D.C. United signs Maryland defender Ethan White

D.C. United announced Tuesday that the club has signed 19-year-old academy product Ethan White. The defender becomes the fourth homegrown player on United's roster, joining 2010 MLS Rookie of the Year Andy Najar, goalkeeper Bill Hamid, and midfielder Conor Shanosky. White played for the University of Maryland the past two seasons, starting 43 matches during that period.

"We have been following Ethan for a long time with our Academy and at the University of Maryland, and we think he is a great prospect for this club," said D.C. United coach Ben Olsen in a press release. "This is another example of how far our Academy system has come, and Ethan has improved immensely at the University of Maryland."

A native of Kensington, Md. and product of the Potomac Soccer Association, White joined Maryland in 2009 as a freshman. He was second on the team in minutes played (2,003), and for his efforts he was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team following his first season.In 2010,White started 20 matches, helping the Terps equal their program-best mark of 15 shutouts in a season and was named to the All-ACC Second Team.