United is in the process of evaluating the current squad, Olsen said, and deciding whether to exercise several contract options. The MLS deadline for such action is Dec. 1.

Since ending a 9-20-5 campaign three weeks ago, United has continued conducting training sessions with much of the roster. Players who are in Olsen’s plans have participated in morning workouts; those who haven’t received final word on their status have had the flexibility to work out in the afternoon.

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Olsen declined to specify the training breakdown and wouldn’t comment on impending roster decisions, but the list of players in jeopardy probably includes defenders Sean Franklin and Chris Korb, midfielders Jared Jeffrey, Patrick Nyarko, Rob Vincent and Marcelo Sarvas, forward Deshorn Brown and one of the reserve goalkeepers (Travis Worra or Eric Klenofsky).

Three players are already out of the picture: Starting goalkeeper Bill Hamid will join Danish club Midtjylland on a free transfer in January; reserve midfielder Julian Buescher said he won’t return after playing sparingly this year; and attacker Chris Rolfe announced his retirement after missing 18 months with a concussion.

“We’re in no hurry,” Olsen said of the makeover. “We’ve got a lot to evaluate and make sure we are making the right choices. Unfortunately, that keeps some guys in limbo.”

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He did say, though, players would be notified to some extent before Thanksgiving.

Acquiring a proven striker is among the top priorities. United went scoreless in 17 of 34 matches, tying a league record that D.C. set in 2010, and finished tied for last with Colorado in scoring (31 goals).

“We are, no doubt, looking for someone who can score 15 goals,” Olsen said. “It’s a hard thing to find and it’s a very expensive thing to find. However, you can find them.”

This year, Luciano Acosta and Patrick Mullins shared the team lead with five goals apiece. All of Mullins’s goals came in a late, two-game stretch.

On a broader search for players, General Manager Dave Kasper last month scouted in Argentina and plans to return to multiple countries in South America. Olsen was out of the country most of this week. He declined to specify the location, but at the end of 30-minute media session, he shouted, “Pura Vida!” — a term associated with Costa Rica.

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United has relied largely on domestic-based players, but with management committed to increase spending, the international market is likely to play a larger role in winter moves.

“The way we’re going about things has to change a little bit because of the money coming in and [there’s] only so much you can do within your own country,” Olsen said. “You have to make sure you are searching the globe.”

During the summer, United signed Mexican-based U.S. winger Paul Arriola, German-based U.S. midfielder Russell Canouse and Hungarian midfielder Zoltan Stieber from German club Kaiserslautern. It also acquired Bruno Miranda, Chilean-based Bolivian forward, on loan through the 2018 season.

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Reflecting on changes after a poor season, Olsen said: “There is a tendency to want to turn the page, and sometimes that’s the coach or sometimes that’s some of the players. At this point, it looks like it’s not going to be the coach and it’s going to be some players. Now it’s my job to make sure the next page is a good one.”

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Club management has repeatedly pledged its support for Olsen, who has the second-longest continuous service as an MLS head coach (seven seasons) behind Sporting Kansas City’s Peter Vermes. United qualified for the playoffs each of the past three seasons but finished last in the Eastern Conference this year and tied with the Los Angeles Galaxy for the fewest points in the league (32).

Olsen said he doesn’t worry about whether ownership would weigh a coaching change if United starts slowly next year.

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“I have zero sense and zero concern. My job doesn’t change. I’ve been here a long time. When it’s time for me to not be the coach here, it’s time for me to not be the coach here. It’s the club that matters to me, and if that decision happens at some point or when that happens, okay. But that doesn’t seem to be the case in the moment, so my job continues to be to make sure we are back in the playoffs next year.”

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United will continue workouts at the RFK Stadium training grounds through next Friday. Why?

“We can prepare them with the specifics we want done when they are gone, so that we are better prepared when we come back in January,” Olsen said. Furthermore, “my gut feeling of giving these guys an early vacation doesn’t sit real well with me. Because we were the last-place team in the East. We don’t deserve anything but to work on anything we can, and that’s me included.

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“It’s not punishment. It’s just reality. We have to get better. We can use these three weeks of training to continue to push these guys and keep their fitness levels at a certain area, make sure they are well-versed in what we want out of them in the next two months so they come in sharper and fitter, and understand it’s unacceptable not to be in the playoffs around here — and we have to make sure we’re not doing this again next year.”

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Olsen also wants a fitter team to endure the rigors of a road-heavy start to next season.

“Fitness was an issue this year,” he said, “and that’s not going to be an issue next year.”

Stamina will come into play early because United will not open its new stadium, Audi Field, until late June. That means probably a dozen away matches to begin the campaign, although the club might end up playing a few early-season home games at alternative sites in the region. The organization is working with the league to determine whether all 17 home matches at Audi Field can be crammed into the last four months of the league calendar. A decision is expected by next month.

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United will open 2018 training camp in late January and spend most of its time in Clearwater, Fla.

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On the injury front, Olsen said …

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Captain Steve Birnbaum has almost completed concussion protocol after missing the season finale with his third head injury in six months.

Nyarko has not resumed training with the team since suffering a concussion in July.

Vincent, sidelined all year with knee problems, has engaged in “spotty training. He has yet to fully turn the corner.”

Olsen has not given up on the versatile Englishman.

“I don’t write guys off because I’ve been that guy,” he said, a reference to his long struggle as a player with ankle injuries. “I’ve been the guy that everyone said is done. I’ve been that guy twice. Sometimes the body finds a way to adapt. It’s a matter of whether you want to be like that because it’s painful. He’s a tough guy and I’m sure he wants to continue to play in some capacity, whether that’s here or somewhere else.”

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