D.C. United have parted ways with second-year head coach Hernan Losada, the club announced Wednesday, a decision made entering MLS Week 8 amid a four-game losing streak in league play.
The Black-and-Red have appointed Chad Ashton as interim boss, a role he held during the 2020 campaign’s final month when the Ben Olsen era ended. Ashton first joined D.C. United’s technical staff in 2007 as an assistant coach.
“We believe that Chad’s ability to prepare for upcoming opponents and man manage players and in-game strategic match situations paired with his knowledge of the league will provide a springboard to further progress our style of play and enable us to compete at a higher level as we push forward for a successful season,” D.C. United president of soccer operations Dave Kasper said in a release.
Losada's tenure
Losada, 39, arrived from Belgian top-flight side Beerschot in 2021 after Olsen was at the helm for a decade. The Argentine manager went 16W-19L-5D in one-plus season, with D.C. currently bottom of the Eastern Conference table and finishing one point below the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line a season ago.
Losada’s team often played with an up-tempo, pressing style that leaned heavily on wingbacks and a three-man backline. Match fitness and making life difficult for the opponent were defining traits of his system, with their 56 goals scored second-most in the Eastern Conference a season ago.
During his 15-month tenure, Losada’s team faced injury troubles and he called for increased roster reinforcements during the offseason. The likes of winger Paul Arriola (trade to FC Dallas) and wingback Kevin Paredes (transfer to Germany’s Wolfsburg) departed over the winter, with forwards Michael Estrada (loan from Liga MX’s Toluca) and Taxi Fountas (transfer from Austria’s Rapid Vienna) serving as key arrivals for 2022.
“We’d like to thank Hernán for his time at the club and the energy he brought, as well as the attack-minded, front-foot philosophy and style of play he instilled within our club,” Kasper said. "We wish him great success moving forward."
This is the second MLS coaching change this week, after the San Jose Earthquakes officially parted ways with Matias Almeyda on Monday.
D.C. United's decision comes after they reached the US Open Cup's Fourth Round, beating NISA (third division) side Flower City Union, 3-0, on Tuesday evening.
