United’s 9-20-5 record and 32 points were the third poorest in club history — all three have come since 2010 — and left D.C. tied with the Los Angeles Galaxy for the worst mark in the 22-team league. United was the only team to lose 20 times and finished with the crummiest goal differential (minus-29). After five late-summer moves and three consecutive victories, D.C. went out on a 1-5-1 skid, culminating with a 2-1 defeat to the New York Red Bulls in the RFK Stadium farewell Sunday.

After mid-May, United never rose above ninth place. The U.S. Open Cup campaign ended after two matches, in the round of 16.

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With management maintaining faith in his coaching ability — and pledging to give him the tools to compete after many frugal, make-the-best-of-it years — Ben Olsen will keep his job and return for an eighth season. He’s second in MLS tenure behind Sporting Kansas City’s Peter Vermes.

With the promise of a larger payroll and a new stadium at Buzzard Point, Olsen will come under increasing pressure to win. Because of the schedule, though, the club will offer him some slack: Audi Field will not open until the summer — the tentative debut is June 30 — and United will start the season with a heavy load of away matches.

MLS has yet to determine whether it can fit all of United’s 17 home dates into the last four months of the season. If it can’t, the club will have to arrange a few “home” games in the spring at alternative venues in the region. United will not return to RFK Stadium or play at Nationals Park, which is two blocks from Audi Field. The Redskins’ FedEx Field also seems unlikely because of the cost and size. That leaves Richmond, College Park, Annapolis and Baltimore.

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There are only seven weekends between late June and late September when the Washington Nationals are out of town. (The Nats might have playoff games in October, though with such uncertainty, United wouldn’t avoid specific dates.)

United is working around the baseball schedule — which was finalized last month — and seeking to avoid overlaps that would cause major logistical and parking problems.

In 2010, while awaiting completion of Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa., the Philadelphia Union played eight away matches, plus two home games at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL’s Eagles. The debut in the new stadium took place June 27.

Regardless of location, United will need to address several positions. This summer’s spree bolstered the midfield with three starters — left wing Zoltan Stieber, right wing Paul Arriola and defensive midfielder Russell Canouse — and supplied the possible first-choice goalkeeper (Steve Clark) as well as an attacking prospect (Bruno Miranda).

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“The reboot was a good one. We needed to be nearly perfect once we rebooted” to make a long-shot playoff push, Olsen said. “Not a lot went our way, and that’s usually the case when you sit in last place. The group we have right now, I think you can see some very good stuff there.

“We have a lot of work to do, but we’re very excited about what we can put together in this new building.”

General Manager Dave Kasper is preparing for a busy winter.

“We have a lot of very good pieces,” he said, “but our work is definitely cut out for ourselves to make things better.”

Kasper said the starting point is the “spine” — goalkeeper, central defense and midfield, up to the striker.

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Here’s a look at the current roster, by position:

Goalkeepers: Bill Hamid, the longest-serving player on the roster and prime starter for seven seasons, turned down an offer from United than would’ve at least doubled his base salary. Instead, with a hunger to play in Europe, he chose free agency and signed a pre-contract with Midtjylland in Denmark. He’ll join his new club when the winter transfer window opens in January.

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“He has really wanted this,” Kasper said. “Every offseason for as far as I can remember he was in my office, he was in Ben’s office, talking about ‘Where can I go train? I want to get seen. I want some exposure. And I want to talk about a potential move.’ That day is finally here for him.”

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Clark, a three-year starter in Columbus before spending six months with Danish club Horsens, started the last five United matches and will enter the winter break as the first-choice keeper. The club is also in the market for someone who will challenge Clark for the starting job. The others on the roster, Travis Worra and Eric Klenofsky, seem more suited to vie for the No. 3 role.

Defenders: The back line was in flux all season as center back Bobby Boswell departed via summer trade; center back Steve Birnbaum missed time on three occasions with concussions; left back Taylor Kemp skipped the last 11 matches with a hernia injury; Sean Franklin’s conversion from the right side to center fizzled; Nick DeLeon shuttled between the back line and midfield, and also underwent hernia surgery; Chris Korb and Chris Odoi-Atsem filled voids on the corners; and Jalen Robinson gained five late-season starts in the middle.

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Olsen used 15 different combinations.

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Even if Birnbaum returns to form, United will need another center back to strengthen the middle and complement Kofi Opare. DeLeon’s versatility is valuable. Franklin seems unlikely to return.

Midfielders: United has a strong core with Stieber, Arriola, Canouse, Luciano Acosta, Ian Harkes and Lloyd Sam (assuming the club exercises its option on the English winger).

Decisions await on defensive midfielder Marcelo Sarvas, 36; central midfielder Jared Jeffrey, who didn’t play in the last eight matches; Rob Vincent, whose knee injury sidelined him for all but the first two matches; and Julian Buescher, the 2016 first-round draft pick who was loaned to second-tier Rochester late in the season.

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Patrick Nyarko, a solid performer on the wings for 1 1/2 seasons, did not play after July 22 because of his eighth concussion in 10 years. It’s unclear whether he will resume his career. Chris Rolfe, a standout attacker in 2014-15, has not recovered from a concussion suffered 18 months ago and, although he was on the roster all year, effectively retired.

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Nyarko, Rolfe, Franklin, Boswell and Hamid accounted for about $1.4 million on the $3.845 million salary cap this year. (Some of that new cap space will go toward the contracts of players who joined this summer.)

The club is high on homegrown signing Chris Durkin, a U.S. starter at the Under-17 World Cup. He can play defensive midfield or center back. After playing on loan with second-tier Richmond and appearing in United’s U.S. Open Cup matches, is he ready for first-team minutes in 2018? United is also keeping a close eye on homegrown prospect Eryk Williamson, a wide attacker from Alexandria who is in his junior year at the University of Maryland. He excelled with the U.S. under-20 squad.

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Forwards: After going scoreless in 17 of 34 matches, United is in the market for a proven striker. And it might use designated-player cash to accomplish it.

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Last winter, Chicago solved its scoring problems by signing Hungary’s Nemanja Nikolic to a $1.7 million base salary. He led the league with 24 goals as the Fire rose from last place in 2016 to third this year.

Patrick Mullins is atop United’s depth chart, but his five goals came in two matches over four days last month. Overall, amid two injury setbacks, he appeared in 20 games and started 12. Mullins’s best role would seem to be as a primary reserve and spot starter.

Deshorn Brown arrived midseason and scored twice in 16 appearances. He has a sizable contract option in 2018, which United won’t exercise but could restructure. More likely, though, he will not return. Miranda, a 19-year-old Bolivian who made five substitute appearances, is on loan from Universidad de Chile through 2018.

Kasper was scouting in Argentina recently — he didn’t specify the targets or their positions — and plans to visit multiple South American countries soon. United will have the second or third pick in the numerous MLS player acquisition platforms, behind the Galaxy and, in some cases, expansion Los Angeles FC.

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