With a nod to the club’s rich history, D.C. United co-chairman Jason Levien believes the best is yet to come for the MLS original.
"I think there's an unbelievable future ahead," Levien said in an interview with D.C. United's Claudia Pagan. "My co-chairman [Steve Kaplan] and I have a real love for the club and a real belief that its future is going to be even brighter than what we’ve done in the first 26 years,”
Part of the reason Levien is so excited about the future is the investment made in the club — both in infrastructure and in player development. He cited the building of Audi Field, which Levien lauds as “the best soccer-specific stadium in the best location in the country in Buzzard Point in downtown Washington.”
There’s also the launch of Loudoun United FC, a feeder club in the USL Championship and their home base of Segra Field, a 5,000-seat stadium that will also house the Washington Spirit of the NWSL and rugby.
“It's going to be a key part of growing our sports footprint in the DMV,” Levien said.
Levien also touted the decision to fully fund the club's academy "so we could get the best players and the best training and support them in growing into the first team.”
All that, he said, happened in the last three years. Coupled with a new manager in Hernan Losada and exciting young players like Griffin Yow, Kevin Paredes and Moses Nyeman, who were highlights of a dour 2000, it's understandable why Levien is so optimistic about the club's future.
“We’re making those investments on the player side and on the infrastructure side to lead D.C. United to a great future, a future that’s bright, that’s competitive on the pitch and one in which we thrive in the community,” Levien said.
Watch the full interview below:
