In a story last week about D.C. United's head coaching possibilities for 2011, Steven Goff reported some other news that's crucial to the future of this organization.
Meantime, despite the club missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year, General Manager Dave Kasper will remain in his post, Payne said.
Woah, woah. Wait a second here. Really?
After the worst season in D.C. United history, and one of the worst seasons in MLS history, THAT guy is coming back?
Also revealed by Goff:
Chad Ashton will return to his post as the club's technical director after helping Olsen with daily responsibilities.
Chad Ashton is a decent assistant coach. He's been a member of this organization for four years now, and I understand them wanting to keep him as a member of the family. But let's review the list of international player acquisitions Kasper and Ashton made prior to the 2010 season: Christian Castillo, Danny Allsopp, and Juan Manuel Pena. That's it!
Since then, the team has brought in two offensive threats in Pablo Hernandez and Branko Boskovic, who combined for 0 goals in 27 matches.
United already fired one head coach this season. And they've said that Ben Olsen won't be returning as head coach either. So where is the accountability in the front office?
Ah, accountability. Something that's been lacking in the D.C. United organization since November 7, 2008, when Will Chang and his co-owner at the time Victor MacFarlane published a letter to their fans.
Except for the U.S. Open Cup, we had a down year on the field and there are a variety of reasons why we did not succeed ... However, we don’t want you to assume that those reasons will be excuses for our lack of success. Another repeat of last year’s performance on the pitch is not an acceptable outcome. And we don’t expect it again ...Kevin Payne remains president and is directly responsible for the business operations of D.C. United and as stated above will report directly to us. Kevin will also assist in the oversight of the team operations, provide his advice and be part of the decision-making process on player selection and other aspects of that area of our business. However, the primary responsibility and accountability will be with General Manager Dave Kasper, who will also report directly to us.
Hey there's that word again. Accountability.
If United is going to hold their coaches and players accountable, when will it be time to hold the front office accountable? When will Payne, Kasper, and Ashton be asked to answer for their continuously poor player selections?
How many more losing seasons will it take before D.C. United makes some tough decisions at the top of the organization?