D.C. United

DC United
D.C. United is a professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer. The club is officially and commonly known by its nickname Black and Red which are also the team's colors.

The team has named itself after its home town and also capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. The "United" part of the name is inspired by the names of popular football teams in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, for example Manchester United. D.C. United has earned the reputation of being the most successful team in MLS.

D.C. United plays its home matches at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, with a seating capacity of 56,692. The stadium is located on East Capitol Street, owned by the District of Columbia and is shared with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. The team has plans to build its own soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of 27,000, near Poplar Point on the east side of the Anacostia River. Washington D.C. is considered to be one of the most pro-soccer cities in the US. D.C. United's supporters groups include La Barra Brava, the Screaming Eagles and La Norte. "Talon", an eagle, is the team mascot.

The Team's History
D.C. United was one of the original 10 members of Major League Soccer when it was first inaugurated in 1996. The team quickly took the lead as the most successful team in the league. In 1996, D.C. United won the first "double" in modern U.S. soccer history, after it won against Los Angeles Galaxy for the MLS Cup and then against the Rochester Raging Rhinos to win the US Open Cup. The team has also won in CONCACAF competitions, taking the Champions' Cup and the Inter-American Cup in 1998.

Much of United's early success is attributed to head coach Bruce Arena. Arena left after the 1998 season to pursue an opportunity to coach the national soccer team. He was replaced by Thomas Rongen who coached the team from the 1999 season onwards. Although United won the MLS cup in 1999, the following two seasons under Rongen's leadership produced lackluster performances. Arena's departure from United had signified a downturn in the team's performance. Rongen was replaced in 2002 by coach Ray Hudson who did not prove successful for the team either, and was replaced by Piotr Nowak before the 2004 season. Under Nowak's leadership and also largely due to Argentine midfielder Christian Gomez who joined the team late in the season, United made it to the playoffs. They then beat New England Revolution on penalty kicks and advanced to the final where they won their fourth MLS Cup against the Kansas City Wizards (3-2). Despite the team's revival, Nowak's style was criticized by some team mates and the season had been marred by player injuries.

In December 2006, Nowak was replaced by Tom Soehn. Nowak went on to become Assistant Coach for the United States National Soccer Team under Bob Bradley. Season 2006 went well for United as the team dealt a winning performance in an international match against Scottish champions Celtic F.C. (4-0) at the RFK Stadium and scored even against Real Madrid (1-1) in Seattle. In addition, the MLS All-Star Team, which included 8 players from United, defeated English champions Chelsea (1-0). In 2006, United also won the MLS Supporters Shield, which earned it a place in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Here the team made it to the semi-finals but lost to CD Guadalajara (3-2). The team will be hosting the 2007 MLS Cup and will also play in the newly created SuperLiga with 4 teams from the Primera Division and 4 from the MLS.

On January 8, 2007, Anschutz Entertainment Group sold its operating rights for D.C. United to another party, D.C. United Holdings. D.C. United Holdings, is a newly-formed group venture between real estate developer Victor MacFarlane, chairman of Westlake International Group, William H.C. Chang , Blue Devil Development (owned by former Duke basketball players Brian Davis and Christian Laettner), and D.C. United president Kevin Payne. The sale price of the club is reported at $33 million, which is the highest fee for the operating rights of any MLS club to date.

In May 2007, United entered into a partnership with Brazilian soccer club Atletico Mineiro. The partnership is initially intended for a one year period with the objective of creating mutual benefits for both teams, by giving each team access to wider opportunities and to share each other's experience and expertise.

Media Coverage
D.C. United matches are televised on Comcast SportsNet. Dave Johnson handles play by play, and former DC coach Thomas Rongen does color. Certain home matches are shown in High Definition on Comcast SportsNet HDAll the team's matches are broadcast via radio on WMET and WACA (AM) in English and Spanish respectively. Tony Limarzi is the English announcer while Herbert Baires does the Spanish commentary. Danilo Noel Diron is the Spanish color commentator, and Wilson Romero is the Spanish sideline reporter.

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