On Monday, 20 years and three months after his father captained the first MLS Cup championship team, Ian Harkes became a second-generation United midfielder. With a multiyear contract finalized over the weekend, the Gonzaga High School and Wake Forest graduate reported to RFK Stadium for the first day of training camp.

“It’s funny,” he said, “how it comes full circle.”

The Harkes become MLS’s seventh rostered father-son connection. Alex and Teal Bunbury were the first (2010).

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Ian Harkes, 21, won the Hermann Trophy this past season as college soccer’s best player, guiding the Demon Deacons to the national championship game. As a former United academy pupil, he was exempt for the MLS draft Jan. 13 and eligible for a D.C. homegrown contract.

Before accepting United’s offer, though, Harkes needed time.

“College Cup, finishing school, the D.C. offer,” he said, “it was a whirlwind.”

Born in England in the last year of his father’s six-year run in the world’s most prestigious circuit, Ian also wanted to explore opportunities abroad. United officials understood the yearning; family history and the romanticism of English soccer were powerful forces. They agreed to give him space.

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So Ian trained for about a week with the under-23 squad at Derby County, a second-flight club that employed his father for two seasons. He encountered people who played with John or recognized his family name.

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On short notice, though, Derby wasn’t prepared to offer a contract. Fulham, a second-tier club in London, had also been willing to take a look, but by then Ian knew what he wanted to do: sign with United.

“I always had in the back of my mind that I would see what else was out there,” he said. “I was happy to get the experience. Having weighed all the pros and cons of different teams and different places to play and having D.C. in my backyard with the history behind it, I made the right decision.”

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Even after his father had left Washington for New England and later Columbus, United was part of Ian’s life. He attended home matches and once planned a birthday party around a game at RFK. When he was about 15, he enrolled in the youth academy, balancing club soccer with a starring role at Gonzaga, where he was a two-time All-Met.

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His father ran United’s youth development for a time and went on to become a New York Red Bulls assistant coach under Bruce Arena and a TV analyst for Washington and national outlets. He’s now the head coach of FC Cincinnati, a second-division club entering its second season.

“I’ve known Ian nearly his entire life and have watched him develop into one of the nation’s best young talents,” said United Coach Ben Olsen, who has been associated with the club as a player or coach since 1998. “He has all the tools to succeed at the next level and I look forward to being a part of his pro career.”

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With United, Harkes will have the opportunity to earn playing time in his first season. He’ll work for an organization he knows intimately and help usher in a new era when the Buzzard Point stadium opens sometime in 2018.

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Harkes is a two-way central midfielder with size, vision and technical skill. At Wake Forest, his career followed a steady path before culminating with a rush of honors last fall, including first-team all-America and most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA tournament. He scored the golden goal in extra time of the national semifinal against Denver.

Had he been available in the draft, the Fairfax resident probably would’ve been selected with one of the first two picks.

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He’s well aware that the leap from college to the pros is tall.

“It’s going to be a hard challenge, which excites me,” he said. “I want to play and excel right away, but I know I have a lot of growing to do. Stepping up to the next level, it’s like starting again. I’m excited to play with players who are better than me, who will hopefully help me grow, and hopefully I can push them.”

Father-sons in MLS

Alex and Teal Bunbury (2010)

Robert and Konrad Warzycha (2011)

Adolfo and Jose Adolfo Valencia (2012)

Onandi and Damion Lowe (2014)

Roy and Ariel Lassiter (2015)

David and Jesus Ferreira (2017)