A few days after flying down to Florida before Winter Storm Jonas hit, D.C. United has released its preseason roster. In addition to the regular members of the team, there have been some trialists invited to camp. Most of the trialists we've already heard about, including Ariel Rodriguez, Chris Konopka, Paolo Tornaghi, and Kevan George.
The three brand new trialists are all young players: Constantine Kolokotronis, Santiago Dittborn, and Andrea Mancini. Kolokotronis is a midfielder who signed with UC Davis and most recently played for A.E. Ermionida FC in the Greek second division. He is an attacking player who is also listed as a striker, and though he has a Greek passport he also has American citizenship, having played for the undefeated Jesuit High School in Sacramento in 2011.
Santiago Dittborn is another attacking midfielder, having played for CD Universidad Católica in the Chilean top tier. The Chilean national team player, with six caps, has spent much of his time on loan, and had a trial with the Philadelphia Union last season. He can play on the left and on the center, and is known for his strong left foot.
Andrea Mancini is an Italian forward who is the youngest son of coach Roberto Mancini. After spending two cap-less years with Manchester City, Mancini has spent his recent seasons in Hungary. He plays as a second striker or as an attacking midfielder.
Rob Vincent of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds is back for another trial, having been with the team at the end of last season. He is an attacking midfielder, but was USL's third highest scorer last year with 18 goals. He had a previous trial with Real Salt Lake and was with United after the end of the last USL season.
Paul Torres is another player with whom United has been linked in the past. He was a part of the D.C. United Academy before playing college soccer at the University of Maryland. He then went to play in the second divisions in Sweden and Norway before coming back to the States to try to make United's squad. He can play across the attacking midfield, either on the right or in the center.
As always, plenty of players will cycle in and out of D.C. United's trialist roster throughout the preseason. Usually one or two of these players are signed, with recent signings being players such as Lewis Neal, Travis Worra, and Luke Mishu. Look for these players to keep rotating in and out throughout the next few weeks.