Kevin Payne chat transcript
Friday, July 10 - 1:30 PM ET
With D.C. United in first place at the midway point of the 2009 season and a huge friendly against Real Madrid around the corner, club President Kevin Payne took your questions. Read the full transcript below.
© 2010 MacFarlane Chang DC Soccer, LLC dba D.C. United
I want to thank everyone for being part of the chat! Its great to get some feedback and hear what's on your mind. I hope I've been able to answer your questions. Sorry I can't be more forthcoming about player moves or stadium talks, but I really prefer to keep both those subjects under wraps until the time is right to talk about them publicly. Know that we are working hard, and seeing progress, in both areas!
Thanks very much, and we'll see you all at RFK on the 18th. Stay tuned for information on our ability to put the U.S. match on the big screen if we are playing in the quarters that day.
We also hope you will all come out to support us in our Open Cup Semi-final against Rochester. I have given pretty strict marching orders that we are going to heavily promote this match in the soccer community and the local community, and are hoping to see the sort of support we have seen in the past.
Last but not least, we hope you will join us at Fedex on August 9th when we take on the most celebrated team in the history of our sport. We're really looking forward to the challenge, and are expecting to play before our largest crowd ever. We're already near 40,000 tickets sold, with a month to go before the match! Come out and support us and make this match the event of the summer in D.C.! http://www.dcunited.com/realmadrid
Kevin
From Kevin Payne - 1:50 pm
Do you think Etcheverry will come back as a the coaching staff?
From Charles Sanchez - 12:52 pm
Marco will always be a part of the D.C. United family -- not sure in what role as we move forward.
From Kevin Payne - 1:44 pm
Games are always so exciting with Jaime on the pitch. When can we expect to see him back?
From lilp - 12:56 pm
Soon we hope! He's working hard.
From Kevin Payne - 1:42 pm
Hpw often do you read Soccer Insider on the Washington Post site?
From Ed Fischman - 1:00 pm
Answering a couple questions...we will bid to host the Open Cup final, if we beat Rochester, but no guarantees...pretty rarely, although I'm glad Steve does it and it has a good following.
From Kevin Payne - 1:42 pm
Why was Tom Soehn not fired after last year not making the playoffs? And how safe is his job currently? If we fail to qualify for the playoffs will you go in a new direction?
From Alan - 1:02 pm
We try to not make petulant, angry decisions. Maybe that's why we've only had 5 coaches, and 4 of them have won major trophies. Would you rather we be like some other teams which are on their 13th or 14th coaches? Tom Soehn is an outstanding coach, and is doing a very good job in creating a team which has the ability to win this year but also can be kept together for some time to come.
From Kevin Payne - 1:40 pm
Is it possible for the club to establish an ownership stake to fans similiar to what Seattle has established, so we can have say in the direction of the club?
From UnitedFan - 1:16 pm
We'll see how that works out, but -- and this is probably not going to be a very popular answer -- I don't think that approach makes very much sense, nor does it actually seem to understand why it occurs at places like Real Madrid or Barcelona. Those clubs are exactly that -- membership clubs. The positions they decide on are the elected leaders of the club, not the executive or technical staff. Believe it or not, these are real professions, and while it usually looks easy from afar, there are always many factors at work that are not public knowledge. So, I don't see that happening.
From Kevin Payne - 1:38 pm
Hey Kevin,
Have you been scouting any players from Nicaragua's national team? There are some talented players that can contribute, just to name a few, Samuel Wilson, Rudel Calero, Armando Collado. I think DC United and MLS in general would benefit from the young talent on this team.
From Alex F - 1:30 pm
Dave and our coaching staff are watching all of the teams in the Gold Cup. We believe there are some bargains to be had in Central America.
From Kevin Payne - 1:34 pm
Can you talk about the efforts that the club makes to market games to the local area? I listen to sports talk radio here in DC, for instance, and rarely do I hear United advertised, even when a big match is coming up. I'm sure it must be a delicate balancing act to choose where to spend limited marketing dollars - where has the organization found the most success in drumming up interest for games?
From Mike S - 9:49 am
Sports talk radio doesn’t help us very much and actually their numbers are not very good. People who listen to it think lots of others do, too, but that’s not usually the case. But we are strategic in our radio buys and especially like WTOP and their related stations. We are also finding the post.com to be very good and the express.
From Kevin Payne - 1:31 pm
Mr. Payne,
On Tuesday against the Harrisburg City Islanders, DC's right side got torn apart by South African Midfielder Tiyiselani Shipalane (showed great ball skills, dribbling, and passing). Looking to add depth to our MF with Barklage out and DC's success in finding gems in the USL-2 (Boyzz, Janicki), do you think DC can give this guy a look?
From Anthony - 9:56 am
Looking as we speak.
From Kevin Payne - 1:26 pm
Hi Mr. Payne, with barkledge now out for the year with a torn ACL, and now 3 roster openings.. do you all have any plans of bringing in one maybe two high profile players, someone with expierence that can help DC UNITED get over the hump and onto the MLS Cup this season.
From Todd h - 10:15 am
Working on getting some help in a few positions. Whether they will be high profile or not I can't say. Looking for some mid-field help for sure, possibly another back, possibly another forward. We have a lot of matches remaining.
From Kevin Payne - 1:25 pm
Do the different clubs in MLS still exchange ideas on best practices? As a fan of DC United and the league since the inaugural season, I have noticed some varying success with approaches to getting a club's name out to the general public.
For example, why would a new operation like the Seattle Sounders have close to 38,000 fans on it's Facebook page, and a team that has been around for over a decade have significantly less? And, the Sounders are doing well in attendance.
I guess MLS is maturing to the point that it now has to deal with the question of maintaining interest in existing markets, while developing interest in new ones.
From Doug - 10:31 am
We do exchange ideas. The league helps organize this, but we also emphasize it. Seattle has been a phenomenon. But they actually borrowed a lot of the way we did things, in terms of branding and authenticity, when they were rolling their team out. I will look into the Facebook question, but would point out we have always had the largest following, by far, on Big Soccer.
From Kevin Payne - 1:23 pm
I'm a little concerned that United's entire focus this summer has been the Real Madrid game. Their player acquisitions are featured prominently on the DCU website (more prominently than our own player news). The ticket promotions have all been about that game (I noticed a huge attendance drop off for the Open Cup games, you usually get a ton of MoCo youth groups at those games, where were they?). I'm not going to the Real game (the location, time, cost and an opponent I don't care about just made that decision easy and there's numerous other hard core DCU supporters who feel this way). Besides a huge financial gain, what else does DCU hope to achieve with the Real game and is it worth letting everything else slide?
From Kim - 10:34 am
There is some truth to what you say, but not by design, more as a result of resources. We believe matches such as this one are key to helping establish credibility for our brand -- there are still a lot of people our there (many of them soccer newbies) who only want to watch European football, claiming that it far superior. We have shown over the years that we can play against those teams, and hope to do so again against the world's most famous sports team. This is as much about long term branding, locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, as it is about trying to make money. Which is not an agenda we apologize for!
From Kevin Payne - 1:20 pm
Is proximity next to a Metro station still a priority when finding a location for a new D.C. United stadium?
From Ted - 10:44 am
Yes!
From Kevin Payne - 1:17 pm
Mr. Payne, thanks for taking my question. I'm a full season ticket holder in Section 132 and card-carrying Screaming Eagles member.
If DCU were to pay the total cost of building a new stadium, would the revenues generated from it (ticket sales, concessions, concerts, monster truck shows, etc) be sufficient to allow the team to recoup the cost of the stadium in a relatively short amount of time? Or is that simply just not feasible in this day and age, hence your efforts to partner/share the cost of construction with a municipality? If so, would the team be willing to pay for more than 50 percent of the construction cost? I understand the devil is in the details, and any exact number would have to be negotiated, but wouldn't you agree that any municipality would be more amenable to enter into a partnership if it wasn't paying the lion's share of the cost?
Thanks again, and best of luck for the rest of the season!
From Arlington, VA - 11:25 am
Not feasible. And not, in my view, reasonable. Stadiums, done right and in the right location, produce substantial beneficial impact for surrounding businesses, in spite of what some academics like to say. Additionally, sports teams and great venues play a vital role in making a city into a real community. Are Fenway Park or Wrigley Field venues which produce benefit only for the teams? Its absolutely fair for the community to help support a stadium, especially when it doesn't have to use existing tax revenues to do so.
From Kevin Payne - 1:16 pm
I know you enjoy beer questions, so I will give you one :-)
Why is the beer that is offered at the Soccerplex so different, inferior, and much higher priced for United games than it is for Freedom games? Is it not the same vendor?
Thank you and keep up the good work!
From Lonnie - 11:42 am
Don't know the answer to that, but will find out!
From Kevin Payne - 1:14 pm
How has your health been since your heart troubles a while back?
Would your wife agree with the answer you just gave? :-)
What was the hardest thing to change about your diet or habits?
From Lonnie - 11:45 am
Good, yes, and salt.
From Kevin Payne - 1:13 pm
I know several teams lease out their stadiums for other local sports clubs. Toyota park and Rio Tinto as well as most smaller market UK towns lease out to rugby union and league. Could something like this help defray costs. I know DC has 2 Super League Rugby clubs ( buy in to the Super League is 1 million to begin ). There are funds at these clubs. Just curious.
From chad - 12:03 pm
I am certainly not in favor of that now and only would be in future if there were a way to guarantee the quality of the field subsequent to those matches. Sports like rugby and, especially, lacrosse, tend to mangle the field pretty badly. Football, of course, is the worst.
From Kevin Payne - 1:13 pm
Have you stayed off the cigarettes?
From Brian Wooton - 12:24 pm
I have, and now, so has Dave!
From Kevin Payne - 1:11 pm
Kevin,
Thanks for your undying devotion and service to the club!
Now, fully in the heart of it's teens - what do both the club and the league need to do to take that next step forward as a product in the US and global market?
With expansion, a growing ownership base, and arguably a growing and knowledgable soccer fan base - is now the time for the league to really up it's investment in players by drastically increasing the cap to $10 million or so?
Also, how does MLS feel with ESPN's expanding relationships with the Barclays Premier League and La Liga? More soccer is always better, but is there any concern it could canibalize from MLS?
From VirginiaBlueBlood - 12:41 pm
We need to prove that our product is going to continue to improve on and off the field. There have been some great steps forward this year -- especially in Seattle -- but much remains to be done. Way too many games are dour and lifeless affairs -- we need more teams to have their ownership and executive management dictate a specific identity and commitment to attractive soccer to their technical staff, and then they need to support that staff even if results sometimes don't go their way. We are drifting, in my view, into a product which too often looks like lower table English soccer, with the road teams packing it in and hoping the hit an occasional quick counter off a long ball, and the home teams too often unable to unlock the defense due to a dearth of technical and creative players. I'm proud that when we go on the road, we try to play aggressive soccer, with stylish attacks and numbers committed forward. Sometimes that isn't the best way to get a result, but Tommy Soehn knows he has our support and that D.C. United is expected to play with a certain style. Not too many teams in our league actually feel, or act, that way.
From Kevin Payne - 1:09 pm
Hey KP -- great job this year. Thought I'd take you into the wayback machine, though. 18 months ago or so, Juan Sebastien Veron didn't get on a plane to DC, saying he couldn't abandon his teammates in the midst of a Copa Libertadores campaign. Well, next week another Copa Libertadores concludes, and Veron's Estudiantes have a good chance of actually winning the darn thing. I realize that central midfield is one of the team's greatest strengths right now, but is there any chance of your resuming contact with Sr. Veron? You could solve some of the scoring problems by moving Gomez up top -- or maybe shift Simms to another spot. I don't know what Veron's current contract status is, but you might bring him now with a promise of DP contract next year, or just approach him after this season....
From Ed Fischman - 12:44 pm
Would be very difficult to sign Veron...we do think our thinking was vindicated based on the impact he has had on Estudiantes, and that he is now back with Argentina. I have always said that the very reason we most wanted him -- his deep commitment to his team and his teammates -- was exactly the reason he ultimately didn't come!
From Kevin Payne - 1:03 pm
I believe this is the last year of Emilo and Fred's contracts, have there been discussion on new contracts? If not, why not?
Can we get more Brasilians her please?
From vasco - 12:45 pm
We will be discussing contracts with each player later in the year, but not during the season. We have another option year with each. We would like to bring in more quality Brazilian players, but that is not always easy.
From Kevin Payne - 1:01 pm
Should United get past those pesky Rhinos, is DC in the running to host the Open Cup final on Sept 2nd? Would that game potentially be at the Soccerplex, RFK, or FedEx? (And what was the thought/decision process on having the Real Madrid friendly at FedEx and not at RFK? You're happy to trade the better/wider playing surface for the better amenities and luxury boxes for the Aug 9th friendly?)
From Dave - 12:48 pm
The Open Cup final would be at RFK. It would be great if our fans really turned out to support us in that event -- its one of the oldest trophies in American team sports and should be a big deal. We have to make substantial financial guarantees to host the match, and run a real risk of losing money. So we need your support!
From Kevin Payne - 1:00 pm
Hey Kevin,
Thanks for taking time out to chat with us. Have you been scouting anyone from El Salvador's National team. I know we don't want to make DC United revolve around player due to their nationality but I think there is some decent talent on this team. Leon from Mexico's second division scooped up Zelaya, Martinez and Castillo. But you still have talented midfielder in Osael Romero who plays in El Salvador and also a Strong central defender in Carlos Escobar who also plays in El Salvador. This team is still all the buzz considering they are still in the CONCACAF qualifiers and i'm sure you would see a good attendence improvement. Just a thought.
From JR - 12:49 pm
We have been watching them and will be scouting their team during the Gold Cup and the remainder of qualifying.
From Kevin Payne - 12:58 pm
Mr. Payne,
I regards to next year's kit (which I assume will be changed), can DC bring back the three stripes please?
From Antonio Miguel - 12:52 pm
We are looking at ways, with adidas, to incorporate the stripes into the actual fabric...but I don't think you'll see the bold white stripes the way we used to have them.
From Kevin Payne - 12:57 pm
Most of the world soccer fans attending games are a typically loud, drinking, relatively young 19-35 demographic. Historically US soccer and MLS has had a primary focus to capture the youth/family demographic. How do you reconcile the loud rowdy loyal fans and the suburban family groups into one stadium experience when the latter tends to find the former offensive and/or crude?
From Kris - 9:33 am
We think we have done a pretty good job of accomodating both types of fan at DCU matches...I think our families and younger fans really enjoy the Eagle, Barra, and La Norte.
From Kevin Payne - 12:55 pm
Mr. Payne,
If RFK's fate is to be torn down, has there been any consideration to possibly play in another venue while the current building is torn down and replaced by a soccer-specific "new RFK"?
From Mayer Weisel - 9:49 am
We dont know what would happen with RFK Stadium if we leave. That would not be up to us. I would hate to see it torn down.
From Kevin Payne - 12:52 pm
Why has there been no marketing push for the Open Cup games? I find it sad that there is more marketing for a meaningless game (vs. Real Madrid), that could potentially ruin our chances for a run to the Open Cup, Champions League and MLS Playoffs (all much more important).
It is sad venturing up into the backwoods of MD to watch our boys with minimal support in the stands.
From mighty! - 8:25 am
I asked some of the same questions before our match with Harrisburg. You will see much more local marketing for the next Open Cup match. As for Real Madrid, playing teams of this nature has always been a big part of D.C. United culture. This is a unique opportunity, and we will draw regional, national, and international attention for this match. We are looking forward to it eagerly.
From Kevin Payne - 12:50 pm
Mr. Payne - what would you identify as United's primary needs on the field and off the field? The team's been in fine form so far this season but definitely has room for improvement; the FO has certainly stepped up outreach efforts this season, especially online, but other areas are lacking. Just one for each area would be fine! Keep up the good work and vamos United!
From Mark in DC - 7:34 am
. I can’t be very specific about our search for help in the second half of the season. We are looking at a couple of ways in which we think we can get better. We’d like to find some additional cover in the center of mid-field, preferably with some one versatile enough to play several positions in mid-field. We have a lot of matches coming up and our system places a heavy burden on our mid-field – and, we expect to lose Santino for future National Team fixture dates. A major point of emphasis having nothing to do with new player is developing a more ruthless appetite for finishing off games. A good example was our match against Harrisburg, a team which we clearly over-matched. As Mark Simpson said after the game, our team in the early years would have won that game 6-0. We let it become a struggle this time. That’s all about mentality, concentration, and focus.
From Kevin Payne - 12:49 pm
After failing to clinch the playoffs last year, what in your opinion was the main factor that brought DC up to the top spot in the conference?
From Devin Gajewski - 4:45 pm
Of course, we haven’t won anything yet and there are a lot of matches to go. We need to turn some of the ties we’ve had into wins – goodness knows we’ve played well enough in most of those matches to have gotten 3 points. This year, we have 24 players working hard for each other, and for the team. Tommy doesn’t hesitate to put any player on the field at any time, and the players have really responded to that added responsibility. We have a really good group which will continue to improve this season.
From Kevin Payne - 12:44 pm
How is DC United doing with ticket sales for the Real Madrid game?
From Bryan Pinkall - 3:12 pm
We are approaching 40,000 and advertising and promotion in markets outside DC has just begun. The lower bowl of Fedex is totally sold out except for a number of seats reserved for plan-holders. With Ronaldo, Kaka, and now Benzema coming here and committed to playing significant minutes, this will be a unique opportunity for people to see the world’s most popular team, fully loaded.
From Kevin Payne - 12:43 pm
How do you feel about Santino Quaranta's recent call-up to the U.S. international team?
From Zach J - 3:08 pm
I couldn’t be more proud. He deserves it. He has worked extremely hard on and off the field. I think his recent quote in which he said his first priority was to be a good person, and after that become a better soccer player, tells you volumes about how far Santino has come. He will be one of our most important players for years to come, and will in my opinion become a mainstay of the national team.
From Kevin Payne - 12:42 pm
Mr Payne: According to DCU Principal Owner Will Chang (via a Washington Post interview), you are the point man on the team's search for a new stadium. My question is this: is DCU willing to pay more than half of the eventual construction costs of a new stadium, regardless of where it may be located, like Real Salt Lake did with Rio Tinto Stadium ($65 million private, $45 million public = $110 million total stadium cost)?
Thanks for taking my question, and Vamos United!
From Juan-John - 2:18 pm
We don’t expect to pay that large a percentage and in the conversations we’re having right now that has not been the financial model being discussed.
From Kevin Payne - 12:41 pm
Is DC United interested in picking up more DP's over the summer/fall? And can you give us any updates on the stadium situation around DC? Keep up the good work! Vamos United!
From Aaron McCollum - 12:31 pm
I don’t think we’ll be picking up another DP this year. We’re very happy with our group right now, and while we might try to fill a spot or two, we will look to do that in ways other than by acquiring and using another DP slot. I can’t provide a detailed stadium update but can tell you that we are looking right now at four legitimate opportunities in three different jurisdictions. These are real possibilities for us, and we hope to be able to say more later this summer or in the fall.
From Kevin Payne - 12:39 pm
What is your long term strategy for player development, and bringing new stars to DC United? How will you work with local leagues, teams, and your own youth player program to find the best talent and bring them to DC United. Where do you see college soccer fitting in to the picture?
From Sean G - 12:41 pm
We have invested a lot of money in local player development. Our U-17 group has now won the MLS Youth Cup for the second time in three years, and our U-18 academy team has been very impressive this year. A number of our players have gotten full scholarships to universities such as UVA, UCLA, and others. We have priority rights to those players in future drafts.
Additionally, we are seriously looking at signing contracts with several players in our program today. We have made a good start in developing our own talent, but we need to do a better job. In particular, we need to identify a permanent training facility for our teams, and begin to work with promising players in the younger age brackets.
College soccer will always have a place in development here – for so many young men and their families, the opportunity to earn a college degree is a powerful attraction. Chris Pontius played four years at UC-Santa Barbara, and he’s been one of the top rookies in the league this year.
From Kevin Payne - 12:39 pm
Why are the Open Cup matches priced so high? They are more than the cheapest ticket at RFK. You have barely filled half of the place (even though a ticket agent I complained to bragged that the Harrisburg game would sell out). Why not just charge $15 and see if you can get some more people there?
From Inigo Montoya - 12:29 pm
First, Inigo, I hope you find the six fingered man. We have priced the U.S. Open Cup matches the same as we have in the past. I thinkschedule congestion, and the tremendous workload on our ticket sales group due to Real Madrid, had a lot to do with the smaller turnout for the first two Open Cup matches. We are looking for a far better crowd on the 21st, and hope our home fans will help us get to the US Open Cup final once again.
From Kevin Payne - 12:34 pm
What would it take to rename the stadium from RFK to House of Payne?
From CVS - 10:00 am
I don’t think there is any set of circumstances which would make that happen! But I’ve always appreciated the sentiment behind that nickname for our home.
From Kevin Payne - 12:33 pm