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D.C. United won its fourth consecutive match on Wednesday evening with an impressive 3-0 victory over U.S. star Michael Bradley and Toronto FC. Eddie Johnson opened the scoring in the first half with an impressive goal, marking the third match in a row in which the former U.S. National team player found the net.
Following some threats on goal from Toronto in the second half, D.C. United persevered and scored twice: once from newly acquired midfielder Chris Rolfe, and the other on an own-goal from Toronto’s Nick Hagglund to clinch the lopsided victory. D.C. is now in second place in the Eastern Conference, only 1 point behind the defending champion Sporting K.C. with a game in hand.
This marked the first time the author had gone to a D.C. United match since David Beckham made his debut for L.A. Galaxy in August 2007. This is true in spite of the fact that I live approximately fifteen minutes from the stadium. Admittedly, I do not follow MLS much, as I tend to only follow the European leagues - and I attended the match in this instance mostly to see Bradley, but I was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere. It drew 16,171 fans, which is fairly impressive for a weeknight affair. Of course, since it is being played at RFK Stadium, former home of the Washingon Redskins and Washington Nationals, it looked fairly empty because the upper decks are not open.
The two main fan groups for D.C. United are the “Screaming Eagles” and “Barra Brava.” Each group was set up in a different part of the stadium, but they were loud throughout the match, chanting and singing songs and waving large flags after every goal. Combined with a boisterous tailgate that occurred before the match (even beyond our SUV), it was a very enjoyable evening of footie.
However, I am not sure how to put this politely, but...RFK is a...dated stadium. It originally opened in 1961 and it looks and feels every bit of that age with none of the charm found in older baseball venues like Wrigley Field. Because D.C. United can’t fill RFK to its full capacity, many parts of the stadium are closed off, including concession stands on the main level. This led to horrific lines at the concession stand given the limited options available (and even more limited options to eat and drink at those stands), taking us well into the second half before we were able to return to our seats. (OK, by “we” I mean the ladies, as my friend Andrew and I returned to our seats when the second half started, while the ladies stayed in line to get us refreshments. "Gentlemen" alert.)
Washington D.C. is an interesting town when it comes to sports. Because so many of its residents are imports, it lacks the uniformity of support that many other cities enjoy. The Redskins are by far the most popular team in the area, with the remaining franchises jockeying for second place, a title usually bestowed on whichever team is succeeding at the moment. But hey, it’s Washington, and of course the fans are going to be fair weather and jump on the bandwagon of a winner.
Along those lines, I think there is a real opportunity for D.C. United to make more of a mark for itself in the Washington sports scene if it can just get out of RFK. There are plans being discussed for the construction of a soccer-only stadium down near the Nationals’ stadium on the Southeast waterfront. The plans look incredible and would provide the exact boost of enthusiasm and enhanced experience that the franchise needs to break through in this market. D.C. provided the highest television ratings of any city in the United States for the World Cup Final and, with the strong international influence that exists here, I really believe that it could become the new hot ticket in town - especially if D.C. United can continue with this season’s wave of success on the pitch. The proposal for the new stadium is currently being debated before the D.C. City Council and was even an issue in the recent mayoral primary. Hopefully the funding will be approved and construction will begin so that soccer can continue to establish itself here in our nation’s capital.
Follow Mike Smith on Twitter @thefootiegent
