United’s Branko Bošković takes a free kick during the first half of United’s Eastern Conference Final. (Francis Chung
D.C. United and Branko Bošković have agreed to part ways so that the Montenegrin midfielder may attend to family matters in Europe, the club said in a press release earlier this morning.
Bošković just finished his strongest campaign to date with United, recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2011 campaign. He recorded one goal and seven assists for United in 2012 and was pivotal to the club’s success after fellow midfielder Dwayne De Rosario went down with an MCL sprain in September.
After signing a mid-season contract that would’ve kept him at RFK Stadium through next summer, his departure wasn’t anticipated by many United fans—until Head Coach Ben Olsen mentioned after the club’s loss to Houston last weekend that there were questions surrounding Bošković’s return to the club.
“I have had some private family matters for several months now,” Boskovic said. “It’s a difficult decision for me after a very good season here. I think that we will get better and better, but now I must leave. I wish all the best to this team and this club. This city is going to be my heart in the future.”
“It’s important that Branko return to Europe to be with his family at this time and thus we are mutually terminating his contract,” said Dave Kasper, United’s general manager. “We thank Branko for all of his efforts with United, including some wonderful performances this year that helped us achieve post-season play. We wish Branko all the best in his future endeavors.”
Bošković’s performance (or lack thereof) was long a point of debate among United fans, though he put some of those arguments to rest this year with several clutch performances. Originally brought in as a designated player, he’ll likely still be remembered as a relative bust in the long-term. Though he may not have been worth the $400,000-plus price tag that he was originally signed for, he was a relative bargain after taking a pay cut as part of his new deal. Olsen talked earlier in the year about Bošković having the “highest soccer IQ” on the club (along with Lewis Neal)—and it showed. He was world-class on the ball, and his set-piece delivery was second to none in MLS.
United will next move on to evaluating its options on another high-priced international, Hamdi Salihi. His situation is more complex than Branko’s. The club could look to trade him within MLS, though they’d surely get less than what they paid for him—the price they’ll have to pay for not playing him consistently. If they send him out of the league, they’ll still have to take a salary cap hit..
Team Notes: Goalkeeper Bill Hamid is set to train overseas for several weeks, though it’s still unsure which club. I’ll keep you posted—Follow me at DCist_Pablo throughout the offseason for more frequent updates …. United are currently looking at putting together a pre-season tour. The destination is still TBD, but club co-owner Erick Thohir tweeted several weeks ago that Indonesia is a likely destination …. United’s sponsorship deal with Volkswagen expires in several weeks, but the club has suggested that they are confident Volkswagen will renew their agreement …. D.C. United had it’s last open media availability yesterday—though I wasn’t able to make it, the Post’s Soccer Insider has a good recap of the comments provided by Ben Olsen, Hamdi Salihi, Emiliano Dudar and others.
