After the holidays, Le Toux ‘s agent, former teammate Stefani Miglioranzi, tried again, telling Kasper that the French forward really wanted to play in Washington — in part because of the proximity to his wife in Philadelphia.

United reconsidered. Negotiations commenced. And three weeks later, the sides struck a deal. The club secured one of 16 players in MLS history to post 50 career goals and 50 assists. And Le Toux found a second home close to his first home.

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“Sometimes,” United Coach Ben Olsen said, “you luck out geographically.”

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Le Toux, 33, signed a one-year guaranteed contract for about half of what he earned last year ($300,000 with Philadelphia and Colorado).

Aside from Philadelphia, where he served MLS tours in 2010-11 and 2013-16, “D.C. was my first choice,” he said.

It was Kendall Quigley’s, too. They married two years ago and have a home in the heart of Philadelphia. She owns an event planning and home staging business. He plans to take the train north whenever possible. She can ride down to watch her husband perform at RFK Stadium.

It’s an optimal arrangement following Philadelphia’s decision to trade its all-time leading scorer to Colorado last August and the uncertainty of the offseason, his first in the free agent market.

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“I’ve played many places,” Le Toux said, “but it was new for me.”

Le Toux returned home to Philadelphia, and turned to Miglioranzi to find a new team. He said he received positive feedback about United from former Union teammate Chris Pontius, who played his first seven years in Washington.

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“Every time I played against D.C., it’s not the hate feeling,” Le Toux said of the budding rivalry. “I always enjoy my time playing in Washington. I was thinking it could be good for us.”

Initially, United officials didn’t think it would be good for them. They had signed Costa Rican forward Jose Guillermo Ortiz and retained 2016 regulars Patrick Mullins, Lloyd Sam, Patrick Nyarko, Luciano Acosta and Lamar Neagle.

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But then the asking price came down and, through conversations with Olsen, Le Toux said he would embrace any role necessary.

“We were pretty settled on our group,” Olsen said. “We’re deep in the attack, but it’s a long season and you can never have enough. It was a no-brainer for us.”

Le Toux arrived from northwest France in 2007 and played two years for Seattle in a lower-tier league before the Sounders upgraded to MLS in 2009. With one goal scored in one year, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft. Over two seasons in Philadelphia, his production (25 goals, 20 assists), work rate and fan engagement won the hearts of fans.

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In the 2012 preseason, the Union pivoted to youth and dealt Le Toux to Vancouver — the second of his six moves over seven years. He split the 2012 season between Vancouver and the New York Red Bulls before rejoining Philadelphia. He posted 25 goals and 30 assists in four years before being traded to Colorado late last season.

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“It’s not easy,” he said of the constant moves. “I try to be involved in the team and the fans. The trades, this is part of the job and you just have to go with it.”

United likes what he brings: experience, versatility to play on the wings or striker, a proven record of both scoring and creating, and a locker-room personality. Le Toux is fluent in French, Spanish and, Olsen added, “some type of English.”

With United’s foundation intact, Le Toux is prepared to provide depth.

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“From the beginning, I told [Olsen] that I will help anyway I can and be a good leader,” he said. “I can see there are a lot of young guys here. I’m not coming here thinking I am a starter already. I’ll work for the opportunity.”

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