D.C. United would like to bring Yamil Asad back in 2019. Asad would love to be back with United in 2019.



If only it was that simple.



By this point in the offseason, the Argentine playmaker was expected to be in D.C., preparing to join United in training camp next week. Instead, Asad is in Argentina, training with Velez Sarsfield, the club to which he is contracted. With United’s opener fast approaching, hope seems to be fading fast that the winger will ever play for D.C. again.



A source familiar with the ongoing negotiations said they put those chances at “a hard 50/50.”



So how did we get here?



United acquired Asad on loan from Velez prior to the 2018 season after Atlanta United, the Argentine’s previous club, was unable to agree to terms with him. It was a complex deal with a few moving parts. D.C. had to send allocation money to Atlanta for his MLS rights, and also agree loan terms with Velez and a contract with the...