“The club’s on-field performance this season was unacceptable,” co-chairmen Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan stated in an announcement. “We owe it to our supporters, our players and our greater community to compete at a high level. We are focused on bringing leadership that will work closely with Wayne Rooney and our management team to build a squad that once again competes at the top echelon of Major League Soccer.
“In order to accomplish this and to evolve as a club, we felt it was necessary to make this decision and bring in new leadership.”
Kasper will stay in his place, stated folks acquainted with the scenario who spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to debate the matter. The membership employed a search agency to establish a alternative for Rushton. Her successor would work alongside Kasper relatively than below him, these folks stated.
Wayne Rooney, the previous star participant who grew to become United’s coach midseason, is anticipated to take part within the course of.
United completed 7-21-6, one of many worst information in its 26-year historical past. The marketing campaign was marred by an early-season teaching change — Hernán Losada was sacked six video games into his second yr, and assistant Chad Ashton dealt with interim duties till Rooney’s appointment — and a number of lopsided defeats. The season ended with a four-game dropping streak and six-game winless rut.
United, which received the MLS Cup 4 instances between 1996 and 2004, has missed the playoffs three consecutive years and hasn’t received a playoff sport since 2015.
After a 5-2 defeat to FC Cincinnati within the Oct. 9 season finale, Rooney prompt the group would make adjustments not solely to the roster however the workers.
“It’s a lot of work for us now to make sure we bring the right players in, we bring the players who are going to develop the team,” he stated. “There are small changes around the team that need to happen as well — which will happen.”
Rushton, who was Atlanta’s head of video and technical evaluation for 5 years, stated by way of textual content message Wednesday that she didn’t wish to remark. Levien, Kaplan and Kasper didn’t wish to remark, a membership spokesman stated.
Before United employed Rushton, the one earlier feminine GM in MLS was Lynne Meterparel with San Jose in 1999-2000, however she had extra enterprise accountability than roster affect.
Rushton’s dismissal got here as she was within the strategy of negotiating new participant contracts and dealing with Kasper and Rooney on roster choices.
She was not the one change Wednesday. Performance director Victor Lonchuk, who labored carefully with the teaching workers on participant preparation, additionally was fired, United introduced. He had been employed by Losada in March.
Ashton, an assistant since 2007, can be reassigned inside the group, and assistant Nicolás Frutos, who was employed by Losada, is not going to return subsequent season, folks near the scenario stated.
United is available in the market for an skilled assistant, ideally with MLS perception, to hitch Rooney’s workers. Rooney will select from plenty of candidates proposed by the entrance workplace, stated an individual who spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to debate the matter.