Christiano Francois Height: 5' 7"

Weight: 140 lbs

Position: Forward

Hometown: Port-au-Prince, Haiti/ Newark, N.J.

Acquired: Selected in the Waiver Draft on January 24, 2014

D.C. United today announced the club has claimed former University of Maryland product Christiano Francois via a waiver draft. Francois, a former Haiti U-17 National Team member, relinquished his college eligibility after the MLS SuperDraft by signing a contract with MLS making him available to all teams via a waiver draft.

“Christiano is a dynamic attacking player who has a big upside,” said D.C. United General Manager Dave Kasper. “We look forward to getting him started as a professional.”

Originally from Haiti, Francois moved to the United States four years ago and attended St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey for two years before joining the University of Maryland in 2012. In high school, he was named Gatorade New Jersey Boys Soccer Player of the Year as he scored 44 goals and 22 assists as he led St. Benedict’s to a state title and a perfect 24-0 record. In two seasons, he recorded a total of 60 goals and 41 assists. Francois appeared in all 24 games (three starts) during his freshman season at Maryland, finishing the season with five goals and four assists.