Photo by Brad Mills/ USA Today Sports
By RYAN TOLMICH
Bill Hamid’s success with D.C. United has seen the goalkeeper earn the attention of clubs all over the world, but it appears that Hamid is set to stay in the nation’s capital for the considerable future.
D.C. United announced Friday that Hamid has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with the club. Hamid was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014 and has made two appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
“We are thrilled to secure Bill’s services and that he will continue to be a part of his hometown club,” said D.C. United General Manager and Vice President of Soccer Operations Dave Kasper. “D.C. United’s first Homegrown player has developed into an outstanding goalkeeper and we believe his best years are still ahead of him.”
The 24-year-old goalkeeper made his debut for the club as a Homegrown product in 2010, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to start an MLS game at 19 years and 161 days old.
This season, Hamid has registered three clean sheets at 22 saves in five appearances.
What do you think of Hamid’s extension? What do you expect from him in the coming seasons?
Share your thoughts below.
Bill is still young and will undoubtedly move to Europe at some point, however as a DC supporter I think it is only right that Bill be with the team when the new stadium is opened, especially if the DCU brass have made sure he will be properly compensated for his loyalty.
He needs to move now, before its too late but if you ask me, he would do good in Germany. A high speed league that doesn’t have a lot of attention and can help him grow more .
Doesn’t have a lot of attention? Not sure what that’s supposed to mean.
I think our keepers as a whole have proven they can play anywhere. That doesn’t mean Hamid would automatically fit in to whatever team, but just saying if there is one position we over which we don’t have to assume our instinctive posture of underling defensiveness, it’s keeper. And for that matter, with this one position it isn’t clear that playing in a high vis league has any bearing on development. One of the greatest keeper performances in World Cup history was by an American who never played above the semi-pro level.
I disagree wholeheartedly. It’s not that one goalie can’t have one good performance, or even a few, while playing in a lower league, but if I have a choice between a keeper from the Bundesliga and the NASL, I’m going for the Bundesliga keeper.
Sight unseen, sure, so would I. But what if you knew the NASL keeper had all sorts of interest from major clubs in Europe, as well as MLS, and chose to stay put in NASL at present? Then, I’m guessing you like anyone would expand the comparison to other factors beyond their clubs/leagues.
Do you think Tim Howard developed more because of his move to England? He’s different now. He’s older, more experienced and less athletic. But is he a substantially better keeper for leaving MLS? I’m not sure.
Now, this is a conversation that pertains only to keepers. I’m sure we agree that playing at higher levels (so long as they see the field) is critical for the other 10 positions.
I absolutely think this is the right move for everyone. United get to keep their goalie, Hamid gets a raise, and both parties can look forward to a bigger transfer fee when he inevitably gets signed by a club in the top four leagues in the world. As a United fan, this makes me very happy.
Top 5 league. People should not overlook France – an excellent technical and physical league.
True dat, but seemingly fifth among five is champions league is any indicator.