Online Encyclopedia
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American soccer team. Based in Washington, DC, they play in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Their official nickname is the "Black-and-Red"; the team's home kit(uniform) is largely black.
The team ground is the 56,454-seater Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium on East Capitol Street, which is owned by the government of the District of Columbia and was once the home of the Washington Senators and the Washington Redskins. The city is considered to be one of the most supportive of soccer in the country. United's main supporters' club is called the Screaming Eagles . Other supporters' clubs include Barra Brava and La Norte .
The club was one of the founding members of the MLS in 1996 and was initially the most successful. They won the first "double" in U.S. soccer history in 1996, beating Los Angeles Galaxy to take the MLS Cup and the A-League club Rochester Raging Rhinos to win the US Open Cup. They have also been successful in CONCACAF competitions, winning the Champions Cup and the Interamerican Cup in 1998. From the back of domestic success, the club's first coach, Bruce Arena, went on to direct the national side. United slumped from 2000 on under Thomas Rongen. Two lackluster seasons led to the departure of Rongen and his replacement by Ray Hudson in 2002.
Famous past players for United include the US internationals Roy Lassiter, Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, John Harkes, Tony Sanneh , Ben Olsen , Carlos Llamosa , and most recently Bobby Convey, who was transferred to Reading F.C. in the English Football League Championship on July 22, 2004. Foreign stars included Marco Etcheverry, Raul Diaz Arce, Jaime Moreno, and Hristo Stoitchkov.
On November 18, 2003, MLS made sports history by signing Freddy Adu, a prodigy of a football player, at the age of 14 and on January 16, 2004 he was selected by United with the first pick in the 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.
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Honors
- MLS Cup 3 (1996, 1997, 1999) (Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy)
- MLS Supporters' Shield 2 (1997, 1999)
- US Open Cup 1 (1996)
- CONCACAF Champions Cup 1 (1998)
- CONCACAF Interamerican Cup 1 (1998)
International Competition
- 1998 Champions Cup
- Final v. Toluca -- 1:0
- 1998 Interamerican Cup
- Final v. Vasco de Gama -- 0:1, 2:0 (United win Cup 2:1 on aggregate)
- 1999 Champions Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Olimpia -- 1:0
- Semifinals v. Necaxa -- 1:3
- 3rd place v. Chicago Fire -- 2:2
- 2000 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 Giants Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Arnett Gardens -- 3:0, 2:1 (United advance 5:1 on aggregate)
- Semifinals v. Comunicaciones -- 2:1
- Final v. America -- 0:2
- 2002 Champions Cup
- First round v. Comunicaciones -- 0:4, 2:1 (Comunicaciones advance 5:2 on aggregate)
Notable Players
- Freddy Adu (2004-)
- Alecko Eskandarian (2003-)
- Dema Kovalenko (2003-)
- Jaime Moreno (1996-2002, 2004-)
- Ryan Nelsen (2001-), captain
- Ben Olsen (1998-)
- Mike Petke (2003-)
- Earnie Stewart (2003-)
Former Notable Players
- Jeff Agoos (1996-2000)
- Bobby Convey (2000-2004)
- Raul Diaz Arce (1996-1997, 2000-2001)
- Marco Etcheverry (1996-2003)
- John Harkes (1996-1998)
- Roy Lassiter (1998-1999)
- Carlos Llamosa (1997-2000)
- Eddie Pope (1996-2002)
- Tony Sanneh (1996-1998)
- Hristo Stoitchkov (2003)
Head Coaches
- Bruce Arena (1996–2000)
- Thomas Rongen (2000–2002)
- Ray Hudson (2002–2003)
- Peter Nowak (2004–)
External links
- www.dcunited.com Team's official website
- www.screaming-eagles.com Supporters' Club website
- www.barra-brava.com Barra Brava Supporters' Club
- www.lanorte.com La Norte Supporters' Club
| Major League Soccer |
| Eastern Conference |
|---|
| Chicago Fire | Columbus Crew | D.C. United | MetroStars | New England Revolution |
| Western Conference |
| Colorado Rapids | Dallas Burn | Kansas City Wizards | Los Angeles Galaxy | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Expansion franchises for 2005 C.D. Chivas USA | Real Salt Lake |
| MLS Cup | All-Star Game | FIFA | United States Soccer Federation | U.S. Open Cup | Current MLS Players | A-League |