D.C. United
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 05/2016
Full name
D.C. United
Nicknames
Black-and-Red
Founded
1995
Stadium
RFK Stadium
Washington, D.C.
Capacity
45,596
Owners
Erick Thohir
Jason Levien
William H.C. Chang
President
Tom Hunt
Head Coach
Ben Olsen
League
Major League Soccer
2015
Eastern Conference: 4th
Overall: 8th
Playoffs: Conference semi-finals
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C.
The club competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top level of professional American soccer.
The franchise is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception in 1996.
D.C. United is the most decorated club in MLS, having won thirteen international and domestic titles over the club's history.
It was one of the most successful clubs in the early years of MLS, winning eight of its thirteen titles between 1996 and 1998 under head coach Bruce Arena.
United holds the joint MLS record for most Supporters' Shields, has four MLS Cups, and been crowned U.S. Open Cup champions three times.
It is also the first club to win both the MLS Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup consecutively.
On the international stage, D.C. United has competed in both the CONCACAF Champions League and its predecessor, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
The club won the 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, making them one of only two MLS teams to ever win a CONCACAF tournament.
Subsequently, United won the now-defunct Copa Interamericana in 1998 against Vasco da Gama of Brazil.
This is the only intercontinental title won by an MLS club.
The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the Anacostia River.
The team plans to build a new soccer-specific stadium at Buzzard Point just a few blocks from Nationals Park by groundbreaking and starting construction on the new stadium 2015 with an opening date of 2018, and with potential seating between 18,000 and 23,000.
The team is owned by the consortium D.C. United Holdings.
The team's head coach is former long-time starting midfielder Ben Olsen, who has coached the team since 2010.
Players such as Jaime Moreno, Marco Etcheverry, and Eddie Pope are among the team's most successful stars.
D.C. United's fan base includes four supporters' clubs.
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 alludes to the "United" appellation commonly found in the names of soccer teams in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
HISTORY
Prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation fulfilled its promise to FIFA by aiding in the foundation of a new professional league.
On June 15, 1994, Major League Soccer selected Washington, D.C. out of twenty-two applicants to host one of the first seven teams, with three more added before the league's launch.
Like many team names in MLS, the team's name was chosen as a reflection of the names of European clubs, such as Manchester United or Leeds United.
D.C. United won the 2004 Eastern Conference championship in what has been called one of the best games in MLS history.
On April 6, 1996, D.C. United played in the league's inaugural match against the San Jose Clash in Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California.
In the league's early years, D.C. was the most successful of all the teams in MLS.
In their first year, coach Bruce Arena led the team to the first "double" in modern U.S. soccer history by beating the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first MLS Cup and the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the USL First Division in the 1996 U.S. Open Cup. D.C. repeated its MLS Cup victory in 1997 against the Colorado Rapids, in front of a home crowd at RFK Stadium.
The team also experienced early success in CONCACAF competitions, winning both the Champions' Cup and the Interamerican Cup in 1998.
In October 1998, Arena left the team to coach the U.S. men's national team.
Arena's departure marked the beginning of a downturn in the team's fortunes.
While the club again won the MLS Cup in 1999 under coach Thomas Rongen, lackluster results in 2000 and 2001 led to Rongen's departure and his replacement by Ray Hudson in 2002.
The team did not, however, fare much better under Hudson, and Piotr Nowak replaced him before the start of the 2004 season.
The club's first season under Nowak 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, who helped to propel United into the playoffs as the second seed.
There they advanced past the New England Revolution on penalty kicks in what has been called one of the best games in MLS history.
United then defeated the Kansas City Wizards to win their fourth MLS Cup.
United's attendance record at RFK Stadium is 54,282, in a match against the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001.
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.
In 2005, the club again made MLS history by becoming the first United States-based team to participate in Copa Sudamericana, entering in the Round of sixteen.
Since 2006, United has played well against international competition, beating Scottish champions Celtic F.C. and drawing Real Madrid in Seattle.
In addition, the 2006 MLS All-Star Team, which included eight United players and was managed by United's manager Piotr Nowak, defeated English champions Chelsea.
In 2006 and 2007, United became the first club in league history to win the MLS Supporters' Shield consecutively.
Since winning back-to-back Shields in 2006 and 2007, the club failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs five years in a row. During this stretch, United's lone major title came in 2008, when they won the U.S. Open Cup.
In league play during the 2008 and 2009 campaigns, United faltered at the tail-end of each season, ultimately causing them to miss out on the playoffs.
They had a poor 2010 MLS season, winning only six matches, drawing four and losing 20. In 2011, United again failed to qualify for the playoffs in the second to last week of the campaign.
In 2012, United returned to the playoffs for the first time in five years, clinching a berth in the second-to-last week of the season.
D.C. United tallied a total of only 3 wins in the 2013 season, setting a record for fewest wins in league history.
Despite the team's poor showing in league play, D.C. United defeated Real Salt Lake in the U.S. Open Cup final.
This qualified the team to participate in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League.
In 2014, D.C. United executed a historic turnaround by clinching first place in the Eastern Conference, which also earned the team its second consecutive Champions League berth.
Colors and badge
The team's colors and original logo were announced on October 17, 1995 along with those of the other ten original teams during a presentation in New York City.
Black and white are D.C. United's primary colors, though the team's nickname is the "Black-and-Red." Red is used to accent the home jersey while white is the main color of the team's away kit.
The three stripes along the shoulder - in white at home and black on the road – do not represent the three jurisdictions of the Washington Metropolitan Area (Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia); rather, they represent the fact that the team's kits are made by Adidas.
United's shirt sponsor is Reston, Virginia defense company Leidos.
In 2011, the team introduced a predominantly red third kit with black accents to be worn four or more times in the season.
The team has also previously used white away uniforms with red stripes; white and red are the colors of the flag of Washington, D.C., and the stripes are also reminiscent of those used on the flag.
The team's original shield was implemented in 1996 consisting of the team's name, D.C. United, above a black bald eagle facing right on a red field, clawing three soccer balls overlaid on three white stars.
The three stars and balls were intended to represent the region's three jurisdictions.
The bird, associated with the federal government based in Washington, D.C., symbolizes many of the attributes of the team, including speed and power. The logo was redesigned before the 1998 season.
The current design reoriented the eagle facing left, and removed the three stars below it, whose metaphor was retained by three raised wing feathers.
At the center of the eagle is a single gold-colored star and soccer ball, which represents the team's victory in Major League Soccer's inaugural cup in 1996.
The logo can also be adorned with four silver stars above it, representing the MLS Cups the team has won.
On December 10, 2015, D.C. United unveiled an updated logo designed by Peter Horridge, featuring a D.C. flag-inspired design across the eagle, an updated wordmark, and more dynamic wings.
Players