5 Things I Don't Like About D.C. United

or... Schedenfreude is not a productive sentiment. That being said, it's pretty fun.

Ives Galarcep is just out-and-out ripping up Red Bull New York at his blog. When the local media that should be sympathetic is going after your front office, well, it's not good.

It's tempting just to link and leave it at that. But as the producers of Celebrity Big Brother say: "The unexamined life is not worth living." I now propose a corollary: "The unexamined soccer team is not worth supporting." I write a lot about D.C. United, and my complaints are typically about players, or tactics, or strategy. But as for the organization, I'm usually bubbly and effusive with praise. The organization is one of the best in MLS, in my well-published opinion. They've always been kind and generous in their dealings with this blog. But since I know I probably sound like a cheerleader, I wanted to write about the things I don't like about the D.C. United organization. To be fair, I've never made an issue of this really, or complained to anyone, but let's be honest: I think there are areas where the organization could improve. Here are five things I don't like about D.C. United.

1. The first-time fan experience: United is excellent with its hardcore support, but I wonder about the new fans that randomly decide to go to a game. United doesn't seem to offer much in the way of orienting people to soccer or to D.C. United in particular. A key branding point of United is our tradition of excellence, but that can also leave potential new fans to wonder if the best times have passed them by, or if they should be doing ten years worth of reading to catch-up. Sometimes fans will be seated directly behind the Supporter's Section, and complain about all the people standing in front of them. Yes, I know, get over it. But that's not the point, these fans had no idea that the supporter's stand. DC does the right thing and gets these people reseated, but still, how would they know before they got to the game or when they selected tickets? Proposed Solutions: Two things. First, the DC United website should host a "First time at RFK?" section with basic info on fan seating, history, game, and current team. Just enough so that people feel oriented with what they're about to watch. Second, I seem to recall Ted Leonesis used to have "Caps University" sessions where people could get a quick briefing to hockey before watching a game. I could see United doing something once or twice a year along the same lines: Get some people in a room, explain the various laws (Tonight guest lecture: Judah Cooks on Passively Offside) then go watch a game. Would these work? No idea, but I do get the sense that if you want to make the transition from first time fan to casual fan, or casual fan to hardcore supporter, the fan has to make most of the effort. I say: Grease the wheels a bit.
2. Dealing with Departure: It seems like the organization has had a recurring problem with traded players feeling blindsided. Petke and Eskandarian come to mind as recent examples. Proposed Solution? Surely there has to be a way where the confidentiality of transaction negotiations can be balanced with giving a player the head's up that they are on the block. These players are professionals. I would hope they would handle such news with maturity and decorum. If they can't, then they probably shouldn't be wearing the shirt in the first place. Do the right thing, and give them a bit of warning before the media gets it.
3. Color outside the lines: DC has many things that work for them, from their scouting operations to the way in which they handle player development. Despite that, there seems to be a bit of conservatism in handling players. United, I get the sense, feels like they have a system that works. If it works, they are unwilling to deviate from it. The departure of Jay Needham, the unwillingness to use the Designated Player allocation on Gomez, all of these are decisions emblematic of a "system-first" philosophy. That's not to say they're the wrong decisions, but I'm not sure that they are necessarily the right ones. I'm curious to see if that trend continues, or if DC is willing to change and adapt the system to the situation. Proposed Solution? Not sure that one needs to be implemented yet, but just a willingness to embrace change would not be a bad thing.
   
4. RFK: The party line from supporters on this is "It's a dump, but it's our dump." And more accurately, most of the failings of RFK are the result of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission and having to share an outdated facility with another professional sports franchise rather than DC United's Front Office. That being said... it's time for a new home. Proposed Solution? Poplar Point, obviously, but failing that, RFK could use a little more flair. Is there any way to get local vendors to have stands that compete with Aramark?
   
5. Disobedience: I get the sense that Kevin Payne feels that United has to be the flagship franchise for MLS, and that United will go out of its way to support and represent MLS even at the expense of the team and our competitiveness during the season. I don't think he needs to feel that way. Proposed Solution? At this point, United has enough credit built up that it, by itself, should have some sway with the league as a whole. It's not just AEG and Red Bull that can push for changes in structure. I think United should be a bit more selfish when working with the league.

Now, these are pretty much all nitpicks considering the state of most franchises, but I wanted to at least give you some of my thoughts. Feel free to add your own.