DC United had a busy day today, as they drafted five players at the 2026 MLS Superdraft, including taking NC State defender Nikola Markovic with the #1 overall pick. A day after introducing Tai Baribo as a Designated Player and selecting Houston Dynamo forward Gabe Segal with the first pick in the MLS Re-Entry Draft, they made a flurry of picks in the MLS Superdraft, led by top pick Markovic.

In addition to the #1 overall pick, DC United selected Washington forward Richie Aman with the 8th pick, Utah Valley midfielder Isaac Emojong with the 31st pick, Maryland forward Stephane Njike with the 65th pick, and Maryland defender Lasse Kelp with the 85th pick.

1st Round, 1st Pick (#1 overall) Nikola Markovic – Defender, NC State

The biggest grab of the draft was DC United grabbing Markovic at #1. The 6’4″ Canadian defender scored 2 goals and 3 assists in 2 seasons with the Wolfpack, who lost in the College Cup Final to Washington on Monday night. A Quebec native, Markovic played MLS Next soccer with CF Móntreal during his academy days before attending NC State.

“[Bolstering] the defense is very important for us,” DC United general manager Erkut Sogut said of Markovic. “What Nicola brought [to] the table was not just that he was on the leader on the pitch, which we observed…in detail, but he’s also a great leader of the pitch. I think the character scouting played a big role for us, but he was a [College Cup] Final Four attendant, so we watched the games, we were live there. [We] really went deep in making this decision, and it was very important to bring into this culture of D.C. United as a player with winning mentality.”

“I know DC [United] has a rich history and I’m happy to be part of it because I know we can achieve something very good,” Markovic said in a virtual press briefing after being selected. “And after the conversation I’ve had with the staff from DC, I believe in their plan. I think they are going to make this team great again and I’m just happy to be a part of that and I felt like they had a good plan for me. So, I’m just super excited to be here because I feel like it’s the right spot for me.”

Markovic will be called upon to provide strength to the DC United back line. He will have the opportunity to play immediately and Sogut highlighted Markovic’s ability to be first team ready immediately as one of the reasons they went with him as the “clear” overall #1 pick.

1st Round, 8th Pick (#8 overall) Richie Aman – Forward, Washington

A few picks later, DC United traded back into the first round, selecting winger Richie Aman with the 8th pick in the draft. DC United traded $150K in 2026 General Allocation Money and $50K in 2027 GAM to the New England Revolution in exchange for the pick.

The 5’9″ forward was a 1st team All-American, 1st team All-Big Ten, and Big Ten Midfielder of the Year in 2025. He scored 8 goals with 23 assists in 81 appearances for the Huskies, who won the NCAA title on Monday over NC State and new teammate Nikola Markovic.

“Richie is also a very interesting player,” Erkut said. “He showed as well at the Final Four, especially [in the final], that he’s a very versatile player in the attacking field…He’s doing things which not everyone expects for the moment. He takes risks and he developed a lot once he joined college.”

“I think he will be great on the attacking side playing with our players to provide them with great passes and go one-to-one…he has a huge potential and we’re really looking forward to that. One of the important things for us today was to get him on board and we are really happy that we could trade up and get him on board.”

2nd Round, 1st Pick (#31 overall) Isaac Emojong – Midfielder, Utah Valley

In the second round, DC United drafted midfielder Isaac Emojong, just the second player from Utah Valley to be drafted into Major League Soccer. The 6’2″ midfielder led the Wolverines in goals scored (6) in 2025 and also added a pair of assists. He was 2nd team All-WAC and 2nd team United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region this season. He will be called upon to bring some strength to the midfield under head coach René Weiler.

3rd Round, 1st Pick (#61 overall) Stephane Njike – Forward, Maryland

In the third round, DC United opted to stay local and bring in a couple of products from the University of Maryland. They first went with 5’11” striker Stephane Njike from Maryland. Njike, a Paris native, had 7 goals and 7 assists for the Terrapins in 2025. He was 1st team All-Big Ten and 1st team United Soccer Coaches All-North Region. Scoring production has been an offseason priority for DC United, and Njike will have a chance to compete for minutes.

3rd Round, 25th Pick (#85 overall) Lasse Kelp – Defender, Maryland

The final selection for DC United was the 85th pick in the draft, which they acquired in July from FC Cincinnati for right of first refusal for goalkeeper Nate Crockford. They used the pick to select 6’3″ defender Lasse Kelp, who joins his Terrapin teammate Njike on the Black-and-Red. The German native had experience with the SC Fortuna Köln U-19s before matriculating to Maryland, where he had a standout season in 2025. He was 1st team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 1st team All-North Region, 1st team All-American, and was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. It could be a steal for DC United to grab Kelp to help shore up the back line.

The overall feeling from DC United’s selections in the 2026 MLS Superdraft is positive from national media. In fact, there might be some reason for hope:

The five picks will join the team and will look to be prepared to help DC United climb out of the cellar in 2026. DC United’s offseason activity continues to pick up as they look to revamp the roster with an eye on the future.