Pitch Pass

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.

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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

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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 discussion

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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 snapshot



Matt Doyle's piece on DCU is here.
Pablo Maurer's piece on Benteke is here.
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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. 

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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.


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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. 

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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.

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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). 

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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!

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