D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, a product of the club's youth academy who signed a pro contract at age 18, comes into trying camp a new man. In the fall, he was packing 245 pounds into a 6-foot-3 frame. Now he is down to 220.

Steven Goff reports the transformation of Hamid started when he was home watching goalkeeping idol Tim Howard make a series of brilliant saves in a televised English Premier League match. "When I saw that performance and then I went on Twitter and everyone was talking about him and the U.S. goalkeepers that will follow, I really wanted to follow in his footsteps and surpass him," said Hamid. "To get there, I knew I had to buckle down. I decided in my mind I had to change my life around."

So during United's break, while rehabilitating a shoulder injury that had cut short his 2010 season, Hamid worked on becoming a better player and better man. He lifted weights and worked with athletic trainer Brian Goodstein and strength coach Pete Calabrese. He became a regular at a Capitol Hill health club and changed his diet. He researched the weights and body fat percentages of the top keepers in Europe.

"I saw him from a distance and had to ask someone, 'Who is that guy?' " United President Kevin Payne said. "I honestly didn't recognize him."