You lost me with this analogy. Isn’t the box office more important than the number of attendees? What am I missing?
Yes, Hollywood values money more but the most money doesn't necessarily mean the most popular (which is what they imply by touting spend). So this mls record sounds great, but if its only half what the other leagues regularly spend then that puts it in a different context....
It's tempting, but I'm going to stay home and watch the Commanders instead. I also might be down for the count after getting my Covid shot tomorrow.
Ally decided to back out of appearing with Leviathan tonight - probably a smart move on his part. Anyway, here is how they are pitching the event to those that RSVPd: Thanks for your RSVP to our exciting Q&A Session this evening with Team Owner Jason Levien. He is excited to share some insight on the direction of the club and answer questions from the Black-and-Red Family. See below for some additional details! Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM Location: Audi Field - Field Level Lounge Entry: Premium Entrance Schedule: Once everyone has arrived, Jason will share updates on the direction of the club and what’s ahead on the sporting side. A Q&A session will follow, and then he'll be available for one-on-one conversations with fans in attendance. Refreshments: Food, Soda & Water available when gates open Exciting? not if it will be anything like the last one. And food at the last one was popcorn and bar snack mix. I do give him credit for meeting up close and personal with unhappy customers.
From Reddit, a couple of tidbits about last night's event. Levien threw Lesesne under the bus any chance he could get. Apparently Levien (or Mackay or both, I'm not sure) wanted to sign Wilifred Zaha, but Lesesne nixed it. Levien also claimed the team wanted to spend more money but Lesesne only wanted guys who would fit his system. The plan for next offseason is apparently to bring in 4-6 new starters and make sure all the DP slots are filled. They had a deal in principle to sign a DP earlier this year but the deal fell through. United is very happy with Weiler as coach, and realized after some past mistakes that they needed someone with experience. The only other coaching candidate they seriously spoke to was Jim Curtain who said he didn't want to coach anywhere right now. Part of the reason why STM renewals haven't gone out yet is because they wanted more fan input and they knew the team has been bad. There are plans for more STM events like last night's during the rest of the season. There's also some sort of MLS Next Pro announcement coming soon that will be a stopgap before the Baltimore team comes to fruition. Reddit thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DCUnited/comments/1nelyrl/reminder_sth_meetgreet_w_levian_tonight/
Reddit left out the most important part - food included a mini buffet with chicken tenders, build your own sliders, potato chips, and cookies. Waters and sodas available as well.
Other details to fill in: Levien expects the MLS Next Pro announcement soon (“wanted it tonight, likely within 48 hours”). It’s with a local youth club as a stopgap and this agreement will continue as a Virginia option once the Baltimore group gets off the ground. Says at that time DCU will have the most options between first team, positive working agreement with Loudoun (USL Championship), and multiple MLS Next Pro options covering DC/VA/MD/Baltimore There were direct comments made during the large group and smaller gatherings that followed about the overall sloppiness of the team (website, app, social media, hot dog record, etc.) which he and Danita took ownership of In the small group setting discussed the mistake with Klich and buying out Steve Birnbaum when they should’ve done an injury settlement with SB and bought out MK Put a ton of eggs in the Rene basket and was very candid in assessments on Losada, Rooney, and Lesesne as mentioned Haven’t decided on 3DP/3U22 or 2DP/4U22 + 2M GAM for next year. I think reading between the lines, Levien prefers the 2/4 model. Referenced a lot of GAM funny money to play with helping add “4-6 starters” which was referenced throughout the night Says they’ve tripled the budget for the academy Gave huge shoutouts to Caden Clark, Jackson Hopkins, and Pirani as major pieces Mentioned in the small group portion that Rene is a huge fan of Hopkins and Peltola, among others Was asked, I think quite unfairly, about Paredes/Yow/Akinmboni moving to Europe (the question was insinuating that we shouldn’t have sold them at all) and walked through each situation well Says though that ultimately DCU does not want to be a selling club - thought that was interesting and doesn’t have to be a mutually exclusive thing if you have a great academy Big emphasis on reconnecting with the Supporters groups, especially by new front office man (didn’t catch name) who came over from Minnesota 2 months ago. Tailgate event for 9/27 game coming. “We’re inviting and giving a ticket to every individual who’s ever had a season ticket in the supporters section” Huge emphasis throughout on learning from mistakes as it pertains to coaching hires, scouting, player acquisition, etc. Said a few different times and ways that financials will not hold the team back. Mentioned being middle of the pack with spending, as said earlier he cited Lesesne not wanting to spend (and blocking Zaha move), says foreign players view DC highly as a destination compared to many MLS cities. Also cited you have to spend wisely, “Philly are spending less than us this year and are atop our conference” This was my first interaction with most of the upper echelons of the front office and I have to say they came across well. Levien took some very direct criticism on the chin and made no excuses. He had time for everyone afterward and was engaged, listened, and took notes on his phone. There were a couple of other tidbits he shared that he asked to keep private and I’ll respect that from the public board here. I don’t say that to allude to much besides the fact that I felt it was indicative of his desire to genuinely connect with those around him to the point where he felt he over shared a bit. I certainly appreciate Jason and the others taking the time to have this conversation. I’m actually glad Ally ended up not being able to be there since it allowed the focus solely to be on Levien. I’m still a doubt for renewing but this did help a bit, if I’m being honest. Tripling the academy budget and finally getting MLS Next Pro off the ground are huge systemic issues that are finally moving in the right direction. Maxing out the DP positions (in whichever manner they decide) is a major gripe we’ve all had which has been promised to change as well.
Regarding Klich, I get the feeling Weiler would have found a way to make him work in this year's rotation vs. just punting him away like they did with Lesesne at the helm. I'm not surprised Weiler is a big fan of Peltola, Hopkins, and Pirani given early returns from those players under his guidance, too.
It’s almost like Rene appreciates young technical players who can beat an opponent on the dribble and/or first touch, escape pressure, and deal with the ball in tight spaces. I left out one great moment from last night - Levien mentioning Pirani being in Lesesne’s doghouse for most of the Spring, long pause, microphone lowered to his lap, and just a bug eyed “wtf was that about” expression on his face while he shook his head.
Thx for that, great report! At the last one there was also a lot he said 1v1 that I wanted to share but was also in confidence. He is consistent, and i beleive sincere, and deserves props for being as open as he is w us. Not many other owners will put themselves in that kind of situation. Having said that, sell the team...
He's a diplomat. He's very affable. We ran into him several times in 2018, walking into the stadium and while brief, we chatted for a couple of blocks on a variety of topics and I often felt like he's someone I would be friends with in another context, but i'd never pay him for running a team I am fan of. I'll just say it and I am sure its unpopular, but I wouldn't have been a fan of signing Zaha. A $4.5M fee and $2.7M salary, none of which would be recouped at the end of his contract, leaves the team in a place where they can say thanks for the goals ... now we have to start over. Maybe he was the right siging for them, I am certain that he would not have been the right signing for DCU.
Good summary. I thought you could really feel how much he cares and wants to win. That having been said, I'm not convinced that he can let the GM and coach cook. Between Losada, Rooney, Lesesne, and Flores that's four fingers that have been burnt from touching the stove. If he can't or won't remove himself, then I hope he has learned some lessons. Maybe Weiler is a good start; we'll see. Also really agree that getting on board MLSNextPro - by whatever interim set up - is a huge, positive step forward. PS the sliders and chicken were yummy.
This is extremely revisionist. Lesesne kept Pirani sharpied into the lineup despite the fact that he was statistically one of the very worst players in the entire league.
I've watched him in his box below our old seats and 100% the guy wants to win, but there's a dreadful disconnect between wanting to win and knowing how to win. He's good at making money in the real estate game, but that doesn't make him good at anything else. If I am not mistaken, Flores was a Ben Olsen signing in 2020 and missed like 2 mos to injury in what was a jackknifed water buffalo of a season. I am inclided to give a pass for anything in 2020. Then we signed Losada to manage a team where the team's most expensive player is an awful fit for the new manager's system. The only person who would have been a worse fit for Losada's system would have been me. The failure with Losada was one of managing the manager. The guy was allowed to go complete sociopath with no oversight. We ignored repeated canarys in the coal mine with Loasda, from choosing an inferior goalkeeper in John Kempin over Chris Seitz because of their differing body types, alienating nearly every player with naked weigh ins and diet oversight. Hiring Rooney was a trainwreck from the moment he was sighted at Heathrow waiting for a flight to Dulles. All they really wanted was his address book, they should have replaced Dave Kasper with him. Lessene wasn't eve McKay's #1 pick for the job. I don't know that Dome would have been better, but we'll never know. Levien didn't burn his fingers, he willfully cut them off one at a time with table saw.
Ally is out. Not really sure how much of the blame he should take for the dumpster fire that is DC United, but he didn't really help put it out either. https://bsky.app/profile/tombogert.bsky.social/post/3lyxjxujljc2w
I don't think it is that strange. Levien is clearly in crisis mode (I'd guess his season ticket renewals are trash) and is doing things to show he is changing course. He met with STHs, and ate some shit about the poor performance, he is doing low level media like sitting down to an interview with RFK Refugees (who I love, but it is a small outlet), and is basically doing everything he can to make it look like he cares before STHs have to make a decision about next year (even with the not making the playoffs discount). The stadium is a morgue without the supporter groups, I'd have to imagine the pressure to "do something" is pretty intense to him. How much he actually cares vs realizing he has finally reached a point where ignoring the product on the field has actually effected his bottom line is questionable, but he has to look at the crowds and atmosphere and realize something needs to change.