Of those 33 players, 20 lasted one season or less. Four others signed in the midst of one season and were retained over the winter but did not last the entire subsequent campaign.
I have graded the team for each signing (on a scale of 1 to 10), taking into account production, tenure and expectation upon arrival:
*Christian Gomez, midfielder, Argentina
DCU career: 2004-07, 2009.
Stats: 45 goals and 33 assists in 124 regular season matches, 113 starts, 2006 MLS MVP, three-time Best XI.
Signing grade: 10.
*Luciano Emilio, striker, Brazil
DCU career: 2007-09, first half of 2010.
Stats: 41 goals and eight assists in 87 regular season matches, 77 starts, 2007 MLS MVP, Golden Boot and Best XI.
Signing grade: 9.
*Dejan Jakovic, defender, Canada
DCU career: 2009-current.
Stats: 90 regular season matches, 87 starts.
Signing grade: 7.
*Fred, midfielder, Brazil
DCU career: 2007-09, first half of 2011.
Stats: 11 goals and 17 assists in 89 regular season matches, 65 starts.
Signing grade: 6.
*Facundo Erpen, defender, Argentina
DCU career: 2005-mid 2007.
Stats: 49 regular season matches, all starts.
Signing grade: 5.
*Branko Boskovic, midfielder, Montenegro
DCU career: Mid 2010 to 2012.
Stats: One goal, seven assists in 43 regular season matches, 21 starts.
Signing grade: 5. (Adjusted for salary: 4)
*Gonzalo Martinez, defender, Colombia
DCU career: 2008.
Stats: 26 regular season matches, 22 starts.
Signing grade: 4.
*Louis Crayton, goalkeeper, Liberia
DCU career: late 2008-mid 2009.
Stats: 18 regular season starts, 27 goals allowed.
Signing grade: 4.
*Hamdi Salihi, striker, Albania
DCU career: 2012.
Stats: Six goals in 22 regular season matches, 10 starts.
Signing grade: 4. (Adjusted for salary: 3)
*Danny Allsopp, striker, Australia
DCU career: 2010.
Stats: Five goals in 23 regular season matches, 18 starts.
Signing grade: 4.
*Marcelo Gallardo, midfielder, Argentina
DCU career: 2008.
Stats: Four goals, three assists in 15 regular season matches, 14 starts.
Signing grade: 4. (Adjusted for salary: 3)
*Gonzalo Peralta, center back, Argentina
DCU career: 2008.
Stats: 18 regular season matches, 17 starts.
Signing grade: 3.
*Emiliano Dudar, center back, Argentina
DCU career: 2012.
Stats: 11 regular season matches, 10 starts.
Signing grade: 3.
*Rafael, striker, Brazil
DCU career: 2013-current.
Stats: One goal in six regular season matches, four starts.
Signing grade: 3.
*Matias Donnet, midfielder, Argentina
DCU career: Last part of 2006.
Stats: One goal in eight regular season matches, seven starts.
Signing grade: 3.
*Raphael Augusto, midfielder, Brazil
DCU career: Late 2012-first half of 2013.
Stats: Seven regular season matches, five starts.
Signing grade: 3.
*Franco Niell, forward, Argentina
DCU career: First half of 2008.
Stats: One assist in seven regular season matches, three starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Christian Castillo, midfielder, El Salvador
DCU career: First half of 2010.
Stats: 10 regular season matches, eight starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Marcos Sanchez, midfielder, Panama
DCU career: First half of 2013.
Stats: Nine regular season matches, six starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Nana Kuffour, midfielder, Ghana
DCU career: Mid 2004 through 2005.
Stats: One goal in eight regular season matches, three starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Jose Carvallo, goalkeeper, Peru
DCU career: First half of 2008.
Stats: One regular season start, four goals allowed.
Signing grade: 2.
*Steve Guppy, forward, England
DCU career: First half of 2005.
Stats: One assist in five regular season matches, four starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Juan Manuel Pena, center back, Bolivia
DCU career: 2010.
Stats: 10 regular season matches, nine starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Pablo Hernandez, forward, Argentina
DCU career: Second half of 2010.
Stats: One assist in 14 regular season matches, 13 starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Lucio Filomeno, forward, Argentina
DCU career: Late 2005-mid 2006.
Stats: One goal, one assist in 12 regular season matches, five starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Ange N’Silu, forward, Congo
DCU career: 2009.
Stats: One goal, one assist in nine matches, four starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Rodrigo Brasesco, defender, Uruguay
DCU career: First half of 2011.
Stats: Three regular season matches, two starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Carlos Varela, midfielder, Spain
DCU career: Last part of 2010.
Stats: Six regular season matches, one start.
Signing grade: 2.
*Kasali Yinka Casal, midfielder, England
DCU career: First half of 2007.
Stats: One assist in four regular season matches, no starts.
Signing grade: 2.
*Junior Carreiro, midfielder, Brazil
DCU career: Late 2010-mid 2011.
Stats: Three regular season matches.
Signing grade: 2.
*David Habarugira, defender, Burundi
DCU career: Last part of 2009.
Stats: No regular season matches.
Signing grade: 2.
*Ibrahim Koroma, defender, Sierra Leone
DCU career: Last part of 2008.
Stats: No regular season matches.
Signing grade: 2.
*Syamsir Alam, midfielder, Indonesia
DCU career: 2013-current.
Stats: No regular season matches.
Signing grade: 1.5. (The .5 is for club branding in Indonesia)
United has fared better with homegrown signings (Bill Hamid, Andy Najar) and the college draft (Chris Pontius, Perry Kitchen, Nick DeLeon). Trades have been a mixed bag.