D.C. begin hunt for new GM after Rushton exit

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by Jonathan Rest

Lucy Rushton, the only female General Manager in Major League Soccer, has been sacked by D.C. United, following a poor season for the club.

We are focused on bringing leadership that will work closely with head coach Wayne Rooney and our management team to build a squad that once again competes at the top echelon of MLS. 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.

Jason Levien & Steve Kaplan

Co-Chairmen, D.C. United

Rushton (pictured at a TransferRoom event), who also held the title of Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis, was dismissed along with first-team Performance Director Victor Lonchuk.

The decisions come after D.C. finished bottom of the overall MLS table.

D.C. have hired a global executive search firm to appoint a new General Manager, who will have responsibility for all first-team soccer operations including roster makeup, player recruitment and talent identification. They will report directly to club ownership.

Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, Co-Chairman of DC United, said: “We want to thank Lucy and Victor for their contributions over the past seasons. We wish both of them success in their future endeavours.

“The club’s on-field performance this season was unacceptable. 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 head coach Wayne Rooney and our management team to build a squad that once again competes at the top echelon of MLS. 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.”

Rushton joined D.C. in April 2021 after leaving Atlanta United, where she served as Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis for nearly five years. Atlanta won the 2018 MLS Cup and 2019 U.S. Open Cup during her tenure.

D.C are one of 29 MLS clubs on TransferRoom as part of a long-term, league-wide agreement and found success in the summer transfer window, selling Edison Flores to Atlas after plus pitching him to the Mexican club on the platform.

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