WASHINGTON – Lamar Neagle didn't have to show up at his new club for several more weeks.
But D.C. United's newest acquisition and his wife Natalie made an early visit to their future home on Thursday to take part in the club's unveiling of its new logo at trendy Union Market – and earned a rousing round of applause from the large audience of fans and employees when he appeared on stage with several of his new teammates.
“Not bad at all,” the 28-year-old told MLSsoccer.com with a smile afterwards. “Seems like I got a nice welcome, so that's always comforting.”
A Tacoma, Wash., native who's spent most of his professional career with his hometown Seattle Sounders, Neagle enjoyed a career season in 2014 but encountered a tumultuous campaign this year that left him ready for a change of scenery.
“It's always sad leaving home,” he said. “After three years playing in Seattle, I think it's time. I've left Seattle before and played for other teams, and I never got a welcome like this. It's kind of nice this time around that people seem excited for me to be playing on the team.”
Shorn of their high-profile attacking duo of Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins in mid-summer, the Sounders turned to Neagle for offensive production just as he hit a rough patch of form. He would finish the season with just four goals and two assists in 2,028 minutes of league action – and by fall, he saw the writing on the wall, as newer acquisitions had jumped ahead of him on the depth chart.
“I think anybody who was following the team can say that,” he said. “I wasn't in the 18[-man game-day roster] towards the end, so I could kind of see where it was going. It wasn't a total surprise to see that I was going to be traded at the end of the year.
“They said it might've worked out where I stayed, but I think career-wise it was best for me to leave.”
As they did with current standouts like Chris Rolfe, Fabian Espindola and Davy Arnaud, D.C. United's technical staff have identified Neagle as a value-rich pickup well-suited for coach Ben Olsen's blue-collar system.
- Get more D.C. news at DCUnited.com
“He's a guy we've liked from afar for the last several years,” said Olsen. “We think he fits us, with his ability to run off the ball, really stretch defenses. His ability to score is obviously going to help us on the scoresheet. And he plays with a real passion that you know I love. I think he's going to fit right in.”
Neagle's optimal spot on the field was a topic of some discussion in Seattle. For the moment, D.C. plan to use him primarily as a wide midfielder, though Olsen praised the versatility that makes him an option up top as well.
In the meantime, Neagle and his wife, a registered nurse who he says has an impressive track record of finding employment wherever his soccer career has taken them, will be scouting neighborhoods this week as they prepare to settle into an unfamiliar but intriguing locale.
“This weekend we're looking around and seeing what area we want to live in. My wife already has a good idea of where she would like to be,” he said. “Any American would probably love to live in D.C. This is an area that has a bunch of history and culture, and some exciting times coming up next year with the election, so me and my wife are definitely excited to tour the city and see the sights.”
