

Impactful newcomers: Chris Rolfe, left, Fabian Espindola (9) and Jeff Parke. ( (By Tony Quinn)

Now that Monday’s MLS roster deadline has passed, we look back at D.C. United’s acquisitions that helped turn a three-win squad into the Eastern Conference leaders.

The “team acquisition grade” weighs what United relinquished, whether a need was addressed, salary related to performance and whether the player fit into the squad. The “player performance grade” considers production, expectation and role. Players are listed in the chronological order in which they were acquired over the past nine months.

Davy Arnaud

Acquired: Trade with Montreal Impact for 2014 and ’15 international roster slot (an administrative tool).

Stats: 26 matches, 25 starts, 2 goals, 0 assists.

Intangibles: Fixture in central midfield partnering with emerging star Perry Kitchen, veteran leadership, energy and determination belying his age (34).

Team acquisition grade: A.

Player performance grade: A-.

Sean Franklin

Acquired: Selected in MLS re-entry draft.

Stats: 23 matches, 22 starts, 1 goal, 2 assists.

Intangibles: Championship experience at right back, all-star game appearance, lock-down defender who gets forward, missed 5 games with hamstring injury.

Team acquisition grade: A.

Player performance grade: A-.

Bobby Boswell

Acquired: Selected in MLS re-entry draft.

Stats: 28 matches, 28 starts, 1 goal, 2 assists.

Intangibles: Team captain, leadership and experience, strength in air, strong presence in central defense, mentor to rookie center back Steve Birnbaum.

Team acquisition grade: A.

Player performance grade: A-.

Eddie Johnson

Acquired: Trade with Seattle Sounders for allocation funds.

Stats: 21 matches, 20 starts, 5 goals, 2 assists.

Intangibles: Hasn’t met production expectations, set by high profile and salary. Caused distractions with comments and social media missteps. Injuries, 2 suspensions.

Team acquisition grade: C.

Player performance grade: C.

Fabian Espindola

Acquired: Selected in MLS re-entry draft.

Stats: 22 matches, 19 starts, 9 goals, 9 assists.

Intangibles: Top scorer and assist man despite 2-month absence with knee injury, effective bond with Luis Silva, in constant motion, plays with fire of a thousand suns.

Team acquisition grade: A.

Player performance grade: A.

Jalen Robinson

Acquired: Homegrown signing from Wake Forest University.

Stats: 14 matches on loan with Arizona United in third-division USL Pro.

Intangibles: Young outside back in developmental phase, gained competitive minutes at lower tier, probably few years from vying for MLS minutes.

Team acquisition grade: B.

Player performance grade: B.

Nana Attakora

Acquired: Selected in MLS re-entry draft.

Stats: no league appearances.

Intangibles: Figured to provide depth in central defense but sidelined with injuries and concussion. Started in U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League.

Team acquisition grade: C.

Player performance grade: Incomplete.

Jeff Parke

Acquired: Trade with Philadelphia Union for defender Ethan White. DCU also relinquished No. 1 position in allocation order for No. 6 spot. Union claimed D-MF Maurice Edu, a designated player on one-year loan from Stoke City with option to purchase his contract.

Stats: 13 matches, 13 starts.

Intangibles: Strong partnership with Bobby Boswell in central defense until foot injury and then migraines sidelined him indefinitely. Underwent inner-ear surgery.

Team acquisition grade: B.

Player performance grade: B+.

Steve Birnbaum

Acquired: Second overall pick in MLS SuperDraft. United dealt No. 1 pick to Philly for No. 2 slot and allocation funds but still claimed the player they wanted all along.

Stats: 15 matches, 15 starts.

Intangibles: Thrust into lineup when Jeff Parke went down, adapted and integrated well alongside Bobby Boswell, rookie mistakes but promising future.

Team acquisition grade: A.

Player performance grade: B.

Christiano Francois

Acquired: MLS waiver draft after the Haitian attacker left University of Maryland early.

Stats: 8 matches, 1 goal on loan with Richmond Kickers in third-division USL Pro.

Intangibles: Raw talent who failed to embrace structure, playing time faded, released by United in August, pursuing opportunity in Portugal.

Team acquisition grade: B.

Player performance grade: D.

Cristian Fernandez

Acquired: Signed on free transfer from Spanish club Almeria.

Stats: 15 matches, 15 starts, 1 assist.

Intangibles: Brought experience and attacking ability to left back but received mixed reviews, club says he became homesick, contract terminated in July.

Team acquisition grade: C-.

Player performance grade: C.

Alex Caskey

Acquired: Trade with Seattle Sounders in March for third-round pick in 2016 SuperDraft.

Stats: 11 matches, 2 starts.

Intangibles: Provides cover on the flanks and general depth in midfield but with negligible impact.

Team acquisition grade: B.

Player performance grade: C+.

Chris Rolfe

Acquired: Trade with Chicago Fire in April for allocation funds.

Stats: 21 matches, 20 starts, 6 goals, 6 assists.

Intangibles: Influential attacker on the left wing and frontline, leadership and experience, creator and finisher, difference-maker, sidelined until late October with broken forearm.

Team acquisition grade: A.

Player performance grade: A.

Kofi Opare

Acquired: Trade with Los Angeles Galaxy in August. Clubs swapped positions in allocation order, Galaxy moving to No. 3 and United dropping to No. 11. Galaxy’s efforts to use allocation on Anderlecht’s Sacha Kljestan failed. United also received second-round pick in 2015 SuperDraft.

Stats: no league appearances.

Intangibles: Second-year center back provides backline depth in Jeff Parke’s absence, made debut in CONCACAF Champions League in late August.

Team acquisition grade: B.

Player performance grade: incomplete.

David Estrada

Acquired: Trade with Seattle Sounders in August for third-round pick in 2017 SuperDraft.

Stats: 6 matches, 3 starts, 1 assist.

Intangibles: Adds attacking depth, five-goal scorer 2 years ago with capacity to influence matches in second half.

Team acquisition grade: B+.

Player performance grade: B.

Samuel Inkoom

Acquired: Signed as a free agent in early September after serving with Basel (Switzerland), Dnipro (Ukraine), Bastia (France) and Platanias (Greece).

Stats: no league appearances.

Intangibles: Depth for stretch run, two-time member of Ghana World Cup squad who is a natural right back and can play on the wing.

Team acquisition grade: Incomplete.

Player performance grade: Incomplete.