2021 D.C. United season

The 2021 D.C. United season was the club's 26th season of existence, and their 26th consecutive season playing in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing vaccination efforts, the season began on April 17, 2021 (about six weeks later than normal) and ended on November 7, 2021. Despite winning against Toronto FC on the last match of the regular season, the team did not qualify playoffs, making it their second consecutive season in which D.C. United did not qualify for the playoffs. It was the first time since 2011, that United did not qualify for the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

D.C. United

2021 season
General manager	Dave Kasper (until April 14) Lucy Rushton (from April 14)
Head coach	Hernán Losada
Stadium	Audi Field
MLS	Conference: 8th Overall: 16th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Canceled
Atlantic Cup	Winners
Capital Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: Ola Kamara (19) All: Ola Kamara (19)
Highest home attendance	18,034 (10/16 v. NSH)
Lowest home attendance	3,935 (5/13 v. CHI)
Average home league attendance	12,791
Biggest win	DC 7–1 TOR (7/3)
Biggest defeat	NYCFC 6–0 DC (10/23)
Home colors Away colors
← 2020 2022 →

Beyond MLS play, D.C. United would have participated in the 2021 U.S. Open Cup, which was initially to begin on May 4, before again being delayed by about six weeks and then ultimately being canceled in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

Further information: 2020 D.C. United season and Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football

Offseason

The 2021 season was the first season since 2010 where Ben Olsen was not the club's head coach, as he was fired before the end of the 2020 season while Chad Ashton filled in as the interim head coach. After the 2020 season ended, the team began interviewing multiple candidates for the vacancy. Among the candidates included Ashton, former New York Red Bulls manager Chris Armas, former USWNT coach Jill Ellis, Columbus Crew assistant coach and former LA Galaxy assistant Ezra Hendrickson, and Seattle Sounders FC assistant coach Gonzalo Pineda. However, the team was either unable or unwilling to hire any of those candidates for undisclosed reasons. After a couple months of interviews and expanding the search to Europe, D.C. United officially announced the signing of former Argentine player and current head coach of Beerschot, Hernán Losada, on January 18, 2021.^[1]

On the player front, D.C. United declined options on six different players, letting their deals expire. The team also traded Ulises Segura to expansion side Austin FC for cash considerations. Meanwhile, the team signed D.C. United Academy and Loudoun United defender Jacob Greene to a Homegrown Contract. Later, the team picked up forward Adrien Perez from LAFC in the MLS Re-Entry Draft, and acquired Jon Kempin from Columbus to add depth to their goalkeeping corps in exchange for their third-round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. D.C. added a few more players during the offseason, signing both of their first-round picks in the SuperDraft (Kimarni Smith and Michael DeShields) to first-team deals and later adding Dutch forward Nigel Robertha. In addition, the team took in two players on loan: American defender Brendan Hines-Ike from KV Kortrijk in Belgium, and Venezuelan forward Jovanny Bolívar from Deportivo La Guaira.

With multiple players injured or recovering from injury during the preseason, D.C. signed two additional defenders just before the season-opening match: the veteran and former DCU Academy graduate Andy Najar, and Mexican defender Tony Alfaro, and put them both on the gameday roster.

MLS Season

With multiple prospective starters on the injury list or not match-fit to Losada's liking, Losada was forced to be creative with his opening day lineup. Among those decisions: Chris Seitz was given the start in goal, Alfaro started at CB despite being signed only a few days prior, and Erik Sorga was given the starting job as the main striker. DC fell behind early as their opponents, NYCFC, got the first goal 15 minutes into the match. Shortly after that, DC woke up and scored a pair of goals from outside the box, with Hines-Ike and Canouse each scoring a goal before the end of the first half. DC would end up winning their first match of the season 2–1. The match was also notable for giving Robertha and Perez their first minutes in a D.C. United jersey, along with Najar's return to the field for D.C. since leaving in 2013, as they were subbed in late into the match.

The following match against the New England Revolution used the same starting lineup, but it turned into a grinding affair with neither team really able to pull ahead. The only action was Hines-Ike accidentally deflecting a Revolution cross into his own net to give DC their first loss of the season, 1–0.

Management team

Position	Name
Chairman	Jason Levien
Co-Chairman	Stephen Kaplan
General Manager	Dave Kasper
Technical Director	Stewart Mairs
Head coach	Hernán Losada
Assistant coach	Nicolás Frutos
Assistant coach	Oka Nikolov
Assistant coach	Chad Ashton
Goalkeeping coach	Zach Thornton

Roster

Squad No.	Name	Nationality	Position(s)	Date of birth (Age)	Apps	Goals	Assists	Signed from
Goalkeepers
1	Chris Seitz		GK	(1987-03-12) March 12, 1987 (age 38)	8	0	0	Houston Dynamo
21	Jon Kempin		GK	(1993-04-08) April 8, 1993 (age 32)	0	0	0	Columbus Crew
24	Bill Hamid		GK	(1990-11-25) November 25, 1990 (age 34)	238	0	0	Midtjylland
Defenders
3	Chris Odoi-Atsem		RB	(1995-05-27) May 27, 1995 (age 30)	30	1	0	Maryland Terrapins
4	Brendan Hines-Ike		CB	(1994-11-30) November 30, 1994 (age 30)	1	1	0	KV Kortrijk (loan)
13	Frédéric Brillant		CB	(1985-06-26) June 26, 1985 (age 40)	67	3	4	New York City FC
14	Andy Najar		RB	(1993-03-16) March 16, 1993 (age 32)	83	10	11	Los Angeles FC
15	Steve Birnbaum		CB	(1991-01-23) January 23, 1991 (age 34)	163	8	3	California Golden Bears
23	Donovan Pines		CB	(1998-03-07) March 7, 1998 (age 27)	10	0	0	Maryland Terrapins
28	Joseph Mora		LB	(1993-01-15) January 15, 1993 (age 32)	51	0	3	Saprissa
33	Jacob Greene		LB / RB	(2003-03-23) March 23, 2003 (age 22)	0	0	0	D.C. United Academy
35	Michael DeShields		CB	(1998-04-23) April 23, 1998 (age 27)	0	0	0	Wake Forest Demon Deacons
93	Tony Alfaro		CB	(1993-06-15) June 15, 1993 (age 32)	1	0	0	Reno 1868
Midfielders
5	Júnior Moreno		DM	(1993-07-20) July 20, 1993 (age 32)	50	0	5	Zulia
6	Russell Canouse		DM	(1995-06-11) June 11, 1995 (age 30)	57	2	2	TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
7	Paul Arriola		RM	(1995-02-05) February 5, 1995 (age 30)	68	14	12	Tijuana
10	Edison Flores		AM / LW	(1994-05-14) May 14, 1994 (age 31)	14	0	4	Monarcas Morelia
11	Yamil Asad		LM / LW	(1994-07-24) July 24, 1994 (age 31)	55	12	7	Vélez Sarsfield
12	Drew Skundrich		CM	(1995-09-17) September 17, 1995 (age 29)	0	0	0	Loudoun United
18	Felipe		CM	(1990-09-30) September 30, 1990 (age 34)	17	0	1	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
27	Moses Nyeman		CM	(2003-11-05) November 5, 2003 (age 21)	11	0	0	D.C. United Academy
30	Kevin Paredes		MF	(2003-05-07) May 7, 2003 (age 22)	17	0	1	D.C. United Academy
31	Julian Gressel		RM	(1993-12-16) December 16, 1993 (age 31)	23	2	0	Atlanta United FC
	Jeremy Garay		MF	(2003-04-01) April 1, 2003 (age 22)	0	0	0	D.C. United Academy
Forwards
9	Ola Kamara		ST	(1989-10-15) October 15, 1989 (age 35)	27	7	0	Shenzhen
16	Adrien Perez		FW	(1995-10-13) October 13, 1995 (age 29)	1	0	0	Los Angeles FC
17	Kimarni Smith		FW	(1998-03-14) March 14, 1998 (age 27)	0	0	0	Clemson Tigers
19	Nigel Robertha		FW	(1998-03-13) March 13, 1998 (age 27)	1	0	0	Levski Sofia
20	Jovanny Bolívar		FW	(2001-12-16) December 16, 2001 (age 23)	0	0	0	Deportivo La Guaira (loan)
22	Griffin Yow		FW	(2002-09-25) September 25, 2002 (age 22)	12	2	0	D.C. United Academy
29	Yordy Reyna		ST	(1993-09-17) September 17, 1993 (age 31)	5	0	0	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
32	Ramón Ábila		ST	(1989-10-14) October 14, 1989 (age 35)	0	0	0	Boca Juniors (loan)[note 1]

1. Though acquired off MLS waivers from Minnesota United FC, Abila's acquisition is considered an extension of his current loan agreement between Boca Juniors and MLS, as DC United paid $200,000 of the loan fee to Boca Juniors to complete the transfer.

Transfers

In

Date	Position	No.	Name	From	Fee/notes	Ref.
November 25, 2020	DF	33	Jacob Greene	D.C. United Academy	Homegrown Player	[2]
January 6, 2021	FW	16	Adrien Perez	Los Angeles FC	2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft	[3]
January 8, 2021	GK	21	Jon Kempin	Columbus Crew	Traded for third round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	[4]
February 5, 2021	DF	35	Michael DeShields	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	Signed from the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	[5]
March 8, 2021	FW	17	Kimarni Smith	Clemson Tigers	Signed from the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	[6]
March 23, 2021	FW	19	Nigel Robertha	Levski Sofia		[7]
April 15, 2021	DF	14	Andy Najar	Los Angeles FC		[8]
	DF	93	Tony Alfaro	Reno 1868		[8]
May 12, 2021	MF	12	Drew Skundrich	Loudoun United	2021 guaranteed, 2022–23 team options	[9]
July 2, 2021	MF		Jeremy Garay	D.C. United Academy	Homegrown Player	[10]

Out

Date	Position	No.	Name	To	Fee/notes	Ref.
November 30, 2020	MF	25	Mohammed Abu	Vålerenga	End of loan	[11]
	GK	36	Earl Edwards Jr.	New England Revolution	Option Declined	[11]
	DF	91	Oniel Fisher	L.A. Galaxy	Option Declined	[11]
	FW	20	Gelmin Rivas	Al-Shorta	Option Declined	[11]
	DF	44	Axel Sjöberg	San Antonio FC	Option Declined	[11]
December 13, 2020	MF	8	Ulises Segura	Austin FC	$150,000 GAM	[12]

Loan in

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned from	Start	End	Source
4	DF	Brendan Hines-Ike	Kortrijk	March 10, 2021	December 31, 2021	[13]
20	FW	Jovanny Bolívar	Guaira	March 10, 2021	December 31, 2021	[14]
32	FW	Ramón Ábila	Boca Juniors	August 12, 2021	December 31, 2021	[15]

Loan out

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned to	Start	End	Source
35	DF	Michael DeShields	Loudoun United	May 1, 2021	October 30, 2021
17	FW	Kimarni Smith	Loudoun United	June 25, 2021	October 30, 2021	[16]
50	FW	Erik Sorga	VVV-Venlo	August 12, 2021	December 31, 2021	[17]

MLS SuperDraft picks

Main article: 2021 MLS SuperDraft

2021 D.C. United SuperDraft Picks
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Status
1	4	Kimarni Smith	FW	Clemson	Signed to first team[6]
1	5	Michael DeShields	DF	Wake Forest	Signed to first team[5]
2	32	Logan Panchot	MF/DF	Stanford	Signed with Loudoun United FC[18]

Non-competitive

Preseason

D.C. United v Greenville Triumph SC

March 20	D.C. United	1–1	Greenville Triumph SC	Cary
14:00 EST	Smith 29'	Report	McLean 27'	Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0

D.C. United v Loudoun United FC

March 26	D.C. United	5–1	Loudoun United FC	Washington
15:00 EST	Kamara 19' Brillant 30' Unsigned Player 72' Unsigned Player 88' Unsigned Player 90'	Report	Amoustapha 84'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 0

Philadelphia Union v D.C. United

March 31	Philadelphia Union	2–0	D.C. United	Chester
3:00 pm	Fontana 3', 37' Bedoya  74'	Report	Moreno  67'	Stadium: Subaru Park Attendance: 0

D.C. United v New York City FC

April 4	D.C. United	1–2	New York City FC	Chester
15:00 EST	Smith 29' (Flores) Moreno  44'	Report	Castellanos 25' (Þórarinsson),  44' Jasson 50'	Stadium: Power Training Complex Attendance: 0

New York Red Bulls v D.C. United

April 10	New York Red Bulls	1–1	D.C. United	Harrison
13:00 EST	63' (pen.)		Sorga 52'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 0

Midseason friendlies

D.C. United v Alajuelense

July 7 Capital Cup first leg	D.C. United	1–0	Alajuelense	Washington
20:00 EDT	Felipe 86'	Report		Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 6,000

Alajuelense v D.C. United

July 11 Capital Cup second leg	Alajuelense	0–1 (0–2 agg.)	D.C. United	Washington
20:00 EDT		Report	Bolívar 68'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 5,000

D.C. United v Puebla

July 11	D.C. United	—	Puebla	Washington
20:00 EDT				Stadium: Audi Field
Note: Match cancelled after Club Puebla withdrew due to COVID-19 protocols.

D.C. United v Alianza

July 14	D.C. United	1–0	Alianza	Washington
20:30 EDT	Ferrin 72'	Report		Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 3,192

Competitive

Major League Soccer

Main article: 2021 Major League Soccer season

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
6	Orlando City SC	34	13	9	12	50	48	+2	51	Qualification for the playoffs first round
7	New York Red Bulls	34	13	12	9	39	33	+6	48
8	D.C. United	34	14	15	5	56	54	+2	47
9	Columbus Crew	34	13	13	8	46	45	+1	47
10	CF Montréal[a]	34	12	12	10	46	44	+2	46	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League[b]

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Notes:

1. Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
2. As 2021 Canadian Championship winners

Overall table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
14	New York Red Bulls	34	13	12	9	39	33	+6	48
15	LA Galaxy	34	13	12	9	50	54	−4	48
16	D.C. United	34	14	15	5	56	54	+2	47
17	Columbus Crew	34	13	13	8	46	45	+1	47
18	CF Montréal (V)	34	12	12	10	46	44	+2	46	Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League[a]

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
(V) Canadian Championship winner
Notes:

1. As 2021 Canadian Championship winners (CAN1)

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
22	30	9	10	3	35	32	+3	7	3	0	18	8	+10	2	7	3	17	24	−7

Source:
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Stadium	H	A	A	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A
Result	W	L	L	L	W	L	L	W	W	D	L	W	L	D	W	D	W	W	L	L	L	W	D

Source: D.C. United schedule
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Match results

D.C. United v New York City FC

April 17 1	D.C. United	2–1	New York City FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Brillant  9' Hines-Ike 39' Canouse 44' Gressel  77'	Report	Castellanos 15',  74' Tinnerholm  82'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Ted Unkel

New England Revolution v D.C. United

April 24 2	New England Revolution	1–0	D.C. United	Foxborough
20:00 EDT	Traustason  32' Hines-Ike 48' (o.g.) Kaptoum  60' Farrell  80' Buksa  89'	Report	Canouse  25' Moreno  58' Hines-Ike  90+4'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 8,000

San Jose Earthquakes v D.C. United

May 1 3	San Jose Earthquakes	4–1	D.C. United	San Jose
22:00 EDT	López 1',  69' Cowell 26' Marie  35' Yueill 43', 85' Remedi  88'	Report	Alfaro  18', 31' Nyeman  68'	Stadium: Earthquakes Stadium Attendance: 3,600

Columbus Crew v D.C. United

May 8 4	Columbus Crew	3–1	D.C. United	Columbus
13:30 EDT	Zelarayán 20' Afful  29' Williams  30' Francis  58' Brillant 63' (o.g.) Alfaro 83' (o.g.)	Report	Asad  42' Kamara 82'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Attendance: 5,180

D.C. United v Chicago Fire FC

May 13 5	D.C. United	1–0	Chicago Fire FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Hines-Ike  4' Flores 7' Gressel  47'	Report	Omsberg  19' Frankowski  52' Herbers  64'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 3,935

D.C. United v Orlando City SC

May 16 6	D.C. United	0–1	Orlando City SC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Hines-Ike  42' Brillant  90+7'	Report	Pereyra 7' Moutinho  61' Pereyra  69' Mueller  90+3' Nani  90+5'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 5,280 Referee: Alex Chilowicz

D.C. United v Philadelphia Union

May 23 7	D.C. United	0–1	Philadelphia Union	Washington, D.C.
19:00 EDT		Report	Przybyłko 45+1' Martínez  65' Blake  90+5'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 6,200 Referee: Tim Ford

Inter Miami CF v D.C. United

May 29 8	Inter Miami CF	0–3	D.C. United	Fort Lauderdale
20:00 EDT	Figal  52'	Report	Kamara 15, 71' Arriola 21'  52' Paredes  52' Hines-Ike  90+2'	Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 15,945 Referee: Armando Villarreal

D.C. United v Inter Miami CF

June 19 9	D.C. United	1–0	Inter Miami CF	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Paredes  25' Felipe  37' Kamara 72' (pen.)	Report	Makoun  23' Carranza  37' Gregore  47'  56'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 15,500 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

CF Montréal v D.C. United

June 23 10	CF Montréal	0–0	D.C. United	Fort Lauderdale
19:30 EDT	Bassong  35'  45'	Report		Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 0
Note: Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the match is expected to take place at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. CF Montréal will play as the home team for this match.

New York City FC v D.C. United

June 27 11	New York City FC	2–1	D.C. United	Harrison, New Jersey
18:00 EDT	Parks 84' Andrade 90+5'	Report	Robertha 9'  70' Mora  52' Najar  78'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 4,533 Referee: Robert Sibiga
Note: The match was played at Red Bull Arena instead of Yankee Stadium due to scheduling conflicts. New York City FC played as the home team.

D.C. United v Toronto FC

July 3 12	D.C. United	7–1	Toronto FC	Washington, D.C.
17:30 EDT	Paredes 2' Robertha 8' Priso 21' (o.g.) Gressel  57' Arriola 71' Kamara 81' Asad 85' Yow 90'	Report	Gonzalez  35' Akinola 39' Osorio  45+2' Zavaleta  75'  78'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Lukasz Szpala

Philadelphia Union v D.C. United

July 17 13	Philadelphia Union	2–1	D.C. United	Chester
19:30 EDT	Santos 10' Martínez  22' Przybyłko 83'	Report	Asad  27', 51' (pen.) Reyna  45+1'	Stadium: Subaru Park Attendance: 16,821 Referee: Alex Chilowicz
Note: The match was suspended before 9:30 PM ET at the 87th minute due to inclement weather. The match later resumed at 11:20 PM ET.[19]

Chicago Fire v D.C. United

July 21 14	Chicago Fire	2–2	D.C. United	Chicago
20:00 EDT	Giménez 32',  62' Najar 61' (o.g.) Medrán  65'	Report	Najar  55' Paredes 82' Skundrich  84' Kamara 87' (pen.)	Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 8,306 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

D.C. United v New York Red Bulls

July 25 15	D.C. United	1–0	New York Red Bulls	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Alfaro  12' Kamara 27' Brillant  87' Hamid  90+6'	Report	Fábio  46' Klimala  69' Edwards  80' Cásseres Jr.  83'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 15,912 Referee: Alan Kelly

FC Cincinnati v D.C. United

July 31 16	FC Cincinnati	0–0	D.C. United	Cincinnati
19:30 EDT	Gyau  36' Acosta  60' Hagglund  64'	Report	Moreno  15' Mora  41'  90+2' Nyeman  52' Reyna  72'	Stadium: West End Stadium Attendance: 25,060 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

Columbus Crew v D.C. United

August 4 17	Columbus Crew	2–4	D.C. United	Columbus
19:30 EDT	Keita  24' Etienne  30' Mensah  45+1' Molino 65' Zelarayán 71'	Report	Kamara 19', 45+3' (pen.) Reyna 40', 74' Alfaro  66'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 18,398 Referee: Victor Rivas

D.C. United v CF Montréal

August 8 18	D.C. United	2–1	CF Montréal	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Najar 40' Kamara 54'	Report	Waterman  3' Brault-Guillard 16' Miller  57'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 14,169 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

Nashville SC v D.C. United

August 15 19	Nashville SC	5–2	D.C. United	Nashville
19:00 EDT	Sapong 14', 31' Mukhtar 37' Muyl 80', 87' (pen.)	Report	Brillant 3' Kamara 41'	Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 20,022 Referee: Drew Fischer

New England Revolution v D.C. United

August 18 20	New England Revolution	3–2	D.C. United	Foxborough
19:00 EDT	Traustason  33'  72' Kaptoum  42' McNamara 49' Buchanan 53' DeLaGarza  60' Jones 85'	Report	Arriola 10' Asad  32' Birnbaum  78' Ábila 90+6'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 11,419 Referee: Ted Unkel

D.C. United v Atlanta United FC

August 21 21	D.C. United	1–2	Atlanta United FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Alfaro  50' Reyna 54' Canouse  58' J. Moreno  73' Gressel  75'	Report	Martínez 25' Bello  29' M. Moreno 82'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 17,180 Referee: Nima Saghafi

D.C. United v Philadelphia Union

August 28 22	D.C. United	3–1	Philadelphia Union	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Kamara 36' (pen.) Reyna 49' Najar  55' Ábila 90+5'	Report	Birnbaum 22' (o.g.) Elliott  59'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 16,593 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

New York Red Bulls v D.C. United

September 11 23	New York Red Bulls	1–1	D.C. United	Harrison, NJ
19:00 EDT	Yearwood 5' Nealis  44' Edwards  75'	Report	Kamara 44' (pen.) Skundrich  50'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Referee: Robert Sibiga

D.C. United v Chicago Fire

September 15 24	D.C. United	3–0	Chicago Fire	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Kamara 9' (pen.), 35' (pen.), 44' Pines  12' Gressel  53'	Report	Terán  7' Giménez  11'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 13,524 Referee: David Gantar

Atlanta United v D.C. United

September 18 25	Atlanta United	3–2	D.C. United	Atlanta
15:30 EDT	Barco 18' Martínez 64' Franco  65' Araújo  81' Bello 87'	Report	Brillant  27' J. Moreno  34' Paredes  50' Felipe 75' Alfaro  77' Flores 90+4'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 42,608 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

D.C. United v FC Cincinnati

September 25 26	D.C. United	4–2	FC Cincinnati	Washington, D.C.
19:30 EDT	Arriola 7', 41' Birnbaum 21' Hamid  34' Robertha 72'	Report	Vázquez 80' Acosta 84'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 16,069 Referee: Chris Penso

D.C. United v Minnesota United FC

September 29 27	D.C. United	3–1	Minnesota United FC	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Kamara 23' Gressel 45' Birnbaum  59' Arriola  66' Moreno 85'	Report	Hayes  18' Dibassy 40' Trapp  43' Kallman  79' Gasper  88'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 12,262 Referee: Ramy Touchan

Orlando City v D.C. United

October 2 28	Orlando City	2–1	D.C. United	Orlando
19:30 EDT	Jansson 17' Dike 90+7'	Report	Gressel 6' Vázquez  20' Canouse  67' Hamid  90+5'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 16,848 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

D.C. United v Nashville SC

October 16 29	D.C. United	0–0	Nashville SC	Washington, D.C.
19:30 EDT	Canouse  33' Mora  46'	Report	Mukhtar  62' McCarty  90+4'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 18,034 Referee: Ismail Elfath

D.C. United v New England Revolution

October 20 30	D.C. United	2–3	New England Revolution	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Felipe  18' Robertha 53' Ábila 90+3'	Report	Polster  45' Buksa 61' Gil 64' Bou 79'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 13,387 Referee: Nima Saghafi

New York City FC v D.C. United

October 23 31	New York City FC	6–0	D.C. United	Harrison
19:30 EDT	Andrade 1' Castellanos 7', 11' Sands  33' Moralez 43' Callens 52' Medina 74'	Report	Canouse  3' Birnbaum  54'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Referee: Joseph Dickerson

D.C. United v New York Red Bulls

October 27 32	D.C. United	1–0	New York Red Bulls	Washington, D.C.
20:00 EDT	Paredes 9' Moreno  36' Najar  64'	Report		Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 14,109 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

D.C. United v Columbus Crew

October 30 33	D.C. United	1–3	Columbus Crew	Washington, D.C.
19:30 EDT	Arriola 3',  32' Felipe  79'	Report	Valenzuela  42' Zelarayán 45' (pen.), 76' Santos 66'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 16,787 Referee: Drew Fischer

Toronto FC v D.C. United

November 7 34	Toronto FC	1–3	D.C. United	Toronto
15:30 PM EST	Laryea 18' Dwyer  74'	Report	Birnbaum 13',  90' Kamara 30' (pen.), 36' Felipe  65' Pines  76' Mora  85'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 11,166 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2021 U.S. Open Cup

The U.S. Open Cup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic for a second consecutive year.

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		MLS Cup		Capital Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Chris Seitz	5	0	4+0	0	0	0	0+1	0
3	DF	USA	Chris Odoi-Atsem	2	0	1+1	0	0	0	0	0
4	DF	USA	Brendan Hines-Ike	11	1	11+0	1	0	0	0	0
5	MF	VEN	Júnior Moreno	19	0	19+0	0	0	0	0	0
6	MF	USA	Russell Canouse	14	1	14+0	1	0	0	0	0
7	MF	USA	Paul Arriola	14	3	13+1	3	0	0	0	0
8	MF	BRA	Felipe Martins	21	2	5+15	1	0	0	1+0	1
9	FW	NOR	Ola Kamara	19	16	13+6	16	0	0	0	0
10	MF	PER	Edison Flores	13	2	10+3	2	0	0	0	0
11	MF	ARG	Yamil Asad	18	2	8+8	2	0	0	2+0	0
12	MF	USA	Drew Skundrich	14	0	8+6	0	0	0	0	0
13	DF	FRA	Frédéric Brillant	20	1	14+4	1	0	0	2+0	0
14	DF	HON	Andy Najar	19	1	16+3	1	0	0	0	0
15	DF	USA	Steve Birnbaum	14	0	9+3	0	0	0	2+0	0
16	FW	USA	Adrien Perez	13	0	9+4	0	0	0	0	0
17	FW	ENG	Kimarni Smith	4	0	1+2	0	0	0	0+1	0
18	MF	USA	Nicky Downs	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
19	FW	CUW	Nigel Robertha	10	2	4+5	2	0	0	1+0	0
20	FW	VEN	Jovanny Bolívar	1	1	0	0	0	0	1+0	1
21	GK	USA	Jon Kempin	12	0	9+1	0	0	0	2+0	0
22	FW	USA	Griffin Yow	11	1	1+8	1	0	0	2+0	0
23	DF	USA	Donovan Pines	9	0	8+1	0	0	0	0	0
24	GK	USA	Bill Hamid	12	0	12+0	0	0	0	0	0
26	DF	CIV	Gaoussou Samaké	1	0	0	0	0	0	1+0	0
27	MF	LBR	Moses Nyeman	19	0	10+8	0	0	0	1+0	0
28	DF	CRC	Joseph Mora	21	0	13+6	0	0	0	2+0	0
29	FW	PER	Yordy Reyna	15	4	6+8	4	0	0	1+0	0
30	MF	USA	Kevin Paredes	18	2	14+4	2	0	0	0	0
31	MF	GER	Julian Gressel	25	0	22+3	0	0	0	0	0
32	FW	ARG	Ramón Ábila	6	2	0+6	2	0	0	0	0
33	DF	USA	Jacob Greene	2	0	0	0	0	0	1+1	0
35	DF	TRI	Michael DeShields	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	MF	CIV	Nanan Houssou	2	0	0	0	0	0	0+2	0
41	FW	NIG	Kairou Amoustapha	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
50	FW	EST	Erik Sorga	4	0	2+2	0	0	0	0	0
51	DF	SLV	Allexon Saravia	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
93	DF	MEX	Tony Alfaro	22	0	18+3	0	0	0	1+0	0

• Last updated: September 22, 2021
• Source: Soccerway

Top scorers

Rank	Position	Number	Name	MLS	MLS Cup	Total
1	FW	9	Ola Kamara	16	0	16
2	FW	29	Yordy Reyna	4	0	4
3	MF	7	Paul Arriola	3	0	3
4	MF	10	Edison Flores	2	0	2
	MF	11	Yamil Asad	2	0	2
	FW	19	Nigel Robertha	2	0	2
	MF	30	Kevin Paredes	2	0	2
	FW	32	Ramón Ábila	2	0	2
9	DF	4	Brendan Hines-Ike	1	0	1
	MF	6	Russell Canouse	1	0	1
	DF	13	Frédéric Brillant	1	0	1
	DF	14	Andy Najar	1	0	1
	FW	22	Griffin Yow	1	0	1
	MF	8	Felipe Martins	1	0	1

Top assists

Rank	Position	Number	Name	MLS	MLS Cup	Total
1	MF	31	Julian Gressel	5	0	5
2	FW	9	Ola Kamara	3	0	3
	DF	14	Andy Najar	3	0	3
4	MF	7	Paul Arriola	2	0	2
	MF	10	Edison Flores	2	0	2
	MF	5	Júnior Moreno	2	0	2
	FW	16	Adrien Perez	2	0	2
8	FW	29	Yordy Reyna	1	0	1
	MF	11	Yamil Asad	1	0	1
	MF	6	Russell Canouse	1	0	1
	MF	8	Felipe Martins	1	0	1
	FW	22	Griffin Yow	1	0	1
	DF	93	Tony Alfaro	1	0	1
	MF	12	Drew Skundrich	1	0	1
	MF	27	Moses Nyeman	1	0	1

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Player	MLS			MLS Cup			U.S. Open Cup			Total

Awards

Awards will be announced as the season begins.