Donnet joins United >
WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United announced today the signing of Argentine midfielder Matias Donnet. The 26-year-old joins United after three years with Boca Juniors of Argentina. Donnet has been in training with the Black-and-Red since Tuesday, August 15 and will be available for selection in Sunday's MLS match at Chivas USA. He may also make his first appearance as a member of United in Wednesday's friendly with the Richmond Kickers at University of Richmond Stadium in Richmond, VA.
"We are very pleased to have Matias join D.C. United," said United Technical Director Dave Kasper. "He is an extremely experienced player who has won several championships at Boca Juniors. We look forward to providing a new opportunity to Matias and to his future contributions to our club."
Donnet made his professional debut at 18-years old as a member of Union de Sante Fe in Argentina. He spent four seasons at Union, before he moved to Italy's Seria A club Venezia in 2001. Following his stay in Italy, he returned to Argentina for powerhouse Boca Juniors in 2002. While at Boca, he helped the club capture four major titles - the 2003 Copa Libertadores, 2003 Apertura Championship, 2003 Intercontinental Cup and the 2004 Copa Sudamericana. In the Intercontinental Cup, Donnet scored Boca's lone goal against European champion AC Milan. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and Boca went on to win on penalties, earning Boca the honor of being called the best club in the world. In his professional playing career, Donnet has scored 25 goals.
United is in the midst of an impressive 2006 MLS season. The team is 13-3-8 (47 points) and in first place in the Eastern Conference and is 16 points clear of second place Chicago (8-8-7, 31 points). They also lead the race for the Supporter's Shield - given to the team with the best record at the end of the season - sitting eight points ahead of FC Dallas (12-8-3, 39 points). D.C. has also fared well outside of MLS play. The team has advanced to the semifinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - they will travel to Chicago on September 6 - and earned two impressive results in international friendlies. On July 12, United thrashed the reigning Scottish champion Celtic FC 4-0 and on August 9, earned an impressive 1-1 draw against world power Real Madrid.
