‘We don’t take a back seat’


D.C. United general manager Kevin Payne says Las Vegas wasn’t the best choice for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.


SOCCER AMERICA: Is it a setback for MLS to have both teams knocked out in the semifinals?

KEVIN PAYNE: We can play with anybody in this confederation, that’s pretty clear, as can Chicago. We don’t take a back seat to the Mexican or the Costa Rican teams.

Chicago loses on a missed penalty, and I thought we played very well against Necaxa. Both we and Chicago could have been in the final very easily.

We’ll have to win MLS to get back to this tournament next year.

SA: This tournament was plagued with logistical and administrative problems. Was it a good idea to move the tournament from Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas?

KP: One of the challenges is there is no organization here [in Las Vegas] that knows how to put on high-level soccer games. At least in D.C., you didn’t have to worry about a lot of things that have been a real pain in the neck here.

They do need to find a home for the tournament so people can understand what it is. I tend to think this should not be it, mostly because of the field.

SA: How much did the field affect the play?

KP: The field is 64 yards wide, and is hard as a rock. I don’t think it’s right to play a tournament this meaningful on a substandard field like this.

You didn’t see a lot of great soccer in this tournament, and that was part of the reason.

SA: Many changes have been proposed for the next MLS season, among them the abolition of the shootout.

KP: I’ve never been a proponent of the shootout, so I’ll be satisfied if it goes away. I don’t think it brings fans or costs us any fans, but it certainly is a source of irritation for our best fans.

To some extent, it has a damaging effect on our credibility. Fans in D.C. and in other markets where there is a soccer-sophisticated constituency really want to see the game presented similarly to what they see out of Spain or England or Germany or Argentina.

It’s probably something our fans don’t want, so we should listen to them.

by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney