From the Steven Goff article linked above: Pure speculation, but at this point is Payne an impediment to the stadium negotiations with the District?
Holy smokes. Was Payne one of, if not the longest tenured MLS employee either at team or league level (not including ownership)?
That's probably decent speculation. But there's also a case for United to work (with someone else in charge) to improve the club's business operations/management even while it continues to plod along in their original venue. And whether Payne is/was now an impediment or not to the new stadium negotiations/process, clearly Thohir, Levien and Chang think Levien is the guy who is most capable to guide the project through to completion in DC at this point.
Mark Abbott was the very first league employee, and has been working for MLS since 1993. He was a Rothenberg protégé. Todd Durbin has been handling contracts since before the first season. Craig Tornberg has been with the Revs since 1995. Not sure about any other team's staffers.
It could be that his presence is annoying to D.C. govt officials that have been dealing with him for the last decade. But I think it has as much to do with declining ticket sales and a Volkswagen sponsorship deal which has been allowed to run out/die.
hasn't he been a failure over the past 5 years? presided over the precipitous decline of DCU from MLS's flagship team to bottom feeder (this season being a bit of bright news)? so if TFC want's to be a successful MLS club in 1998 this seems like an excellent pick ... in 2013 however?
Odd move. Well DC is under new ownership and might want to change things up... Although without Payne in DC and the new owner insistance of bringing in Indonesian players I have to roll my eyes at DC becoming any better without Payne.
I think the new ownership is looking for somebody with a little more bite and aggression to get shit moving. KP is an awesome guy, but in a room full of business exec's he might not be the guy who stands out. Wherever he ends up, the club will benefit. I think KP is owed a great deal of appreciation from fans of every team. He nurtured the supporters relationship with the front office when nobody else in the league was doing that, and I think some of the growth of "supporterhood" in this league can probably be credited to him.
IIRC, Payne is a part owner of DC United. I'm guessing he's going to have to sell his stake in the team before he goes to work for another team.
Yes, I believe he has some sweat equity. I'm sure the new ownership group will have no problem buying his share.
Disagree. I think KP is infinitely better than their old ownership. Toronto can probably look forward to a guy who is committed to soccer and knows MLS. He also is a great guy to work for, if that means anything...
That being said.. i wonder where some of that incompetency comes from Steven Goff @SoccerInsider FWIW, Toronto FC exec Earl Cochrane worked for Kevin Payne in communications office at #dcu many moons ago #tfc #mls
DC's youth academy produced the best QUALITY (Dallas wins for quantity) in the league. Also, KP worked well with the fan groups. Those might be the two key things TFC needs right now. They have a large metro area; add a Najar level talent and a Hamid level talent to a healthy TFC, and that team makes the playoffs.
Portland, Seattle, RSL, and KC, hide your women, children, and best executives. DC is going to come knocking with the prospects of a shiny new stadium, a decent young squad, and low payroll.
No doubt Payne built DC United and has earned a lot of respect and gratitude. The game has passed him though. I hope/believe the new owners are looking at Seattle, Portland, and KC with wanting eyes.
Nothing odd about this move at all. We have no stadium, attendance has been in decline, until this year we've missed the playoffs four years in a row. It was well past time for Kevin Payne to go. I'm happy with what he did from 1996-1999, but not much after that.