WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United announced Wednesday that the team has signed midfielder Tim Lawson as a replacement for Thiago Martins, who has suffered a season-ending injury. Per league and team policy, the terms of the contract were not disclosed. Lawson, an American citizen, joins the Black-and-Red from SV Elversburg of the Regionalliga Sud (Germany) and will be available for selection in this Saturday's match at Columbus.
"Tim is a versatile player that will add depth and experience to our roster," said United technical director Dave Kasper. "We are excited about this signing and we look forward to his contributions to D.C. United."
Lawson was a four-year letter winner in the midfield for the University of Washington. In his senior year, he tallied nine assists to lead Washington to the NCAA tournament, their third straight appearance during his college career. His single-season assist total ranks fifth all-time among the Huskies. He added five goals, two of which were game-winners, for 19 points on the season. Over four years, he made 70 appearances (34 starts) for the Huskies, scoring 14 goals and totaling 17 assists for 45 points.
After graduating, Lawson played a year with Hibernian and Caledonian FC in Seattle before transferring to SV Elversburg in 1999. At Elversburg, he found a home in the squad, appearing in 118 matches - 98 of them in the starting XI - for the Regionalliga Sud side. In addition to his strong defensive play, Lawson made the occasional foray into the attack, netting a goal in each of his last four seasons.
Lawson led Peninsula HS (Tacoma, WA) to the AA title match in 1993, an overtime loss to West Valley High School. He was also a versatile football player, playing running back and defensive back while handling kicking and kick return duties, earning Pierce County League MVP honors his senior year.
