Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | January 28, 2002 | ||
Place of birth | Oakton, Virginia, U.S. | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | D.C. United | ||
Number | 21 | ||
Youth career | |||
–2019 | D.C. United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2019–2022 | Loudoun United | 58 | (11) |
2022– | D.C. United | 53 | (7) |
International career | |||
2023– | United States U23 | 5 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 5, 2024 |
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.
Ku-DiPietro was born on January 28, 2002, in Oakton, Virginia. He attended Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, where he was a standout soccer player. [2] In 2018, as a sophomore, he was named first-team all-state. [3] [4] Ku-DiPietro is of Chinese descent through his mother, and Polish and German descent through his father. "DiPietro" is the last name of his adoptive Italian grandfather. [4]
Ku-DiPietro played his first professional game with Loudoun United FC, on June 28, 2019, in a 2–1 win over Atlanta United 2. [5] Ku-DiPietro scored his first-ever professional goal in his first season with Loudoun United FC, 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]
After appearing three seasons with Loudoun, Ku-DiPietro became the 17th homegrown player to sign 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]
Due to having a mix of German, Chinese, Polish and Italian ancestry while being born in the United States, 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]
Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Loudoun United | 2019 | USL | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
2020 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||||
2021 | 30 | 7 | — | — | — | 30 | 7 | |||||
2022 | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||||
Total | 58 | 11 | — | — | — | 58 | 11 | |||||
D.C. United | 2022 | MLS | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
2023 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 5 | ||||
2024 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
Total | 53 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 56 | 7 | ||||
Career total | 111 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 18 |
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. His other younger sister Rose, is a talented young player, with a bright future in soccer. [15] [13]
Ku-DiPietro had 1g/1a off the bench in a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Toronto FC – including a stoppage-time winner.