DC UNITED: APR 21 Training and News Conference

The Washington Post

Italy Soccer Serie A

NWSL: Angel City FC at Washington Spirit

Contract Photographer

other

DC United v Inter Miami CF

Staff

New York Red Bulls v Inter Miami CF

Stringer

NWSL: Washington Spirit at Portland Thorns FC

MLS: New York Red Bulls at D.C. United

MLS: D.C. United at Atlanta United FC

Orlando Pride v Washington Spirit - 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup

MLS: Seattle Sounders FC at D.C. United

FBL-EUR-C1-REAL MADRID-BAYERN MUNICH

Contributor

MLS: Philadelphia Union at D.C. United

Staff Photographer

Dak Prescott

Womens World Cup

NWSL Royals Spirit Soccer

Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

Show NLP summaries collection recirc on article pages

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Nationals limp home after 11-5 loss to Phillies extends skid to five

Kyle Finnegan’s rare hiccup helps Phillies to a 4-3 win in 10 innings

Joey Gallo returns, but Nats endure another quiet offensive night

Life in Taiwan is rowdy and proud, never mind China’s threats

In photos: The 149th running of the Preakness Stakes

Book Tour: At home with Amor Towles

Who is Mohammad Mokhber? Iran taps acting president after Raisi’s death. 

Live updates: ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu and Hamas’s Sinwar

Would you eat this weird sandwich? Barry Enderwick would. 

She finished chemo then got a medical degree: ‘The dream is real now’

Puppy abandoned with heart-rending note is adopted, named Minerva

How Jim Jordan tried to connect the dots on Biden’s $8 million book deal

Lawyer preparation suggests Trump won’t testify in New York trial

‘Never Trump?’ ‘Never Biden’ voters might loom larger.

The world’s coolest hotels want to tell you a story

6 Airbnb red flags to spot before you make a booking mistake

Flying budget airlines might not be as cheap as it seems

Carolyn Hax: Is it selfish or self-care to cancel plans, ‘etiquette be damned’?

Ask Amy: I don’t feel connected to my late birth mom’s family

Miss Manners: My husband ignored another Mother’s Day and my birthday

The problem with diversity statements — and what to do about them

Russia shows resilience. There is more to do for Ukraine.

Trump promises tax cuts and fewer rules. CEOs shouldn’t fall for it.

Biden’s false claim that inflation was 9 percent when he took office

Did Obamacare ‘massively’ increase the cost of health care?

Blue Origin to fly again as space tourism struggles to get off the ground

Boeing delays spaceflight again as it continues to struggle with leak

Why this company’s biggest fans turned against it

US President Joe Biden departure

John McDonnell

By 7:15 most mornings this spring, 17-year-old <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/players/kristian-fletcher/" target=_blank>Kristian Fletcher</a> has wheeled his dark-gray Acura out of the driveway at his family’s home in Bowie. Over the course of the day, he has reported to a full-time job clear across the capital region in Leesburg, grabbed lunch in the employee lounge, then headed out again to attend senior classes at a prep school in Bethesda.

At the end of some days, Fletcher has needed to pick up his kid sister before battling rush hour to get home for dinner and finish homework.

From start to finish, the commute totaled at least 113 miles and, if the Beltway gods weren’t on his side, consumed more than three hours.

The long days, he said, were well worth it: He has advanced his nascent soccer career with <a href="https://www.dcunited.com/" target=_blank>D.C. United</a> and on Friday will receive his diploma from <a href="https://www.landon.net/" target=_blank>Landon</a>, an exclusive boys’ school.

He will miss training to attend commencement on campus, where, 18 months ago, he led the Bears to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/04/landon-st-albans-maret-boys-soccer/" target=_blank>Interstate Athletic Conference tournament title</a> and earned The Washington Post’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/14/2021-fall-all-met-boys-soccer-first-team-second-team-honorable-mention/" target=_blank>All-Met Player of the Year</a> award.

Because graduation festivities will overlap with United’s charter to Toronto for Saturday’s MLS match, the team arranged a seat on a commercial flight later in the day.

“What makes it easier is wanting to do it,” he said, reflecting on the demands. “I want to be at Landon because I’ve been there so long, and part of it has also kept me grounded. Being there, being with my friends, in their eyes, I’m not a professional soccer player. I’m just Kris, one of their high school friends.”

Fletcher is not the first high school student to sign an MLS contract; there have been many over the league’s 28 seasons in a sport that globally harvests teenage talent.

Jonathan Newton

He is, though, one of the few from United to continue attending classes in person instead of opting for greater flexibility with an online program. Matai Akinmboni — a 16-year-old defender and Fletcher’s roommate on road trips — is two years from completing his courses in a virtual school.

“My whole high school is on my laptop,” Akinmboni said.

Fletcher and his parents never considered online education.

“That was an easy decision. It was just trying to figure out how to make it work,” said Keith Fletcher, a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/09/12/hislop-key-as-howard-escapes-gw/b394ef78-0580-4bae-b691-a7cd6f0dcac5/" target=_blank>former Howard University soccer player</a> who is chief operating officer of D.C. Health, a government agency. His wife, Georgette, is an Amtrak executive.

“We had always prioritized education and everything else that goes along with attending school: the confidence, the maturity, the camaraderie,” Keith Fletcher said. “It’s best obtained in a physical environment. And with a school like Landon, it was a no-brainer for us.”

Leaving Landon early, Kristian said, would have defeated the purpose of attending since he was 8. “I was always going to finish it out,” he said.

To do so has meant a 54-mile haul from home to United’s Inova Performance Complex and a 32-mile drive for afternoon studies. It’s another 27 miles home from Landon.

An inexperienced driver going great distances on high-speed roads was “a concern for us, of course,” Keith Fletcher said.

“We’ve managed through that piece of it,” he said. “He’s a responsible young man.”

Last year, before he started driving, Kristian would ride with his father, sister and Akinmboni, who is from Upper Marlboro. Sophia, an eighth-grader at Holton-Arms in Bethesda, would get dropped off first. (Before joining D.C. United, Kristian and Akinmboni played as amateurs for second-division <a href="https://www.loudoununitedfc.com/" target=_blank>Loudoun United</a>, a D.C. affiliate based in Leesburg.)

After training, Fletcher often would hail a ride to the Silver Line in Reston.

With a license, Fletcher does the driving. Akinmboni is a passenger. Music passes the time.

Because of the unusual situation, Landon worked with him to front-load his classwork last fall and this winter. The arrangement reduced his on-campus time to less than two hours each day this spring.

“I know it’s not easy for Landon to be in a position where they have professional athletes and that responsibility,” Keith Fletcher said. “They’ve been very accommodating.”

Fletcher’s in-person classes fill the last two slots of the school day and rotate among environmental science, Latin and English, among others. To arrive on time, he sometimes needs to skip weightlifting and treatment with United.

“His schoolwork is important, and it’s important he does it in the right way for himself and the future,” said United Coach Wayne Rooney, who was 16 when he debuted with Premier League club Everton.

Fletcher said he did not rule out playing college soccer — Syracuse, Maryland and Clemson were high on his list — but with his skill set and growing interest from pro clubs, he set higher ambitions.

Aside from starring at Landon, he played years for <a href="https://www.loudoununitedfc.com/" target=_blank>Bethesda Soccer Club</a>, an elite youth organization that has groomed many pros. Last year, Fletcher was invited for a tryout in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, which nurtured U.S. national team players Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna when they were teenagers.

Though he wouldn’t have been able to sign until he turned 18 (Aug. 6), Fletcher said he was “very close” to committing. He also worked out with Manchester United’s under-19 squad and Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg.

Early last year, D.C. United offered him a place in its youth academy. Although Fletcher turned it down, D.C. had made enough effort to claim exclusive homegrown rights. The club, however, wouldn’t be able to add him to the first-team roster until this year.

So last August, while his Landon friends were preparing for the season, Fletcher signed a three-year contract with D.C. United, effective Jan. 1. He continued playing for Loudoun last season and made two loan appearances with D.C. United, including a start — and a goal — against FC Cincinnati in the season finale.

His adjusted school schedule allowed him to attend training camp this winter in California but required him to complete several online projects. He and Akinmboni would set aside time at the team hotel for studies. One would use the desk, the other a bed.

When the season opened Feb. 25 against Toronto, Akinmboni was in the starting lineup and Fletcher was a late sub who helped set up <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/25/dc-united-season-opener-toronto-fc/" target=_blank>Ted Ku-DiPietro’s winning goal</a> deep in stoppage time.

This month, Fletcher assisted Ku-DiPietro’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/05/13/dc-united-nashville-sc-draw/" target=_blank>late equalizer against Nashville SC</a>. Overall, he has made five appearances (one start) for United (5-5-4), which sits sixth in the 15-team Eastern Conference after finishing last in 2022.

“He’s a tremendous talent,” said Rooney, who has deployed the quick, clever Fletcher on the left side of the attack. “He’s going to have a big future at the club.”

Though Fletcher is on a bright path, he understands he’s only scratching the surface.

“I’m definitely happy about it, but when people come to me and tell me I’ve made it, I can’t really agree fully,” he said. “It’s still just the first step in my career.”

At least he will have his diploma — and the commute will become a little easier.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for 10 years,” he said, smiling.

Inducted into the Virginia DC Soccer Hall of Fame, 2013

Three-time APSE finalist

Society of Professional Journalists' Dateline Awards, first place, 2023

American University, BA in print journalism, 1988

Steven Goff has covered soccer for The Washington Post since the early 1990s. His beats include D.C. United, MLS and the U.S. national teams. He has been on assignment at every men's World Cup since 1994, plus six Women's World Cups for 14 overall.

Steven Goff

washpost

How Kristian Fletcher balanced prep school, D.C. United career 

the-washington-post

DC United and the LA Galaxy

name

prism://prism.query/site,/sports/soccer&limit=20

Soccer

Your source for DC United and MLS soccer news and information. Get the latest schedules, stats, rosters and scoreboards for Major League Soccer. Stay updated on the latest D.C. United and MLS news!

prism://prism.query/site-articles-only,/sports&limit=20

Sports

The Washington Post Sports section provides sports news, video, scores, analysis and updates about high school, college, and pro sports teams, including the Capitals, Nationals, Washington Football Team, United and Wizards. Post Sports also offers blogs and discussions about the latest sports news.

The stunners. The cheers. The home runs, hat tricks and gameday magic. Don’t miss out with The Sports Moment, a newsletter for the biggest sports news.