Bruno Miranda was a player entering the season that had a lot of question marks about how he would be utilized for D.C. United. At 20 years old, he didn’t have the seasoning to supplant Darren Mattocks at striker or Paul Arriola on the right wing. He was to be used as a late game substitute, and that was done sparingly. He made 7 appearances during the 2018 MLS regular season, totaling 86 minutes in those appearances.
He was mostly in there to keep possession in the final minutes of matches or to use his speed to provide a change of pace that could lead to a goal. He did have one assist on the season, setting up a Darren Mattocks goal against the Philadelphia Union back on April 28th. Still, Miranda didn’t do enough to get off Ben Olsen’s bench more behind any of the attacking starters for United.
Still, he was getting noticed by his home country’s national team, receiving 3 caps for Bolivia, including a start against Curaçao on March 24th. He also had one appearance for United during the U.S. Open Cup. However, playing time was hard to come by for Miranda, both up top and on the right wing where Olsen generally called on him to play.
Then, one Wayne Rooney entered the fray, signing on June 28th. With Rooney’s arrival, the Black-and-Red faced a situation where they were one international roster slot short for the players they had. As a result, to make way for Rooney on the roster, Bruno Miranda was sent down to the Richmond Kickers for the remainder of the season, save a start in D.C. United’s friendly against CD Olimpia in September.
To make it on the field with an attacking lineup similar to that D.C. United possesses, Miranda will have to develop a scoring touch. He will also have to get stronger on the ball and learn how to be creative in the attacking third. To do that, he will need more games, and it was apparent that he was not going to receive that at Audi Field. With his loan from Universidad de Chile to United set to expire at the end of the year, Miranda opted to return home to Bolivia to sign with C.D. Jorge Wilstermann.
#ÚLTIMO
— Los Tiempos (@LosTiemposBol) December 14, 2018
Bruno Miranda ya es parte de #Wilstermann
"Logramos incorporar a un jugador con mucha hambre de gloria y estamos seguros que va a defender estos colores a muerte".
@WilstermannClubDeportivo pic.twitter.com/vQOLF91x6F
So, even though this is a foregone conclusion, we still must ask: