This past February, D.C. United coach Ben Olsen spoke of his club’s arduous quest to bring in a true goal-scorer, then looked to prized signing Hamdi Salihi and declared, “We think we’ve found him.”
Nine months later, as players cleared out their lockers Tuesday, Olsen coped with the realization Salihi wasn’t the answer he had hoped for.
“I think we’re going to have to continue looking for a striker,” Olsen said. “I thought all of our forwards gave us good moments this year. None of them had a real complete year from a playing and scoring and production standpoint.”
Signed on a transfer from Austrian club Rapid Vienna, for which he scored 53 times in three years, Salihi struggled to find a rhythm in 2012, notching just six goals in 22 games (10 starts).
Considering Salihi was United’s second-highest-paid player in 2012 with guaranteed compensation of $487,460, it seems unlikely the front office will retain the 28-year-old Albanian at his current salary.
“I have nothing else in my head now,” said Salihi, who is under contract for 2013. “In the future, you never know because in this business, things can change every day, especially when it’s the transfer time.”
Jakovic signs new contract
Capping a career year during which he started 21 regular-season matches and played every minute of United’s four-game playoff run, center back Dejan Jakovic on Wednesday inked a new deal to keep him in the nation’s capital.
“I am very excited to extend my time here at D.C. United — I love the club, the city, and especially the fans,” Jakovic said. “The club is moving in the right direction every day, and I am proud to be a part of this special group.”
Jakovic, 27, joined United from Serbian side Red Star Belgrade in 2009. Recovering from a midseason ankle injury, the Canadian found his form down the stretch while developing a solid partnership with Brandon McDonald in central defense.
“We are thrilled to have secured his future at our club,” general manager Dave Kasper said. “It is an important objective of ours to keep our back line intact moving into 2013, and this signing is a big step in that direction.”
Per club and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Lesson learned for Najar
As United were eliminated Sunday in the second leg of the Eastern Conference final, falling on a 4-2 aggregate to the Houston Dynamo with a 1-1 draw, injuries caused the team to start the match without its leaders this year in goals (Chris Pontius), assists (Dwayne De Rosario) and minutes (McDonald).
But also missing was the flair of Andy Najar, who was serving the final match of a three-game suspension for throwing the ball at referee Jair Marrufo during United’s playoff opener against New York.
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