DC United is entering the final few weeks of what has been a very disappointing 2025 season. They were the first team to be eliminated from contention for the MLS Cup playoffs, marking the sixth straight season that they will miss out on the postseason. In July, they fired head coach Troy Lesesne, bringing in René Weiler after a month of having academy director Kevin Flanagan serve as the interim coach until the visa process could be finalized. And today, the Black-and-Red announced that they had let go of general manager Ally Mackay, with reports about his successor already floating around.

Fans and supporters alike have seen enough, with supporters publicly calling for majority owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan to sell the team. Other fans have developed apathy towards a club they feel is not moving in the right direction. It’s safe to say that the owners have heard the chatter and have become more open about discussing their pathway to success.

Today, both Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan sat down with The District Press to discuss their reasons behind parting ways with Ally Mackay, what they feel they need to do to improve the team’s performance through roster changes and placing more responsibility upon René Weiler, as well as their plans for building up their presence in Maryland and Virginia through MLS Next Pro and their relationship with Loudoun United. Finally, both owners address the elephant in the room: the unhappiness of long-time fans and supporters over how the club’s failures on the field and how they plan to rebuild that foundation of support and trust.

We bring you those words now, the full interview with DC United owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan.

Note: This interview was slightly edited for clarity purposes.

The District Press: Thank you guys for your time. I want to obviously start with the big announcement of the day, having let [general manager] Ally Mackay go. Can you talk about what led to that decision?  

Jason Levien: Yeah. You know, we took a look at the results and over the past two seasons and we felt as though it was clear to us that we needed to make a change. You know, we hold ourselves accountable, we hold the people we put in positions accountable. And after bringing in René Weiler as our new manager, we felt as the next step in preparing for this offseason and to take this team to where we want it to go, we needed new leadership. We thank Ally for his time and his commitment to the club since 2023. And we also knew it was time for us to make a change. 

DP: Obviously you let go of Troy [Lesesne]. You keep Ally. I guess he was, in part, bringing in René and then a couple months later, he’s gone. Was there any circumstances that changed? How did that timing evolve from the evaluation of Troy and now the evaluation of Ally, especially given the last couple of months?

Steve Kaplan: I think having René to help us evaluate the team helped us solidify our decision. We also recognize that René also had experience as a sporting director. He’s a very, very experienced coach. He’s a very experienced football person. But at the end of the day, it’s a results business and we weren’t able to achieve the results. We hold ourselves accountable. We have to double down in terms of our efforts to improve the team. But we also have to hold the people accountable who will work for us. And I want to say Ally’s a really good person and I think he’s got a real future in soccer. It didn’t work out here. I’m sure it’ll work out for him somewhere else.  

DP: And what’s the timeline for the new search? Obviously I’m sure you’ve already launched that search, but what kind of timeline are you looking for, especially given that we’re a few games away from the end of the season?

SK: Before the end of the week. 

DP: Oh, so we’re moving quickly.  

SK: We’re moving quickly. 

(Author’s note: both Steven Goff and GiveMeSport’s Tom Bogert are reporting that the search has narrowed to sports lawyer Erkut Sogut and Toluca’s Santiago San Román, with Sogut the frontrunner to land the position.)

DP: I want to move on to the overall team. A lot has been said about the roster. I want to start with the designated players first. What is your desired target this offseason as you evaluate this roster from a designated player standpoint? Are you looking to bring in players from Europe? Are you trying to bring in a model that a lot of teams have employed from South America? What is your stance on that or what’s your desire in the offseason?  

SK: First of all, we’re gonna bring in a full panoply of designated players. So we’re gonna be full on designated players. I think we’re agnostic as to whether they’re South American or European or African or from the United States or Canada. We want the best players who are able to play in René’s system and help the club win.  

DP: I know [René’s] said his only job right now is to evaluate these players and kind of see who will stick around, what reinforcements [that] you bring in. How involved in the interim and even after you bring in the new [general manager] will you two be in that process?

JL: I think we’re gonna be very engaged. We care deeply about this club and we’re gonna utilize the relationships and resources and experience we have to be a part of that process. We’re certainly not gonna serve in the role as general manager or coach. We don’t get involved in who’s in the starting lineup week to week, and we’re certainly not gonna be watching game film on players to decide which player we should be picking to bring the next designated player in. But that being said, we’re going to ask a lot of questions. We’re going to think it through as part of the brain trust of making those decisions. If anything, you know that I’d be critical about myself, is there are moments over the last several years I’ve been too hands off. I put people in place and said, “okay, I’m gonna sit back and maybe not question some of the decisions or maybe not challenge them with some certain things.” And I think our role is to pressure test some of the decisions that are being made to help in that evaluation process and to understand that we’re all working together to try to build the best roster we can. So, we’re going to be very involved this week. This is very meaningful for us.

SK: And also, to provide guidance to what our goals are so there’s no mixed message. Our goal is to win football games and to be and to compete for an MLS Cup. That’s the North Star. So when you know having that as clear, it’s not players who necessarily have big names or big followings. It’s players who are going to help us win soccer games.  

DP: Now as a follow up to that, you mentioned the brain trust is going to be involved in some of these decisions. I obviously know that René will be involved as the coach will have to work hand in hand with whoever you bring in to replace Ally. Who else would be a part of that in addition to yourselves? I know [former sporting director] Dave Kasper is still around. Is he a part of that brain trust, and are there other people that would be in involved in some of those decisions?  

JL: Yeah, we have a front office of folks currently that our new sporting director is going to have to evaluate how they fit in to the future front office and we’re going to lean on people who have MLS experience and that’s got real soccer experience. Lead scout, we may bring in more scouting talent. We’ve got data analytics folks that we’ve invested in to look at those decisions and kind of triangulate about how they look from a data perspective. So all of that is going to go into the decision making process. You’ve also got to be nimble. You got to move fast. Certain decisions come, certain opportunities come up and you’ve got to take them. So being able to be adroit in making those decisions collectively is really important. But I will say one thing that Steve’s mentioned in the past, which is right, is that we’re not going to bring in players who our manager doesn’t want. So ultimately, we have to work hand-in-glove with our manager to figure out how that player fits into the system they want to play and whether or not they believe in that player, because it doesn’t set the player up for success if they come in for a manager that doesn’t want them, and it doesn’t set the organization up for success. So that’s going to be really critical for us. 

DP: I want to move on to the academy and MLS Next Pro because I know that’s a big part of your process. You’ve talked a lot about expanding your footprint not just in D.C. but in Virginia and Maryland. I want to start with Virginia because you started Loudoun United 7 years ago. I know the [ownership] stake in the team has lessened in the last couple of years. Redefine for us the status of D.C. United’s relationship with Loudoun United. 

JL: It has really been bolstered in the past year. We did a partnership with the Virginia Revolution that I’m really proud of. We had Attain Sports who first came in as our partner, which we were required to do by MLS and the USL so that we didn’t retain 100% of it. We broadened the Virginia Revolution that are hyper local in the louder market. They’ve got a great expanding youth club presence there. That allowed us to take on an additional 37 acres of land, more fields, more locker rooms, enhancing our environment for Loudoun but also for youth soccer in Loudoun County. And they’ve taken over the day-to-day operations of Loudoun United. I speak with them very regularly. [DC United defender] Garrison Tubbs is one of the players now that’s anchoring their defense as they head towards their playoff run. Our former academy director Ryan Martin is in his 7th season as the coach there. I think he’s had a really good year. So we’re really proud of the relationship with Loudoun United and the fact that we’re really the only MLS team that has that kind of relationship with a second division pro sports in soccer. 

That being said, we’ve also, with our investment in our academy where we’ve tripled the budget for our academy, gone to a residency program where kids are getting schooled there as well. Steve and I were visiting with some of those kids today at the [Inova] Performance Center. We also understand that we really want to have a specific place for MLS Next Pro and it’s taken us some time to sort that out because one of the things that DC United has as a competitive advantage is that we’ve got a second metropolitan area that’s in our exclusive territory, that being Baltimore. And so we’ve been working very closely with the Mayor of Baltimore [Brandon Scott], the Governor of Maryland [Wes Moore], the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland [Aruna Miller] has been to Audi Field to visit with Steve and I over the past few months to work on a strategy to engage Baltimore as well. There’s a real history of soccer development and great players coming out of Baltimore. We don’t want to pass that by. But, that process is taking a while. 

So, we’re far down the line on talks with an MLS Next Pro team now that would be a partner for us in allowing us to have an input on soccer operation for that MLS Next Pro team. And [we can] have a relationship [where] we could send players there and they could send them back to us and we can work hand-in-glove with them while we’re working on the Baltimore development project. So we didn’t want to miss that. The last couple of years, there has been an advantage having the USL Championship club as a partner, but a real disadvantage in not having an MLS Next Pro team for some of our academy players to take the next step and maybe some of our younger players on our first team roster to be able to perform in MLS Next Pro consistently. We’ve loaned players out, we’ve got Gavin Turner playing in Chattanooga [FC] right now. But it would be great to have that consistency and have them be driving distance from Loudoun and from DC and that’s what we’re lining up. We’re planning to make that announcement soon as we finalize the details around that. [It’s] really critical for us in the short and medium term. In the long term, we love that relationship. We also want to have a foot in Baltimore so that we can engage that community and have an MLS Next Pro presence in Baltimore. 

DP: I want to ask about Baltimore in just a second but as much as you can share…are you talking about a current MLS Next Pro or is it someone that’s coming in an expansion club?  

JL: Current team.

DP: Current team, okay. And you’re thinking something for next year having that partnership? 

SK: Yes. I want to say that we’re investing a lot in our academy. We think this area is an incredible area in terms of talented soccer players, huge soccer players and we want to get the best out of those athletes. But we were missing a piece of the puzzle. We’re missing a link because there are a number of players on our team that could have benefited this year by getting more regular time on an MLS Next Pro team. So that’s something that we have a solve for next year.  

DP: For Baltimore, I know there’s been kind of a strenuous timetable. I know it’s kind of pushed back as things have happened. But not only do you have Baltimore, you have contacts with Annapolis. I know the Annapolis Blues have done some collaboration with DC Power recently. What have you guys thought about when you consider how expansive this area can be when you do include Baltimore [and] Annapolis? What have you thought about on how to generate more interest in the club DC United, but also to again establish that footprint and grow it in the areas that are a hotbed for talent here?  

JL: Well, right now we have vans that pick up kids in Baltimore and take them to Loudoun to train with us and to be part of our academy. That’s not easy. It’s a very serious commitment for families and for kids in terms of making that commute. So planting our flag in Baltimore and building infrastructure in Baltimore and providing more kids who are super talented with the opportunity to be part of DC United in Baltimore, that’s something that we think long term will be super successful for the community and for our club.  

DP: Obviously you’ve heard a lot of the calls from supporters, from fans alike asking for you to exit and sell the club. First of all, what do you say to those fans who in large part our walking away due to what they feel is the club going in a direction that’s against something that they support? 

JL: Yeah, think I think we’ve got to perform better. I think the focus of that criticism is on the performance on the pitch. And you know we haven’t gotten back to the levels we had when we first opened Audi Field. There was a 12 month period [after Audi Field opened] where we had more points than any other club in Major League Soccer. And in the last several years since then, we’ve gone astray. We’ve had multiple different managers. We’ve hired managers that were younger, that didn’t have the experience level potentially to be as successful as we’d like them to be, even though they were talented. We feel like with the hiring of René Weiler, with the 5-game unbeaten run we’ve been on since he’s come on board. But we’ve also showed an improvement in terms of our morale, in terms of our on field performance, in terms of connectivity of the players. There’s a lot of good things happening. So I would say that I understand your frustration. We’re fans more than anything else first and we feel we want to win. 

We want to build a club that in the community is doing things. And I want to mention that. I mean, the Twinning Project in DC jails, the back to school program and the backpacks we’re doing, the D.C.  United Foundation’s commitment is winning all kinds of awards and doing great things in this community. And I’m really proud of that. I’m also really proud of this building. We think [Audi Field is] the best stadium in Major League Soccer in terms of its location and in terms of its sight lines. So there’s some great things that have happened. Infrastructure wise and community building. The area we need to focus on is winning on the pitch. And I get it. I understand the frustration that happens when you see so many losses mounting. Some of them are embarrassing, some of them just deeply disappointing and frustrating. We’ve got to get back to playing winning soccer. 

SK: Yeah. And as Jason said, we’re fans as well as owners. And there have been times this season where I’ve gone home after games and I’m just absolutely miserable. So I understand how the fans feel. I’ve never been more determined to succeed at something as this. And we are going to turn this around and we are going to be a competitive team.  

DP: One of the main foundations of support for DC United has always been the DMV’s large Hispanic communities. And of course, the current climate here in DC means that many of those fans are staying away because they can’t have their safe passage to and from a match guaranteed due to the boost in ICE patrols and the National Guard that is outside at every game. What responsibility do you feel that the club has to reassure those fans that Audi Field can be a safe place for them to watch and enjoy a soccer game?  

SK: I can tell those fans that once they’re inside Audi Field, they’re welcome. This is an incredibly welcoming place. We totally appreciate them. They’re a part of our fabric and we love having them here. We can’t control what goes on outside our stadium. Inside our stadium, this is a safe place for them.

JL: I would say I’m really proud of Audi Field and the club DC United for what it represents in terms of when we say “All welcome, all United,” that’s a mantra that we live. And so what I love most about Audi Field is looking around the stadium when we are competing and looking at the diversity of the fan base. Gender diversity, racial diversity, just geographic diversity. It’s incredible. Even age diversity. 

SK: It’s one of the great things about sports. It brings people together. You know, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what your socioeconomic status is. You’re all fans of the same team, and when they’re winning, you’re hugging each other. It’s a wonderful thing. We want to bring that back.  

JL: And by the way, the challenge you’re mentioning about in stadiums, that’s happening all around the country. I travel with the team to away games and I recognize that and that’s a real problem for our community. It’s a problem for communities around the country right now.  

DP: So as we continue to move forward, obviously there’s been a lot of change. But what is the plan to kind of start the rebuilding of that foundation of support that, quite frankly, a lot of people – when they talk to me – they say that they’re just generally apathetic about [the club]. And I know that’s not something you want to hear, but that’s the perception. So what’s the plan of action to start rebuilding that support?  

JL: I think it’s already started. I think, listen, we started by bringing in René Weiler, which was a decision we made in June or July. It took a while for him to get his visa to be on board. I think we’ve seen a very different team. You know, the fans who’ve watched any of the last five matches, whether it be Club America in that second half, whether it be the match in New York City, we have a lot of fans go to Yankee Stadium. I think they saw the difference in the team’s performance. 

SK: Or, the gutty performance against an Orlando club that has beaten the crap out of us in quite a few games. We went down a player, and the players showed an incredible fortitude. And René made some very adept positional changes, and we were able to get a point out of that match. I’ve had a number of fans saying to me, “this is different, this looks different.” So I know we have to prove it. It’s a start. We’re on our way. 

JL: The other thing I would say that’s happened in that process is we use the new MLS rules about paying cash that was outside of the salary cap to buy Caden Clark, a young player that we think very highly of, who’s been the [U.S. men’s] national team radar in the past. And we think has a really bright future. So that’s another step in that direction. We’re looking to add more to the roster. We’re looking to invest more in the roster. It was brought up to us earlier that we were 12th in spending in MLS a year ago and we’ve dropped lower than that.  And that was not by intention. I think we just we didn’t connect on the players we wanted to sign to invest in. So we’re going to be looking at this offseason as an opportunity to really invest in the squad.  

DP: So a couple more questions for you. First of all, fans have clamored for more transparency and I know that you guys had a meeting of some sort the other night [with supporters]. What other plans do you have to continue to rebuild that trust in transparent relationship with fans.  

JL: Well, I’ve done a couple of those now, two in the last six weeks. I want to do more than that. I want to explain what our vision is, what our plans are as much as we can do without damaging our opportunities to get players. So we’re going to do a lot more of those. Having Steve, my partner in all of this here, he’s been on the ground more than ever in Washington, DC working so closely with our front office around those plans. And so I think the more communication we can provide our fan base, the better. And that’s going to be important moving forward as well. 

SK: What we’re doing right now sitting down with you, there aren’t many owners in our league who sit down and have these kinds of discussions.  

DP: The last question I have, I know the last few games of the season, no playoffs this year, but there’s still building blocks you can use from these last few games to build towards the future. What would you like fans to know about what this team is going to do, what this club is going to do over the next four games, as you mentioned, to kind of start that process of this rebuild.  

SK:  I think you’re going to see more of what you’ve seen over the last five matches, including the Club America match. I think you’re going to see a team that is very tightly organized, that has a plan and that’s going to play to give absolutely everything to get a result. 

JL: And these are very meaningful matches for us. We’re fighting for our honor, we’re fighting to show that the right momentum. And so I think everybody we were with the team today. We addressed the team today immediately after making the sporting director decision. We talked right to the team, Steve and I did. And I think they all know how important the rest of the season is for all of us, and it’s very meaningful. And I love the fans to see what René is building and what this club is building moving forward.