. Mid-season signee, Patrick Mullins, from New York City FC had eight goals during the campaign.