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.

[3] The Re-Entry Draft resulted in United's Marc Burch and Clyde Simms being transferred to the Seattle Sounders FC and New England Revolution, respectively.

Two days later, United traded an undisclosed amount of allocation money to fellow Texan MLS side, Houston Dynamo for midfielder Danny Cruz.

Subsequently, DC United once again claimed the Carolina Challenge Cup with victories over the Charleston Battery and the Chicago Fire, with the final game against the Columbus Crew canceled because of severe weather.

On February 2, the club made headlines for the acquiring of Albanian striker Hamdi Salihi as a designated player, from Austrian side Rapid Wien.

[8] Many have cited the purchase of Salihi as United's largest transfer during the 2011–12 offseason, and a key role needed to fill the void left by Charlie Davies the previous season.

The club filled out the roster signing two preseason trialists from USL teams: goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra[9] and left winger Lewis Neal.

[12] United's offensive struggles continued as they traveled out west to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy, the defending MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield champions, on March 17.

The Galaxy emerged with a 3–1 win, with United's lone bright spot being rookie Nick DeLeon's first MLS goal, as the team's first round draft pick scored in the 86th minute.

United's only scoring chance came on a header by Designated Player Hamdi Salihi, that forced Whitecaps' goalie Joe Cannon into a quick reaction save.

[14] A month that was marked by anemic offensive performances ended with a goal-scoring explosion as United returned home to RFK Stadium to take on FC Dallas, and the emergence of new factor in the attack as Maicon Santos scored twice and added an assist in a 4–1 thrashing of the visitors.

The fixture against Seattle ended in a scoreless draw, the club's second of the season, with United's Maicon Santos and Dejan Jakovic picking up yellow cards during the match.

[17] After the disappointing draw with Montreal, United put together the team's most dominant performance in April, with a 4–1 victory over the New York Red Bulls, led by Chris Pontius, who tallied his first career hat-trick with goals in the 8th, 32nd and 69th minutes.

Salihi, United's much-hyped offseason signing, scored for the first time in league play, when he got on the end of a long pass by De Rosario, and neatly chipped it over the diving San Jose goalie, Jon Busch.

Head Coach Ben Olsen had a few surprises in store, as he bolstered the defense by putting Andy Najar at right back and moving Woolard to center-back.

Hamdi Salihi once again came off the bench and closed out the scoring in a 2–0 win with his second goal in two games, this one coming on an acrobatic overhead scissors kick.

[19] The three game road swing ended following the Houston match, where United began a three-match homestand against Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC and New England Revolution, respectively.

Along with Barklage, New York's Jan Gunnar Solli scored his first career goal with the club, giving the Red Bulls a 3–1 lead in the 55th minute.

A teasing pass from Maicon Santos saw Pontius dribble around Red Bulls goalie, Ryan Meara and easily slot it into the back of the net.

In league play, July was a rather frustrating patch, as D.C. United lost two games by a combined score of 5–0, losing by four to Houston Dynamo and one against Columbus Crew, both matches being on the road.

The lopsided result against Houston was largely due to the ejection of starting goalkeeper, Bill Hamid, 20 minutes in, when United and the Dynamo were drawn at zero.

A trip to Montreal resulted in a 3–0 drubbing, but United seemed in position to close out the month with a win at home, holding a 2–1 lead over New York, thanks to goals by DeLeon and De Rosario.

The team continued their stingy ways in their return home, eking out a 1–0 win over lowly Chivas USA, on a second half goal by one-time Designated Player Branko Bošković.

New York was awarded the tying goal, when Bill Hamid went up to take a header into the box away from a Red Bull defender who was standing directly in front of United's goalie.

United would also have to play that match without the gifted Andy Najar who received a second yellow card ejection for throwing a ball at a New York player with about 20 minutes remaining.

A large contingent of D.C. United fans left the Washington area in a convoy of 11 buses as snowflakes were beginning to fall in the mid-Atlantic region.

United was forced to play short-handed for a short time, but a reckless tackle against Pontius by the Red Bulls' Rafa Marquez earned a second yellow card and ejection.

However, the Red Bulls had an excellent opportunity to force extra-time as they lined up a free kick on the edge of the penalty area during stoppage time.

United seemed poised to take control of the series when Raphael Augusto, who was making his first start, was taken down by Dynamo defender André Hainault on a breakaway opportunity.

[45] As of June 28, 2012, United has used all six international roster spots on the following players: Canadian Dejan Jakovic,[48] Montenegrin Branko Bošković,[49] Brazilian Maicon Santos, Argentine Emiliano Dudar, Albanian Hamdi Salihi, and Englishman Lewis Neal.