Even though D.C. United had the worst record in MLS last season, it didn’t get the first pick in next month’s college draft due to expansion teams Vancouver and Portland joining the league in 2011. Turns out, D.C. didn’t need it.
Thanks to Major League Soccer’s “homegrown rule,” United already had the rights to Maryland defender Ethan White as soon as the 19-year-old sophomore decided to turn pro with MLS because he had come up through the D.C. United academy.
White is D.C.’s fourth homegrown signing, joining Andy Najar, Bill Hamid and Conor Shanosky.
In any other season, a highly regarded local prospect like the 6-foot, 183-pound native of Kensington, Md. — who is a member of the U.S. under-20 national team pool — might’ve been poached in the draft by another team. But under the homegrown rule, United had the priority to reap the benefits of signing a player it had played a role in developing, and White had the chance to sign with the team he had rooted for since he was a boy.
D.C. still picks third in the college draft, too.
