United Close To Acquiring Ssejjemba

D.C. United is close to finalizing a deal to acquire Ugandan national team forward Robert Ssejjemba from the minor league Richmond Kickers for the remainder of the MLS season, sources familiar with the negotiations said last night.

If details are worked out by today's signing deadline, Ssejjemba (pronounced say-GEM-ba) would be eligible to travel with the first-place club to Chicago for Sunday's match against the Fire.

Under the proposed deal, United would have Ssejjemba the rest of the year and hold an option to purchase his contract from the Kickers for between $10,000 and $20,000 this offseason, one source said.

This isn't the first time United has turned to Richmond for help: Before the 2005 season, United acquired midfielder Clyde Simms , now a D.C. regular. (Minor league soccer teams in this country are not affiliated with MLS clubs and retain control of player contracts.)

United technical director Dave Kasper declined to comment about negotiations involving Ssejjemba, who was given a tryout in D.C.'s reserve squad game against Real Salt Lake last weekend and scored three goals. Ssejjemba's agent, Patrick McCabe , is expected to hold talks with MLS this morning.

Ssejjemba, 26, had 17 goals in 19 games this summer to help Richmond win the United Soccer Leagues' second-division title. Before playing the past two seasons with the Kickers, he was a standout for Virginia Intermont, an NAIA program in Bristol, Va.

Despite leading MLS in scoring, United is in need of frontline reinforcement because of nagging injuries to starters Jaime Moreno and Alecko Eskandarian . United (14-3-10) has scored just nine goals in the last eight games, during which it is 1-2-5.

Uganda's soccer federation has indicated it will summon Ssejjemba for an African Cup of Nations qualifier next month against Niger, which would make him unavailable for United's Oct. 7 match against New England.

-- Steven Goff