Entering the 2018 offseason, D.C. United was looking to move on from the Bill Hamid era and find a new goalkeeper to carry them into the 2018 season. While they had Steve Clark and Travis Worra on the roster, they were looking for another experienced netminder. Enter David Ousted, who the Black-and-Red acquired on January 8th from the Vancouver Whitecaps for a 2nd round 2018 MLS Superdraft pick. Ousted came in with several years of experience as a starter in MLS and his native Denmark, and he quickly won the starting job over Clark.
Ousted started 17 of the first 20 league matches of the season, compiling a 1.88 goals allowed average, with 32 goals allowed and 48 saves, and a 59.3% save percentage. He also faced 2 penalty shots, stopping one of them. Ousted also started a U.S. Open Cup match against North Carolina FC, one that United won in a penalty shootout. Still, Ousted had no clean sheets and the team only had 1 win with him in net before the signing of Wayne Rooney.
Shortly after the signing of Wayne Rooney came the return of Hamid, with the Black-and-Red acquiring him via loan, and the release of Steve Clark from the roster. Despite that, Ousted still was the starter, winning games against the Whitecaps, the Colorado Rapids, and Orlando City (thanks to the Buzzard Beater). In each of those matches, there were mistakes on his part that led to goals by the opposition, and with Hamid waiting in the wings, it was only a matter of time before Ben Olsen decided a change would be necessary.
After the Buzzard Beater, Ousted was on the bench for the next two matches, with Hamid the starter. After that, he picked up an elbow injury that eventually needed surgery to fix. Ousted did not appear in the 18 the rest of the season.
Ousted’s tendency to let in goals at inopportune times and never keep a clean sheet kept pressure on an offense to score goals throughout the early part of the season. His save percentage of 59.3% ranked 5th worst among goalkeepers with 10 or more starts. On the other hand, he was asked to do the incredible by winning almost entirely on the road. He was also much better, as the team was, once Audi Field opened, getting 3 of his 4 wins on the season in his first 4 matches at the new home.
Next season, David Ousted will be 34 years old, and he will have a $369,000 salary number next season. He also has lost his starting job permanently to Bill Hamid, who will remain with the team on loan through the 2019 season. The team appears to be shopping him to other teams, but he will also have to contend with more competition for the backup job if he stays, as the team recently acquired Orlando City backup goalkeeper Earl Edwards to serve in that role. You can’t beat experience though, and Ousted has more of it than most other capable backups out there.
So, while Ousted’s future seems to be written, we ask the all-important question: