D.C. United
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| Year founded | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Major League Soccer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Black-and-Red | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. |
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| Coach |  Tom Soehn, 2006— |
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| Owner | D.C. United Holdings |
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| First Game San Jose Clash 1–0 D.C. United (Spartan Stadium; April 6, 1996) |
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| Largest Win D.C. United 8–0 Joe Public FC (RFK Stadium; August 8, 1998) |
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| Worst Defeat Kansas City Wizards 6–1 D.C. United (Arrowhead Stadium; June 21, 1997) UNAM Pumas 5–0 D.C. United (Olimpico; April 13, 2005) |
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All-time Top Scorer Jaime Moreno (103) |
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| Supporter Groups La Barra Brava, Screaming Eagles, La Norte, Fan Club United |
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| MLS Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supporters' Shield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997, 1999, 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
D.C. United is a professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer. The club's official nickname is the "Black-and-Red" and home uniforms are black and white with accents of red. The team's name refers to Washington, D.C. being the capital of the United States, and is also an allusion to "United" commonly being part of the names of soccer teams in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.[1] To date, D.C. United is the most successful team in MLS.
The team's home field is the 56,692-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium located on East Capitol Street, which is owned by the government of the District of Columbia and is shared with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. There are plans to build a 27,000-seat soccer-specific stadium near Poplar Point on the east side of the Anacostia River, directly across the river from the proposed site for the Washington Nationals' stadium.[2] The city is considered to be one of the most supportive of soccer in the country.[3] D.C. United's supporters' clubs include La Barra Brava, the Screaming Eagles and La Norte. "Talon", an eagle, is the team mascot.
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[edit] History
The club was one of the founding ten members of the MLS in 1996 in the league's early years was the most successful of all the teams. United won the first "double" in modern U.S. soccer history in 1996, beating the Los Angeles Galaxy to take the MLS Cup and the USL First Division club the Rochester Raging Rhinos to win the U.S. Open Cup. They have also been successful in CONCACAF competitions, winning the Champions' Cup and the Interamerican Cup in 1998.
Following his domestic successes, the club's first coach Bruce Arena went on to direct the national team. Arena's departure from United would signal a significant downturn in the team's fortunes. While the club again won the MLS Cup in coach Thomas Rongen's first season of 1999, lackluster seasons in 2000 and 2001 led to Rongen's departure and replacement by Ray Hudson in 2002. The team did not fare much better under Hudson, however, and Piotr Nowak replaced him before the start of the 2004 season. That season was marred by injuries in the early going, and some players were known to have complained about Nowak's methods. Nevertheless a strong finish (assisted in large measure by the late-season acquisition of Argentine midfielder Christian Gómez) propelled United into the playoffs as the second seed, where they advanced past the New England Revolution on penalty kicks in what some have called "the greatest MLS game ever played."[citation needed] United then defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3–2 to take their fourth MLS Cup.
On December 21, 2006 Coach Piotr Nowak left United to become an Assistant Coach of the United States National Soccer Team under Bob Bradley. Tom Soehn replaced him.
D.C. United's primary rival is the New York Red Bulls, formerly known as the MetroStars. The two teams compete annually for the Atlantic Cup, a competition instituted by the two teams' management that goes to the team that gets the most points across the teams' four meetings throughout the year. DC United also has a unique (among MLS teams anyway) rivalry with the Charleston Battery of the United Soccer Leagues, as they compete every time they face one another for the Coffee Pot Cup, a trophy established by the two sides' supporters.
Famous players for United have included the US internationals Roy Lassiter, Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, John Harkes, Tony Sanneh, Ben Olsen, Carlos Llamosa, Bobby Convey and Santino Quaranta. Foreign stars have included Marco Etcheverry, Raul Diaz Arce, Jaime Moreno, Christian Gomez, Ryan Nelsen, and Hristo Stoichkov.
On November 18, 2003, MLS made sports history by signing Freddy Adu, a 14-year-old soccer prodigy and on January 16, 2004 he was officially selected by United with the first pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. When Adu entered United's regular-season opener as a second-half substitute on April 3, 2004, he became the youngest player in any professional sport in the United States since 1887. On December 11, 2006, D.C. United traded Adu and goalkeeper Nick Rimando to Real Salt Lake in exchange for a major allocation, goalkeeper Jay Nolly, and future considerations[4].
In 2005, the club made MLS history by becoming the first US-based team to ever participate in a South American club competition, entering the Round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana.
In 2006, United played well against international competition, beating Scottish champions Celtic F.C. 4-0 at RFK Stadium and tying Real Madrid 1-1 in Seattle. In addition, the MLS All-Star Team, which included 8 United players and was managed by United's manager Piotr Nowak, defeated English champions Chelsea 1-0. United, by virtue of winning the 2006 MLS Supporters Shield, will represent MLS in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The team will also host the 2007 MLS Cup.
On January 8, 2007, the operating rights to D.C. United were sold by Anschutz Entertainment Group to D.C. United Holdings, a newly-formed group venture that includes real estate developer Victor MacFarlane, William H.C. Chang (chairman of Westlake International Group), Blue Devil Development (headed by former Duke basketball players Brian Davis and Christian Laettner), and D.C. United president Kevin Payne. D.C. United Holdings is also in talks with Discovery Communications founder John Hendricks in what is a "majority-minority" ownership group. The sale price was reported to be $33 million, an MLS record fee for operating rights to a club.[5]
[edit] Television and radio
D.C. United appear on Comcast Sports Network. Dave Johnson handles play by play, and former DC coach Thomas Rongen does color.
All matches are broadcast via radio on WMET in English and WACA (AM) in Spanish. Tony Limarzi does English play-by-play, Herbert Baires does play-by-play in Spanish, Danilo Noel Diron is the Spanish color commentator, and Wilson Romero is the sideline reporter in Spanish.
[edit] Honors
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup:
- Winners (1): 1998
- Third place (2): 1997, 1999
- CONCACAF Giants Cup:
- Runners-up (1): 2001
- InterAmerican Cup:
- Winners (1): 1998
- MLS Cup:
- Winners (4): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004
- Runners-up (1): 1998
- MLS Supporters' Shield:
- Winners (3): 1997, 1999, 2006
- Runners-up (1): 1998
- US Open Cup:
- Winners (1): 1996
- Runners-up (1): 1997
[edit] Current roster
As of April 4, 2007
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- Sources: mlsnet.com concacaf.com washingtonpost.com
[edit] Changes for the 2007 MLS Season
In
- Bryan Arguez Signed as Generation Adidas draft pick
- Marc Burch Traded from Columbus Crew
Kasali Yinka Casal Transferred from Fulham FC- Shawn Crowe Signed as draft pick
Luciano Emilio Transferred from CD Olímpia
Guy-Roland Kpene Signed as draft pick (contract pending)- Jay Nolly Traded from Real Salt Lake
- Brad North Signed as draft pick
- Fred Transferred from Melbourne Victory FC
- Kiki Willis Signed on waiver from Elon University
Out
- Freddy Adu Traded to Real Salt Lake
Matias Donnet Transferred to Belgrano de Córdoba (Primera División Argentina)- Alecko Eskandarian Traded to Toronto FC
- Ryan McIntosh Released
- Domenic Mediate Released
- Nick Rimando Traded to Real Salt Lake
- David Stokes Released
[edit] Notable players
- Freddy Adu (2004–2006)
- Jeff Agoos (1996–2000)
- Bobby Convey (2000–2004)
Raul Diaz Arce (1996–1997; 2000–2001)- Alecko Eskandarian (2003–2006)
- Marco Etcheverry (1996–2003)
- Christian Gomez (2004— )
- John Harkes (1996–1998)
Dema Kovalenko (2003–2005)- Roy Lassiter (1998–1999; 2002)
- Carlos Llamosa (1997–2000)
- Jaime Moreno (1996–2002; 2004— )
Ryan Nelsen (2001–2005)- Ben Olsen (1998— )
- Eddie Pope (1996–2002)
- Tony Sanneh (1996–1998)
- Earnie Stewart (2003–2004)
Hristo Stoichkov (2003)- Richie Williams (1996–2000; 2002)
[edit] Head coaches
- Bruce Arena (1996–1998)
Thomas Rongen (1999–2001)- Ray Hudson (2002–2003)
Peter Nowak (2004–2006)- Tom Soehn (2006— )
[edit] Team records
- Games: Jaime Moreno, 238
- Goals: Jaime Moreno, 103
- Assists: Marco Etcheverry, 101
- Shutouts: Nick Rimando, 29
MLS regular season only, through 2006 season
[edit] Home stadium
- RFK Stadium (1996— )
- Poplar Point Stadium (2009, planned opening)
[edit] Ownership
- Washington Soccer L.P. (1996-2001)
- Anschutz Entertainment Group (2001-2007)
- D.C. United Holdings (2007— )
[edit] D.C. United Park
D.C. United Park was located near Franklin Farm, Virginia and Herndon, Virginia and served as the soccer training facility for D.C. United. It is in Fairfax County, Virginia and is very close to Dulles International Airport. The club own the grounds which are situated in a business park known as Renaissance Park. It also used to serve as the Redskins training ground and was sold to a church in 2000 as part of the estate sale of former Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke. The team now trains on an auxiliary field outside RFK Stadium. The field also hosts United's reserve team games.
[edit] Famous supporters
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
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| 1996 | 2nd, East | Champions | Champions |
| 1997 | 1st, East* | Champions | Final |
| 1998 | 1st, East | Final | Did not enter |
| 1999 | 1st, East* | Champions | Round of 16 |
| 2000 | 4th, East | Did not qualify | Quarterfinals |
| 2001 | 4th, East | Did not qualify | Semifinals |
| 2002 | 5th, East | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 2003 | 4th, East | Quarterfinals | Semifinals |
| 2004 | 2nd, East | Champions | Round of 16 |
| 2005 | 2nd, East | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| 2006 | 1st, East* | Semifinals | Semifinals |
* Won MLS Supporters' Shield
[edit] International competition
- 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. United Petrotrin -- 1:0
- Semifinals v. L.A. Galaxy -- 0:1
- 3rd place v. CD Guadalajara (Chivas) -- 2:2 (shared 3rd place)
- 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Joe Public F.C. -- 8:0
- Semifinals v. León -- 2:0
- Final v. Toluca -- 1:0
- 1998 Interamerican Cup
- Final v. Vasco da Gama -- 0:1, 2:0 (United wins 2:1 on aggregate)
- 1999 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. C.D. Olimpia -- 1:0
- Semifinals v. Necaxa -- 1:3
- 3rd place v. Chicago Fire -- 2:2 (shared 3rd place)
- 2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Alajuelense -- 2:1
- Semifinals v. Los Angeles Galaxy -- 1:1 (Galaxy advance 4:2 on penalties)
- 3rd place v. Pachuca -- 1:2
- 2001 CONCACAF Giants Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Arnett Gardens -- 3:0, 2:1 (United advances 5:1 on aggregate)
- Semifinals v. Comunicaciones -- 2:1
- Final v. Club América -- 0:2
- 2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Round of 16 v. Comunicaciones -- 0:4, 2:1 (Comunicaciones advances 5:2 on aggregate)
- 2005 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Harbour View -- 2:1, 2:1 (United advances 4:2 on aggregate)
- Semifinals v. UNAM Pumas -- 1:1, 0:5 (Pumas advance 6:1 on aggregate)
- 2005 Copa Sudamericana
- Round of 16 v. Universidad Católica -- 1:1, 2:3 (Católica advances 4:3 on aggregate)
- 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. C.D. Olimpia -- 4:1, 3:2 (United advances 7:3 on aggregate)
- Semifinals v. CD Guadalajara (Chivas) -- 1:1, 1:2 (Chivas advances 3:2 on aggregate)
- 2007 SuperLiga
- Group Stage v. Monarcas Morelia
- Group Stage v. América
- Group Stage v. Houston Dynamo
[edit] Average attendance
regular season/playoffs
- 1996: 15,262/18,946
- 1997: 16,698/20,202
- 1998: 16,008/14,903
- 1999: 17,419/12,647
- 2000: 18,580/missed playoffs
- 2001: 21,518/missed playoffs
- 2002: 16,519/missed playoffs
- 2003: 15,565/15,202
- 2004: 17,232/18,842
- 2005: 16,664/20,089
- 2006: 18,215/20,504
- All-Time: 17,619
[edit] Notes
- ^ However, DCU departs from the common British practice in which "United" typically refers refer to a club formed by the union of two existing constituent clubs. "Football Culture. Names Explained". British Council Korea. Retrieved on December 11, 2006.
- ^ "D.C. United make stadium proposal" November 16, 2005 (MLSnet.com)
- ^ "Washington is our best market, by far. It's the most authentic, the most passionate." July 30, 2005 (Washingtonpost.com)
- ^ "Ready for Freddy! Real Salt Lake acquires teen phenom Freddy Adu from D.C. United", mlsnet.com, 2006-12-11. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
- ^ "MacFarlane leads group in purchase of Major League Soccer's D.C. United" (press release), D.C. United Media Relations, January 8, 2007.
- ^ Washington Post Soccer Insider [1]
[edit] External links
- www.dcunited.com Team's official website
- www.barra-brava.com Barra Brava Supporters' Club
- www.screaming-eagles.com Supporters' Club website
- www.lanorte.com La Norte Supporters' Club
- Official D.C. United board, courtesy of BigSoccer
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Eastern Conference |
Western Conference |
| Former teams | On hiatus |
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| Miami Fusion | Tampa Bay Mutiny | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Miscellaneous | |
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MLS Cup | All-Star Game | SuperLiga | USSF | CSA | Central Division | U.S. Open Cup |
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