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, a...
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 Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky
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 Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky
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. Fo...
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 Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky
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 epis...
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...
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 expecta...
It's the first ever solo show in Pitch Pass history!Roche has some thoughts on D.C. United after two matches (and four points) in the MLS season, the new players, the DPs, the kids and their minutes, Troy and Ally, and more!Follow Pitch Pass on X and Bluesky
D.C. United is back and so is Pitch Pass. Roche is joined by journalist Charles Boehm to discuss the offseason of change around the club. But first, the bad as DCU's preseason trip to Saudi Arabia has caused unease amongst the fanbase (3:06). Then, Charlie gives some additional insight on new coach, Troy Lesesne and new CSO Ally MacKay (15:28) before breaking down the roster, possible formations, key questions about the season, and the integration of the exciting young talent on the tea...
It's not "official" but D.C. United's season has unofficially come to an end without tangible success. The Athletic's Pablo Maurer joins Roche to look back on another lost season for the club, what Wayne Rooney did (and didn't do) for the organization, and where the team goes from here. They also discuss the Kasper situation, the ownership thought process, the DCU reputation in the global market, the tradition of United half measures, and the success of former DCU staff/players. Finally...
D.C. United Defender Brendan Hines-Ike has returned to full fitness after suffering two freak, long term injuries over the last three years. He joins Roche on this episode of Pitch Pass to discuss how his "foot exploded in his boot" and how he got back. He then addresses the team's response to the supporters' dissatisfaction with the disappointing match against Philadelphia before setting the stage for the last matches of the MLS season and why "playoff pressure" is not the same as "relegatio...
As MLS season winds down, MLSNext season starts up so it's a good time to check in with the D.C. United Academy with TopDrawerSoccer.com 's Travis Clark. The club's investment in the Academy has been uneven over the years but that seems to be changing with DCU making a real commitment to the youth of the club and the DMV at large. Travis and Roche try to make sense of the US youth soccer scene (no easy task) and DCU's place in it. They also break down the current Academy set up, some players ...
D.C. United has reached the home stretch of the MLS season and things are...meh.Pro Soccer Wire's Jason Anderson joins Roche to answer three questions about the club as it makes its push to make the playoffs.1. Are things better or worse now as opposed to the last 4 years?2. Can #DCU make the playoffs? 3. Has the manager found a new formation for the last six weeks of the season?Within these questions, Jason and Roche also hit on the "win now" mentality, Yamil Asad = Attacking Assistant, lett...
One of the pleasant surprises to the start D.C. United's season has been the play of Ted Ku-DiPietro. The DCU Homegrown joins Roche on this edition of Pitch Pass to discuss his season thus far, his "traditional American sports" path to the first team, Wayne Rooney's advice to the young players on the team, his "young veteran" advice to the teenagers on the team, and the (welcome) changes to the D.C. United Academy over the last few years. Follow Teddy on Instagram here.Follow Pitc...
There's not just a different vibe for D.C. United on the field. Off the field, the club has raised their game in a number of areas, especially the digital team. Claudia Pagan has been the face of DCU Digital for the last 4 years and joins Roche to discuss the process of creating content. Apple TV has played a role in the increase in content creation and Claudia explains how the Apple/MLS partnership has raised the game for creating content across the league. But it goes deeper than Apple. Cla...
D.C. United's season is underway and the results thus far have been...encouraging? Pro Soccer Wire's Jason Anderson joins Roche to discuss the Black And Red's first two matches and if there is any long term takeaways from them. Among the talking points:-What youngster has the best long term outlook?-Rooney's tactics-The still wobbly defense-Chris Durkin's "undroppable" status-Durkin as the poster child of DCU's move to the "middle ground" of MLSPlus, Jason and Roche discuss the ownershi...
It's been an unsatisfying period for D.C. United for both the club and its supporters. But with rumors swirling of multiple additions incoming during the summer transfer window, there is a sense of excitement around the team. Roche spoke with DCU GM Lucy Rushton about potential reinforcements, the type of player the club is looking to add, and when we might see them on the pitch. Rushton also walks Roche through the recruitment process of Taxi Fountas and how the club identifies and tracks po...
It has been a tumultuous month for D.C. United following the dismissal of Hernan Losada amid a cloud of controversy and confusion from supporters.New DCU Head Coach Chad Ashton joins Roche to talk about the transition from Losada to him. What's changed, what's stayed the same, and what's ahead. Ashton discusses the "have fun" comments from the players and himself that spurred so much unrest amongst fans as well as the disappointing U.S. Open Cup result against bitter rivals, New York Red Bull...