D.C. United are finalizing a deal to hire Troy Lesesne as their next head coach, the Washington Post and The Athletic reported Tuesday.

Lesesne, 40, gained his first MLS head-coaching experience when he was named the interim coach of the New York Red Bulls in May 2023 after the team and Gerhard Struber parted ways.

The Red Bulls went 10-9-4 under Lesesne and made the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but after being eliminated by top-seeded FC Cincinnati, the club opted not to retain Lesesne and hired Sandro Schwarz to the position full-time.

Lesesne, who hails from South Carolina, was the head coach of New Mexico United of the USL Championship from 2018-21 before resigning and joining the Red Bulls’ staff as an assistant.

D.C. United needed to replace Wayne Rooney, who departed at the end of the 2023 regular season to coach Birmingham City of the EFL Championship. Coincidentally, Birmingham City fired Rooney on Tuesday after he won just two of the first 15 matches of the season.

–Field Level Media