Despite its lengthy and unfortunate history of concussions, D.C. United took a bold step to add to its back line on Wednesday, signing 6-foot-4 Argentine defender Emiliano Dudar, who suffered a head injury so serious in 2010 that he was put into a medically-induced coma.
The 30-year-old was named 2009-10 Swiss Golden Player, the league’s defender of the year, after playing in 31 Swiss League matches (all starts) that season for BSC Young Boys. Dudar started his career with Velez Sarsfield in Argentina, and he also saw time in Brazil and Paraguay before landing in Switzerland.
In a 2-2 draw with FC Basel on Sept. 12, 2010, Dudar suffered a serious head injury in a collision with a teammate, leading to a stoppage of the match for eight minutes while he was removed from the field, brought directly to a hospital and put into a medically-induced coma. Dudar missed the next three months before returning to the field last spring.
Dudar will provide additional depth at center back, where Dejan Jakovic and Brandon McDonald are D.C.’s most experienced players. Ethan White, coming off a knee injury and hernia surgery, is entering his second season.
D.C. United’s history with head injuries is notorious, with a list of players including Alecko Eskandarian, Josh Gros and Bryan Namoff, who all saw their careers cut short. Devon McTavish missed all of last season with a concussion, while Santino Quaranta was also sidelined for a significant portion of the season.
