My uncle was kind enough to buy tickets to the DC United game against the LA Galaxy for my cousins and me. None of us had been to a professional soccer game, and I probably should have gone to one while living in Scotland or France. Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States and Canada began in 1996 in order to convince FIFA to bring the 1994 World Cup to America. From what I've heard from some European friends, this league may not be much compared to the best leagues in Europe, but it is probably comparable to the second-tier leagues that are common across the continent. In the first 4 seasons, the DC United won 3 MLS championships, and then they won their 4th championship in 2004. Therefore, they have more championship titles than any other MLS team. However, since then the team has struggled. It's last playoff appearance was in 2007, and the team has had 3 coaches in the last 3 years. Currently, Ben Olsen is the team's head coach after playing for the team from 1998 until 2009 and then being an assistant coach in 2010. Olsen won the 2007 'MLS XI' award for being one of the eleven best players in the league. He also played for the US national team from 1998 until 2007 and had 6 goals in national competitions. We shall see if he is able to bring the DC United from last place last year to a position with a bit more respect. Though the game I attended was early in the season, it was still an important rivalry game with the LA Galaxy, who has had 6 appearances in the championship game and 2 championship titles. The DC and LA teams have bickered and competed for being the league's signature team.
Meanwhile, the actual league has done fairly well compared to past attempts at professional soccer in the United States. Unlike the National Hockey League (NHL), MLS has had a television deal with ESPN since 2006, and most teams have sponsors. For instance, Volkswagon sponsors DC United, which explains why there is a huge 'VW' symbol on the jerseys. In fact, anyone who drives a VW car can park for free at RFK Stadium on game day. Many of the profitable teams earn more than $4 million annually, including Seattle Sounders, Toronto FC, LA Galaxy, and Vancouver Whitecaps. DC United earn about $3.5 million annually. Real Salt Lake is one of the least profitable teams. As a testament to the league's long-term profitability, several cities have recently built soccer-specific stadiums, including those in Columbus, Los Angeles (with 1 stadium and 2 teams), Chicago, Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, and Dallas. In fact, only 5 teams play in a stadium not specifically built for soccer, including DC.
At the beginning of the game, the referees lead out the two
teams with David Beckham (#23) leading the LA Galaxy in white.
The refs in the game were just plain awful. They made multiple
confusing calls, including once when a ref called an offside
on LA and blew his whistle, but the LA players ignored him
and kept playing so that the game just went on.
I did not take this photo. My uncle had his zoom lens,
and I left my extra lenses in Mississippi.
Though the superstar Landon plays for LA, he was injured
and didn't play in this particular game.
That doesn't mean the fans didn't have signs making fun of him.
In the stands across the field from us, everyone stood up
the whole game and yelled constantly. The signs leading to
these seats called this section the 'dark side.'
There were a lot more flags and signs there.
If I go back to another game, I'd like to be over there.
A jersey covering the 'dark side' stands.
A DC United player taking a free kick.
Throughout the game DC looked like they were afraid
of attacking LA, and the United kept kicking the ball
back towards their goalie instead of driving down the field.
Even when they did attack, they only had one or two players
to finish up the play. It was frustrating to watch, but
maybe they were playing keep-away so that the LA
stars wouldn't have an explosive play.
DC taking a corner kick in the 2nd half.
The LA goalie.
My uncle took this photo with his zoom.
DC United player kicking the tying goal off of a penalty kick
at the end of the 2nd half. Considering how DC played,
getting out of this game with a 1-1 tie was like a win.
In 1961, Washington built RFK Stadium inside the District in order to be a baseball and football stadium for the Senators and Redskins. However, like many dual purpose stadiums, it was far from ideal. The stadium owners had to spend $40k every time they switched from one sport to another because they had to change so many seats. While hosting baseball games, the stadium has no lower seats in the outfield. Also, the building has bizarre architectural features that are probably the result of cheap construction methods used in the 60s while throwing up stadiums across the country. There are some unique and cool features. For instance, the section of metal stands across the field from where I sat would bounce up and down whenever a large number of fans jumped. Again, another reason why I'd like to sit in the 'dark side' next time I go.
Though we sat on the bottom level not far from
the field, the upper balcony hung over our heads
and blocked a lot of our view. We could still see the
whole field, but this balcony was still a bit odd.
According to the Washington Post, this game had well over
20,000 fans in the stadium, so it was the most attended
DC United game in over 3 years.
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