D.C. United season review: Chris Rolfe

Entering the 2015 season, Chris Rolfe was coming off multiple surgeries to repair a shattered forearm suffered towards the end of the 2014 season. While D.C. United was cautious in bringing him back to full speed during the preseason, Rolfe was able to be at just about 100% once the season started.

Rolfe proved once again to be arguably our best outfield player over the course of the season, notching 10 goals and adding 4 assists in 31 games (30 starts) during the regular season, and adding another goal against New England in the wildcard round of the MLS playoffs. He led the team during the regular season in goals (10), shots (64) and shots on goal (29). At times, he seemed to be the only one taking shots, as evidenced by the August 8th match against Montreal where he scored the lone goal on the team’s only shot of the game (the "One Shot, One Kill" game).

There were stretches where he and his headband lacked the magic to create any offense, including a stretch from the end of June until the beginning of August. Luckily, those stretches were few and far between. August proved to be his best month of the season statistically, scoring 3 goals and adding an assist just before the bottom seemed to fall out for the team. Not to mention, Chris Rolfe was the Black & Red United Player of the Month back in April as well, notching 2 goals and an assist. Throughout the season, he was the offensive microwave for a team that hovered at or near the top of the Eastern Conference table for the majority of the year.

Rolfe signed a contract extension towards the end of the season, agreeing to remain in the Black & Red for the 2016 and 2017 seasons with a club option for 2018. With the new contract, his salary cap number is sure to be a healthy increase from the $225,000 he counted against the cap in 2015. He will be 33 years old when training camp opens in January, and with the end of his prime approaching, the question will be whether Rolfe can continue to provide the offensive output he has shown since he arrived in the District. There’s also the question of whether he can create the magic since the magic headband will no longer be necessary. Still, I know my answer to this question, and hopefully yours is the same: