Former U.S. Olympic team midfielder Danny Szetela is on his way back to Major League Soccer. According to multiple sources, Szetela has agreed to a new contract with MLS after ending his deal with Spanish club Racing Santander.
Szetela spent the past season and a half on loan to Italian club Brescia, but is now a free agent set to return to MLS two years after leaving the Columbus Crew for Europe. As a former youth international with three appearances for the U.S. senior national team, Szetela would have to go through the MLS allocation process.
FC Dallas holds the top spot in the allocation order, but its roster full of young players should cause the team to pass on Svetela's services. That would leave Szetela to fall to D.C. United. Sources told SBI that Szetela was in Washington D.C. on Tuesday and met with D.C. United officials, who are very interested in the 22-year-old midfielder. D.C. already has Clyde Simms, Andrew Jacobson and Ben Olsen as central midfield options, but the club did just lose rookie midfielder Brandon Barklage for the season with a torn ACL.
Szetela struggled for playing time with Brescia, failing to make any appearances in the final month of the Serie B season after seeing a good share of playing time in the first half of the season. He moved from the Crew to Racing Santander after the 2007 Under-20 World Championships, but never played in a ;eague match for the La Liga club before being sent out on loan to Italy. If D.C. United acquires him, Szetela could provide cover both in central midfield and on the right flank, and could provide some long-term cover for injury-plagued veteran Olsen.