Pitch Pass - Soccer Podcast

Another day, another change in leadership at D.C. United. Ally Mackay is out as Chief Soccer Officer of DCU and with rumors swirling of a new CSO already in place, it's a good time to reset (again) where the club stands as another disappointing season draws to a close. Pablo Maurer joins the pod to discuss where it all went wrong between the club and Mackay, what we know about the rumored replacement for him, and how the first month of Weiler ball has looked. Then, Roche laments the lack of an MLSNext Pro team and what it means for the club and the DMV. Here is the full Fox5 interview with Kaplan and Levien. Here is the conversation they had with The District Press. Follow Pablo on Bluesky. Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

With the summer transfer window in MLS opening, what options does D.C. United have with regards to their roster flexibility? Marc Machado knows MLS numbers as well as anyone and he joins Roche to discuss the pivots DCU has made in the last six months, where all the preseason GAM went, how much is left, and how their current resources can be deployed.Then, Marc and Gregory go over the latest MLSPA salary info. Marc's Substack is essential reading.MLSPA's latest salary information.MLS's updated club player models.Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

The Athletic's Pablo Maurer joins Roche to discuss the D.C. United ownership group, whether they are malicious or inept (and which is "better"), how the rest of the club has to manage with this type of owner, and the Audi Field experience.Then, the guys chop it up over career transitioning, covering soccer in the USA and the challenges that come with it. Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

There's been a lot of conversation around a recent report stating that D.C. United's Academy is no longer free. MLSsoccer.com's Charles Boehm joins Roche to help clarify the situation as well as discuss DCU's transfer plans for the summer, the club's roster profile, and, why  Gavin Turner hasn't debuted with the first team yet.Read Charlie's excellent piece on the Philadelphia Union Academy here.Follow Charlie on Bluesky...and skeet him there. Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

With D.C. United's season slowly going off the rails, this is a good time to see how their off the field year is going.Washington Post journo, Steven Goff, joins the show to discuss the "weird time" the club is going through, the likelihood of on field reinforcements before the end of the season (and when to expect them), and if the owners are aware of the restlessness of the fanbase. Then, Roche and Steven reminisce about the early days of D.C. United and the joy Steven still gets from telling the human stories at the club.Follow Steven on Bluesky and read his work on The Washington Post. Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

After a solid (but not spectacular) start, D.C. United stumbled badly in their first big test of the season. What went wrong? Can it be corrected? Does this team have the talent to make the playoffs?To get some answers, DCU head coach Troy Lesesne joins Roche to discuss the state of the team, why "win now" has to be the mantra, why the club switched player models during the preseason, and how bought in ownership is. Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

Eight years ago, David Schnegg was 19, a full time construction worker, and a part time soccer player in a semi-pro league. Today, he is the starting left back for D.C. United and someone who is being counted on to return the club to glory. He joins Roche to discuss his unusual path to professional soccer, how he fits into Troy Lesesne's system, why he's always wanted to play in the United States, what Liechtenstein is like, and how he still doesn't understand what a credit score is. Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

Roche kicks off the show with a player by player recap of D.C. United's season opening draw against Toronto FC at Buzzard Point. He was in the house for the match and gives his thoughts on the new fan experiences at Audi Field. Then, Pro Soccer Wire's Jason Anderson joins the show to break down the new wrinkles in DCU's tactics. What worked, what didn't, what needs more time, and what's Troy Lesesne's intent behind his tactical decisions. Here's a link to Marc Machado's fantastic breakdown of DC's tactics.Follow Jason on Bluesky.Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

D.C. United's regular season kicks off Saturday against Toronto FC and, to set the stage, it's very special episode of Pitch Pass...a crossover event with the Soccerwise podcast!Roche and David Gass review the Black and Red's offseason, who came, who went, what to expect from the club this year, as well as some of the more interesting storylines heading into the season.Then, Matt Doyle checks in with his thoughts on the upcoming year for DCU and everyone gives their predictions for the season.Follow Soccerwise on X and Bluesky and subscribe to their fantastic podcast!Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

D.C. United is keeping things under wrap this preseason, including what Academy players have joined the first team in Florida. After some digging, we have a rough idea of what two youth players are there. Travis Clark of Top Drawer Soccer joins the show to discuss those players as well as a few Academy players who are not there and why?Travis also breaks down the pros and cons of college vs MLSNext Pro, the value of winning at the youth level, and the DCU Academy outlook for 2025. Follow Travis on Bluesky and X and Top Drawer Soccer on X. Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

Keeping track of MLS' roster building mechanism is HARD! To help make sense of it all and to get a break down of D.C. United's salary cap situation, Roche brings Marc Machado on the first Pitch Pass of 2025.Marc has made MLS roster building his main focus and gives Roche an idea of DCU's current GAM numbers as well as what they can add over the next few months He also gives an overview of the latest rule changes announced by MLS on Tuesday. What is the state of DCU's finances?What kind of players can DCU add and when can/should they add players?What being "responsible" means to the club?How much does the club have to spend?These are just some of the questions Marc addresses on the show. Let's roll up our sleeves and get into the weeds! Follow Marc on Bluesky and X and read his work on Substack.Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

In a departure from years past, D.C. United announced their end of season roster decision in October rather than November/December. There were some surprises.Charles Boehm joins the show to discuss the surprises, the timing of the roster announcement, and what it says about Ally Mackay's vision.Plus,  Troy Lesesne's growth as a coach, possible free agent options, and more.Follow Charlie on X and Bluesky.Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

D.C. United's season has ended with a whimper. So why is there optimism about the club? And is it warranted?The Athletic's Pablo Maurer joins Roche to discuss the general state of the club at the end of another season without a playoff match and the beginning of one of the most important offseasons in club history. The boys chop it up over DCU's front office and ownership, Benteke's vibes, who stays and who goes this offseason, sports fandom, the club's on field needs, and so much more.And, as always, great Pablo stories delivered in a way only he can.It's the first of many DCU offseason musings. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. *WARNING: this episode contains some minorly explicit conversation*Follow Pablo on X and read his work on The Athletic Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky

D.C. United recently announced that their Academy is adding a residency component to it's program. What does that entail? How does it impact the first team? Why is it important for the long term health of the club? To get answers, Roche welcomes DCU CSO Ally Mackay to the show to discuss the Academy, the Residency Program, and where he feels the first team is now, and moving forward.  (23:22): First team discussionFollow on X @PitchPass

NEW CONCEPT!Roche curates D.C. United news from around the internet and delivers it to you in one place. This week's topics include:-DCU's playoff picture-Kristian Fletcher at Nottingham Forrest-A DCU Academy snapshotMatt Doyle's piece on DCU is here.Pablo Maurer's piece on Benteke is here.Follow Goff on XFollow DMV Soccer on XFollow on X @PitchPass

Life is good if you are a D.C. United supporter. The team is coming off back to back road wins and finds itself in a playoff spot heading into the fall. But, bigger than that, the club welcomed Russell Canouse back after missing six months due to Ulcerative colitis. Russ joins the show to discuss his reintegration into the first team, the important role his wife and Troy Lesesne played in his recovery, and who he recruited to help him lock in his fantasy football draft pick. Follow on X @PitchPass

As the European transfer window closed, there was a number of D.C. United players rumored to be leaving the club. Charles Boehm of MLSsoccer.com joins the show to updates on those players, as well as Ted Ku-DiPietro's extension, if supporter's should be surprised at the international interest for DCU young players, and how much trust should a fan have in the Troy/Ally project. Follow Charles on X.  Follow on X @PitchPass

With the summer additions of David Schnegg and Boris Enow, it feels like D.C. United head coach Troy Lesesne has enough of "his guys" to trot out a preferred formation. What is the formation? How does it work in attack? How problematic is it in transition defending? How married to this formation is he? Are their missing pieces that DC can add during the offseason to make this formation really click?These are the questions Roche has for Jason Anderson of Pro Soccer Wire to address on this episode of Pitch Pass. If you love talking tactics, this episode is your catnip. Follow Jason on Twitter and read is work on Pro Soccer Wire. Follow on X @PitchPass

Jacob Murrell has taken the traditional American route to becoming a professional...which means he's very unique in the current soccer landscape. The D.C. United rookie joins Roche to talk about his journey from high school to Georgetown to the SuperDraft to DCU professional and how his path help shape the player and person he is today. He also discusses how the club convinced him to give up college for the pros, he relationship with the other young players on the team, and why his name is so hard to pronounce correctly...even for his coach.Follow on X @PitchPass

Has the D.C. United season been a positive or a negative?Has the team been a pleasant surprise or the same old same old?Have supporters been given a reason for hope or is this another false dawn?The answers depend on your level of fandom and your general way of looking at things. Charles Boehm makes his monthly visit to Pitch Pass to help Roche sort through his yin and yang thoughts on the team after two months of matches. Then, they speculate on the DCU summer transfer window and the expectations around it. (31:18)Finally, Charlie and Roche try (and fail) to unravel the twisted trail of the Academy to the First Team, including thoughts on Loudoun United and the future MLSNextPro team. (47:19)Click here to follow Charles on X (formerly Twitter). Follow on X @PitchPass