News broke this morning that D.C. United team president Kevin Payne has decided to leave the team, according to a report by Steven Goff on the Washington Post website.
Kevin Payne steps down as D.C. United’s team president
The long time team president has decided to step down from the club and pursue an opportunity with another MLS team, according to a report from the Washington Post.
Patrick McDermott
Officially, it appears that Payne is stepping down from his position, but there could be more to the story.
Despite the team’s resurgence, investors concluded the business side “needs a lot of work,” a source said. The search for Payne’s replacement is underway, said the same person, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.
Payne has been involved with both United and MLS since the league’s creation after the 1994 World Cup and has served in various capacities with the team including general manger and team president. Payne was involved with establishing a team in the Washington area and helped put together the team’s first ownership group.
He wasn’t always loved by United’s fans and his hands-on management style didn’t always sit well with members of the organization, but no one could never question his love and support of the club. Payne was always an outspoken proponent of the franchise, regularly spoke out about questionable on-field decision made against the team and worked hard to try and get the team a proper stadium in D.C. area.
According to Goff’s article, Payne will join the front office of another MLS team in the coming days.
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