Ahead of this year's installment of EA Sports' FIFA release, the websites Fathead and Futwiz are getting their hands on the ratings for the players in the game and putting out the ratings for the teams, both at the club and national levels. As far as D.C. United goes, Bill Hamid and Alvaro Saborio are tied for the highest rating on the club at 73. The next highest rated player is Sean Franklin at a 71, followed by a six-way tie for the rating of 70, shared by Fabian Espindola, Markus Halsti, Perry Kitchen, Chris Rolfe, Steve Birnbaum and Bobby Boswell. Hamid is one of a few players who see increases of two or three points, and his rating is the second highest for a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer, with first place belonging to Nick Rimando (76).
Oh, the highest rated players in MLS? A tie for first, between Steven Gerrard of the LA Galaxy and Andrea Pirlo of New York City FC. In fact, of the top 10 highest rated players, seven are playing their first season in the League. Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC) is tied for third with Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact) and Kaka (Orlando City SC). The four rounding out the top 10 are Giovinco's teammate Michael Bradley, Gerrard's Galaxy teammate Robbie Keane, and Pirlo's NYCFC teammates David Villa and Andoni Iraola, with Iraola being the only backline defender in the Top 10.
FIFA 16 is due to be released on consoles and elsewhere in the United States on September 22.