Theodore Ku-DiPietro
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-01-28) January 28, 2002
Place of birth Oakton, Virginia, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 D.C. United
Number 21
Youth career
0000–2019 D.C. United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Loudoun United 58 (11)
2022– D.C. United 36 (5)
International career
2023– United States U23 2 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 7, 2023

Theodore "Ted” Ku-DiPietro (born January 28, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club D.C. United.

Early life

Ku-DiPietro was a standout player at Oakton High School in his hometown of Oakton, Virginia,[2] being named first-team all-state as a sophomore in 2018.[3][4] Ku-DiPietro is of German and Chinese (where the "Ku" in his last name comes from) descent through his mother, and Polish descent through his father ("DiPietro" is the last name of is adoptive Italian grandfather).[4]

Club career

Loudoun United

Ku-DiPietro played his first professional game on June 28, 2019, winning 2–1 against Atlanta United 2.[5] Ku-DiPietro scored his first-ever professional goal in his first season with Loudoun United, on September 25, 2019, in the 68th minute of the team's 4–1 win over the Swope Park Rangers.[6] Ku-DiPietro also received his first-ever red card in the same match.

Ku-DiPietro signed his first professional contract with Loudoun on January 7, 2020.[7]

D.C. United

After appearing three seasons with Loudoun, Ku-DiPietro became the 17th homegrown player signing for D.C. United.[8] In the opening match of the 2023 season, he scored his first goal for the club – the game-winning goal in a 3–2 comeback victory over Toronto. After coming on as a second-half substitute, Ku-DiPietro assisted on Christian Benteke's game-tying goal in the 90th minute before scoring himself.[9] As a result, he was named to Major League Soccer's Team of the Matchday for week one.[10]

International career

Due to having a mix of German, Chinese, Polish and Italian ancestry while being born in the USA, Ku-DiPietro is eligible to play for one of five different national teams, including: the United States, Germany, China, Poland and Italy.[4]

He was called up to the United States U-23 team for the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, and scored his first international goal as the United States came from behind to beat Honduras 2–1.[11]

Career statistics

Club

As of October 7, 2023[12]
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Loudoun United 2019 USL Championship 91———91
2020 USL Championship 91———91
2021 USL Championship 307———307
2022 USL Championship 102———102
Total 5811———5811
D.C. United 2022 MLS 10020——120
2023 MLS 26510——275
Total 36530——395
Career total 94163000009716

    Personal life

    Ku-DiPietro was born into a family of nine children, and six (including himself) have played soccer at least at the youth level.[4][13] His older brother, Michael, played for the Marymount Saints men's soccer team before graduating with a Business Administration degree.[14][13] His younger sister, Hope, signed a letter of intent to play with the George Washington Colonials women's soccer team in the Fall 2023 season.[15][13]

    References

    1. ↑ "Theodore Ku-DiPietro". D.C. United. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
    2. ↑ Facinoli, Dave (June 4, 2018). "Madison, Oakton win region soccer titles". Inside Nova. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
    3. ↑ "Boys soccer Class 6 all-state teams announced". Prince William Times. June 15, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
    4. 1 2 3 4 Steven Goff (January 13, 2022). "Ted Ku-DiPietro's path to D.C. United was one of a kind". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
    5. ↑ "Loudoun United Win First Match at Home against Atlanta United 2, 2–1". June 28, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
    6. ↑ "Loudoun United FC vs. Swope Park Rangers - September 25, 2019 | USLChampionship.com". www.uslchampionship.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
    7. ↑ "Loudoun United FC welcome back eight players for the 2020 season". January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
    8. ↑ "D.C. United Sign Midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro to Homegrown Deal". D.C. United. January 13, 2022.
    9. ↑ Goff, Steven (February 25, 2023). "D.C. United storms back, wins season opener on goal deep in stoppage time". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
    10. ↑ Sigal, Jonathan (February 28, 2023). "Team of the Matchday: Who shined brightest on MLS is Back weekend?". Major League Soccer. Retrieved February 28, 2023. Ku-DiPietro had 1g/1a off the bench in a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Toronto FC – including a stoppage-time winner.
    11. ↑ "ASN: USYNT analysis: Thoughts on the U-17 World Cup roster, and the PanAm games". americansoccernow.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
    12. ↑ Theodore Ku-DiPietro at Soccerway. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
    13. 1 2 3 Goff, Steven (March 2, 2023). "Ted Ku-DiPietro, a homegrown talent, brings 'a hunger' to D.C. United". Washington Post. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
    14. ↑ "Michael Ku-Dipietro - 2017 - Men's Soccer". Marymount University. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
    15. ↑ https://twitter.com/GFRsoccer/status/1596996859066978304
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