Goodbye Troy

I could use a stock photo but I'd rather show this one. A great human being.

DC United fired Head Coach Troy Lesesne shortly after the US Open Cup quarterfinal loss to Nashville last night (July 9). Assistant Coach Zach Prince was also fired.

According to reports by the Washington Post's Steven Goff and others, a new replacement coach, Rene Weiler, will be announced shortly; the team has been searching for a replacement for some time; and Lesesne would have been fired even if DC had won against Nashville.

The director of DC's Academy, Kevin Flanagan, will be interim head coach until an official announcement and hiring is made.

I don't know what went on behind the scenes, but Troy was informed after the game and I wonder if he even got a chance to bid his players farewell. The team flew to Los Angeles for the weekend, and Troy flew back to Washington. It reminds me of when Julian Gressel was traded to Vancouver in 2022 in similar, abrupt, no advance notice style.

While results have definitely been subpar, was it his coaching, or the lack of talented players he had to work with? I find myself largely agreeing with a Facebook post by SE founder Matt Mathai:

"if you have a roster of mostly sub-par players, your brilliant tactics aren’t going to do anything...if you subbed DC’s manager for Real Madrid’s, Real Madrid would still be among the best in La Liga because the players have talent ...while the transplanted Real Madrid manager would quit in frustration"

To quote Patrick Cadigan from the same thread:

"when, after ... years of uncompetitive play, do you start to look beyond the coach?"

Troy was very accessible to the supporters groups. He was at our Toys for Toddies party last December and went out of his way to shake my hand and thank me. He also took a turn at our tailgate grill before opening day this year (photo above). I hope he lands on his feet somewhere else. Best of luck, Troy.