Following up on news first reported by Steven Goff, D.C. United has loaned midfielder Julian Buescher to the Rochester Rhinos of the USL, pending USL and USSF approval. The news, posted on the Rhinos’ site, goes on to say that Buescher will join the Rhinos at practice tomorrow.
The 24-year old German has experienced a sophomore slump of sorts, appearing in 7 games (starting two), including last night as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake. In 2015, he appeared in 20 games (starting 3), with a goal and 4 assists. The Rhinos are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference of the USL.
This means a couple of things for D.C.; first, they can free up an international spot that will be occupied by recent international acquisition Zoltan Stieber. Second, considering a midfield now ripe with young choices, Buescher may find himself struggling for first team minutes, and the USL Richmond Kickers would appear to have already filled their quota of international players. Third, with his Generation Adidas eligibility ending sometime soon, this puts him in an interesting position come the offseason, with a presumed expansion draft on the rise, there may very well be the chance that Buescher is on the outs in D.C. altogether, a sharp fall considering the pre-draft praise and rookie year performances he turned in.
Stay tuned on the latter of course, and good luck to the Buesch.