The MLS icons admit o being concern for DC United and call for immediate action from the club's ownership
Howard and Donovan discuss DC United's decline on their "Unfiltered Soccer" podcastUSMNT legends question the club's direction and competitivenessDonovan hosts urge DC United ownership to take actionGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED
Former U.S. international and MLS stars Tim Howard and Landon Donovan believe D.C. United's ownership have to step in and make changes to fix the club's current malaise – which has been punctuated by the 6-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes over the weekend.
“This is the time when we need to hammer D.C. a little bit. Because we’ve been hammering New England and just down the East Coast there, D.C. is a disaster. They need to figure out, and it starts with ownership to be sure, ‘Do you really care about this? And if not then take your profit and get out because the league is too mature now to have teams like this,” Donovan said on the Unfiltered Podcast.
D.C. United, one of the most storied franchises in MLS history with four league titles, haven't made the playoffs since 2019. The club's lengthy struggles are one of the reasons why the club doesn't have the same traction it did in the early days of MLS.
“They are just a mess man, there’s few people in the stands, and people don’t care the way they used to. I used to hate going to D.C. to play dude, it was a nightmare. The teams were good and now it’s like they’re just a shadow of themselves, they’re cheap and they don’t spend money," Donovan said. "They’re just a mess, a lack of leadership there and they’re a total mess and they’ve been mired in this for years and years now. And those of us that love the league and know the league from the early days, we wanna see D.C. get back to prominence.”
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Howard, Donovan’s co-host on the podcast, believes the team's current situation is fixable, but United need to find strong leaders to fix its issues.
“I think the, you go back to Southampton and hiring Russell Martin and Ivan Juric and the mess that gets created, it’s so interesting because you always hear me say, there’s not one way to win a football match," Howard said. "Doesn’t have to be super ultra-progressive and you just need winners to win. Hire a manager, give him autonomy of the squad, and let him go. And that’s what San Jose is doing with Bruce and like duh!”
He added, "I oftentimes think that when it comes to these sports franchises who just kind are wallow away in the muck, in the bottom, it shouldn’t be that hard. It’s OK to have a couple of bad years, three down years totally, you’re just human. But it shouldn’t be that hard to figure it out, get yourself out of there like you shouldn’t be in this run for this long.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
DC United's struggles are part of a broader conversation about competitiveness and investment in MLS. As the league continues to grow and attract high-profile players and coaches, the pressure on historically successful clubs to maintain their status has intensified. The Black-and-Red Eagles sit 12th on the Eastern Conference table and have won just one out of their seven league games so far this term.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Following the 6-1 loss to San Jose Earthquakes, DC United will be hoping to bounce back when they host FC Cincinnati at home on April 12 in the league. They’ll follow that up with an away game against New York Red Bulls at the Red Bull Arena on April 19.
