| 2012 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| General manager | Dave Kasper | |||
| Head coach | Ben Olsen | |||
| Stadium | RFK Stadium | |||
| MLS | Eastern Conference: 2nd Overall: 3rd | |||
| MLS Cup Playoffs | Conference finals | |||
| U.S. Open Cup | Fourth round | |||
| Carolina Challenge Cup | Winners | |||
| Atlantic Cup | Winners | |||
| World Football Challenge | 0–0–1 | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Chris Pontius (12) All: Chris Pontius (12) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 20,015 vs. HOU | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 10,135 vs. MTL | |||
| Average home league attendance | Regular season: 13,835 Playoffs: 18,786 | |||
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The 2012 D.C. United season was the club's seventeenth season of existence, and their seventeenth consecutive season of playing in Major League Soccer, the top division of American soccer. The club's season began on March 10, with a 0–1 home defeat against Sporting Kansas City, and culminated on November 18 with a 1–1 draw against Houston Dynamo.
Under Ben Olsen, his second full season in charge, the club went through a tremendous improvement in form, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and reaching the Eastern Conference championship for the first time since 2006. During the regular season, United amassed 58 points during the season, which tied their record from 1998 for the most points during the regular season, although the 1998 season only had 32 matches instead of 34. Still, the club averaged 1.7 points per match, which is tied for the third best on record.
United saw success in the conference semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs, defeating their I-95 rivals, the New York Red Bulls 2–1 on aggregate, before eventually losing to the defending Eastern Conference postseason champions, Houston Dynamo, 4–2 on aggregate.
Outside of MLS, United reached the round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup, where they lost in extra time to the Philadelphia Union.