D.C. United signs star goalkeeper Bill Hamid to multi-year extension
D.C. United has signed reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Bill Hamid to a multi-year contract extension, the club announced Friday.
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Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it means Hamid, 24, will remain in the nation's capital for the foreseeable future. Part of the U.S. men's national team, Hamid made MLS Best XI and was an All-Star in 2014, helping the club to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. This season he has three clean sheets in five starts in helping D.C. to a 4-1-2 start.
“We are thrilled to secure Bill’s services and that he will continue to be a part of his hometown club,” D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper said in a statement. "D.C. United’s first Homegrown player has developed into an outstanding goalkeeper and we believe his best years are still ahead of him.”
Hamid signed with D.C. United in 2009 and made his first appearance on May 5, 2010, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to start an MLS match at 19 years, 161 days (Tim Howard previously held that distinction).
The extension does not prevent Hamid from going abroad, as has largely been speculated in past years, but it ensures that D.C. nets a transfer fee for his services should that happen instead of losing him for nothing. Hamid was reportedly in the final year of his contract.
Hamid has two caps with the U.S. national team, with the last one coming last November in a friendly against Ireland.
