Had a chat yesterday afternoon with John Maessner about his decision to step down as D.C. United’s director of youth development. Here’s what he had to say.
On the decision itself:
“I feel like I had a great meeting with [United president and CEO] Kevin Payne. He’s obviously given me a great opportunity as a player and as a director of the youth development program so I thanked him, and I was grateful for being part of D.C. United. I was around when we had a lot of success as a player, and I’ve put in a lot of hard work as a director and developed this program pretty much from the ground up. I think that we have a very strong program, and I enjoyed every minute of it, and I loved it. It’s been very successful, and it’s gone very well.”
So why did you decide to resign? It is hard to perceive as anything but odd, given the recent rise of former D.C. United academy players Bill Hamid and Andy Najar.
“They’ve made some changes in the club, and I just told Kevin that with those changes, I think it’s best for me and my family to move on so that’s what we’re going to do. I leave on very good terms. I’ve got D.C. United in my heart, and I’m just moving on.”
Does it have anything to do with the move of Chad Ashton into the role of technical director during the offseason?
“Let’s just say that with the changes, I wanted to move on. I don’t think anyone from the inside or the outside – it’s a little bit difficult to understand because the program has been very successful. Like I said, they made some changes in January, and with the way that things were changed, I wanted to move on.”
[D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper declined earlier this week to elaborate on developments with Maessner – only saying that he had talked about exploring other options – and I hope to chat with Ashton upon his return from his scouting trip to Europe and Ghana.]
Given the rise of Hamid and Najar, and a full pipeline of potential prospects in the very near future, what is the key to the way you’ve developed United’s academy over the last three and half years?
“D.C. United is special because they bring back former players. They keep former players involved, and I think that’s part of the formula for success. If you look around the world at the big clubs, they all do it. I understand the culture of D.C. United, what it takes to be successful, and I just translated to the youth development program. It’s not rocket science, but I think you have to find the right players, and you have to create the right environment. That’s what we did, and there is a rich talent pool in the area. We’re fortunate for that, but you have to have the right environment. You hear [Los Angeles Galaxy head coach] Bruce Arena say it all the time: It’s finding the right players and giving them the right environment to compete and grow and maximize their potential. I’ve been fortunate to be around Bruce and Dave Sarachan, Thomas Rongen, Bob Bradley and Manny Schellscheidt and all the best coaches that this country has produced. I’ve been fortunate to learn from all the best, and I just tried to create an environment for the kids that I grew up with and that I know helps you become a better a player. It’s worked pretty well.”
What’s next?
“I’m definitely going to stay connected to the game. It’s in my blood, but I’ve also got a pretty diverse background in sales and different things so I’m pretty confident in what my next step will be will be good for my family. I’ve got several different options.”
Is the academy positioned well moving forward?
“You never know. I hope they continue to produce Bill Hamids and Andy Najars for the first team. I don’t see why they shouldn’t. I worked very hard over the last three and a half years to put everything in place so I think that they should do that. I think they have one of the best youth development programs in the country, if not the best, and I there’s no reason not for them to just continue.”
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