Behind the MLS Ambition Rankings: D.C. United

• How many homegrown players have you signed? 

Seven.

• How many have played in MLS league games for your first team? 

Six.

• Who pays to play on your youth teams? And how much do they pay? 

Undisclosed.

• How many season-ticket holders do you have? How many did you have in 2015?

Undisclosed.

• Where does your first team train? 

RFK practice field. 

• Did you build the training facility yourself? If so, how much did it cost? 

N/A, Undisclosed.

• Do you have a model for integrating your academy with the first team? How closely do your academy teams resemble the way the first team trains and plays? 

Academy players participate in first-team training on a daily basis, throughout the season. In addition, four academy players were incorporated into the first team's pre-season training in January/February. The U-18 academy is trained in the first team's style and system of play and uses this system of playing in academy matches.

• What’s your philosophy on the use of technology in your training and preparation for matches?

Technology has become part of our daily routine, whether it is tracking our players’ heart rates and fitness levels during training in real time, using technology and analytics in game scouting and preparation or analyzing our opponents through extensive in-game live analysis. 

What’s your total income on sponsorships this season?

Undisclosed.

• Local TV deal: How many of your games this season are shown on local television? 

24.

• How much is your local TV deal worth per season?

Undisclosed.

• Local radio deal: How many of your games this season are broadcast on local radio? In English? In other languages?  

Contractually, all games are in English and Spanish.

• How many front-office employees does your team have? 

70 full-time positions.

•How many have you added or subtracted in the past year?

In preparation for our new stadium in 2018, we are strategically scaling our operations to accommodate all of our needs.

• Have you hired any additional technical staff over the past year to reduce doubling-up roles? Are you planning on expanding your technical staff in the near future? 

We are always looking to make sure we have the right people to give us the biggest competitive advantage possible. We hired Stewart Mairs in the off-season to specialize in video-preparation/analysis, and we'll use analytics to support scouting and game preparation.