D.C. United are sorely in need of help if they are to turn their disappointing season around, and they may have just gotten some in the form of Alain Rochat.
United acquired the Quebec-born, Swiss-raised defender/midfielder via trade from the Vancouver Whitecaps on Thursday, sending a natural second-round selection in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and conditional pick for 2016 for the versatile 30-year-old. Rochat had spent much of the past three seasons in Vancouver and will be able fill in at a number of positions for the Eastern Conference cellar dwellers.
“Alain will provide us with immediate help with his experience and leadership,” D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper said in a statement released by the club. “He is a highly technical and intelligent player who can play on the backline or in the midfield. We are very pleased to welcome Alain to D.C. United.”
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Rochat started in 65 league games in his two-and-a-half years with the Whitecaps, scoring five goals and assisting on three others during that span. This season, Rochat started 11 of the 12 games he appeared in.
