Sports Park: D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls @ RFK Stadium, 5/13/16

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged D.C. United, MLS, New York Red Bulls, RFK Stadium, soccer, Star Wars Day.

Season Record: 2-4-4 (10 points)

Your D.C. United were not inspired last Sunday, dropping a 2-0 game to NYC FC. Maybe they were too busy planning out gifts to give to their mothers.

The next home game is this Friday, May 13th, against the New York Red Bulls (the worst nickname in sports). The Red Bulls and United are tied for the 6th place spot in the Eastern Conference, so something has to give. Actually, I predict a draw.

In addition to soccer, this will be Star Wars night. Dress up! Get the force with you!

Buy your tickets here.

Audacious Assertion: Draw: United 1, Red Bulls 1

(My picks so far: 1-1)

Or find a future game from the season schedule.

MLS: New York Red Bulls at D.C. United
RFK Stadium
Friday, May 13, 2016
7:00pm
$20-55
All ages

Sports Park: D.C. United vs. New York City FC @ RFK Stadium, 5/8/16

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged D.C. United, MLS, New York City FC, RFK Stadium, soccer.

Season Record: 2-4-3 (10 points)

After a win against New England at home and a draw on the road against Chicago, your D.C. United have moved up to 5th place.

They next play New York City FC this Sunday. Both squads are tied with the exact same record.

Fabian Espindola and Álvaro Saborio lead the team with three goals each. I predict they both net a goal this Sunday!

D.C. United are riding high, so they should have no problem taking down New York.

Get your tickets here. Get them now!

Audacious Assertion: United 3, NYC FC 1

(My picks so far: 1-0)

Or find a future game from the season schedule.

MLS: New York City FC at D.C. United
RFK Stadium
Sunday, May 8, 2016
7:30pm
$20-55
All ages

Sports Park: DC United vs. New England Revolution @ RFK Stadium, 4/23/16

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged D.C. United, MLS, MLS Expansion, New England Revolution, Rant, RFK Stadium, soccer.

Season Record: 1-3-3 (6 points)

Your DC United couldn’t net a goal last Saturday after Toronto punched in a goal in the first minute of the match, so they fell 1-0 and remain at 6 points on the season. This was the third time they’ve failed to score in 2016. Despite the loss, the United are 12-8-4 against the Canadians all-time.

This Saturday, April 23rd, they host their third straight home game, this time against the New England Revolution. The Revs are 5th overall in the Eastern Conference at a mere 8 points, after going undefeated over their last four games. A victory by the United would vault them ahead in the table.

The Revolution will be looking for a bit of revenge in this game, since DC United bested them in the knockout round of last year’s playoffs, 2-1.

Get your tickets here.

Or find a future game from the season schedule.

Audacious Assertion: United 2, Revolution 0

Editor’s Rant: The MLS is expanding to 24 teams by 2018 and 28 teams by 2020. Fine, the sport is taking off and many cities love their team (Seattle, anyone?). In the next few years, we’ll get teams like Los Angeles FC, Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC. Let me repeat the last two. Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC. That’s absolutely terrible. Two more teams with the name United?!? Is there no such thing as originality? Did DC United not protest loud enough? Bah.

MLS: New England Revolution at DC United
RFK Stadium
Saturday, April 23, 2016
5:30pm
$20-55
All ages

Sports Park: DC United vs. Toronto FC @ RFK Stadium, 4/16/16

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Canada, D.C. United, MLS, RFK Stadium, soccer, Toronto FC.

Season Record: 1-2-3 (6 points)

Your DC United put a hearty four goals to nil beat-down of the unmighty Vancouver Whitecaps this past Saturday.

It’s only one game, but you can’t help but feel just a whole lot better about the United getting their first win in impressive fashion.

Fabián Espíndola was named the MLS Player of the Week with two of the goals, while Álvaro Saborío also punched in the other two goals.

Now your DC United take on another of Canada’s finest this Saturday, 4/16. They face Toronto FC, who sit a mere single point behind the United in the standings.

Time to start climbing higher.

Get your tickets here.

Or find a future game from the season schedule.

MLS: Toronto FC at DC United
RFK Stadium
Saturday, April 16, 2016
5:00pm
$20-55
All ages

Sports Park: DC United vs. Vancouver Whitecaps @ RFK Stadium, 4/9/16

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Canada, D.C. United, MLS, RFK Stadium, soccer, Vancouver Whitecaps.

Season Record: 0-2-3 (3 points)

Well, well. Not a prodigious start for DC United. Five games into the 2016 season, and they have zero wins. In 2015 they started strong, with a 3-1-1 (10 points) record after the first five games.

This Saturday they play the Vancouver Whitecaps, who are no slouches, and need a result to start to turn the tide. Vancouver finished in 2nd place in the Western Conference last year and are in 6th place this season with 7 points.

The only offensive bright spot for the United so far is Lamar Neagle’s one goal and one assist. They only have three goals total.

This upcoming game also comes amid some controversy with the supporter groups (DC United recently banned a fan for a year for using smoke during the March 26th game.)

It’s not time to panic, but it is time to rise up and really play some football (or soccer).

Get your tickets here.

See the full season schedule.

MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps at DC United
RFK Stadium
Saturday, April 9, 2016
5:30pm
$20-55
All ages

Sports Park: DC United Home Opener @ RFK Stadium, 3/20/16

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Brazil, Buzzard Point, D.C. United, logo, Marcelo, MLS, RFK Stadium, soccer.

Your DC United return to DC for their first home game of the season this Sunday, March 20th.

They’ve got off to a slow start, losing one and drawing one on the road.

The first thing to note about this season, the team has a new logo (as seen above).

I’ll be the first to admit that their first logo has been among the best in the league…so a change didn’t really seem necessary. I wasn’t excited about it.

But after viewing this updated badge over the last few weeks, it is actually pretty cool. And maybe even better…? You can decide. I do like that there is more focus on the black over the red. The team name font is cleaner and the eagle bursting forth from the badge is a nice touch.

The second thing to note is the new players. For example, we have Marcelo Sarvas (of Brazil) transferring over, after missing a good chunk of last year’s MLS season. At age 34, his best days are likely behind him, but the trend of great players switching to the MLS when they might otherwise retire, is good thing to bolster attention to the league.

Finally, the quest for DC United to take up new residence at Buzzard Point is taking shape. And I love the name of the area. I hope they keep it in the stadium name like clubs in the UK often do. Stamford Bridge or White Hart Lane. Very cool. Check out the latest renderings here.

Let’s kick off the season. Home Game 1 of 17 starts on Sunday! Get your tickets here.

If you can’t make it this weekend, have a peek at the season schedule here and choose a few. How about we go to the match-up with the Sounders on June 1st?

MLS: Colorado Rapids at DC United
RFK Stadium
Sunday, March 20, 2016
5:00pm
$20-55
All ages

Sports Park: DC United @ CONCACAF Champions League, 3/1/16

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Club Queretaro, D.C. United, Mexico, MLS, RFK Stadium, soccer, U.S..

The U.S. Doesn’t Produce Champions and Other Soccer Statements

Clubs from Mexico have dominated the CONCACAF Champions League. (Note: CONCACAF stands for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.)

In fact, no other country has won this 24 soccer club competition since they changed the format in 2008 (to emulate the far more popular and successful European version known as the UEFA Champions League).

This particular competition suffers from a lack of true interest north of Mexico. Few in the U.S. follow and fewer still can be roused enough to cheer their Major League Soccer (MLS) team on to victory.

Eight teams remain in the 2015-2016 edition. Four U.S. clubs vs. four Mexican clubs. The team with the highest aggregate score over two games (home/away) advances to the next round.

Your DC United just happens to be one of the remaining U.S. clubs!

They play the second leg of the Quarterfinals tonight, March 1st, at RFK Stadium against the Mexican side, Club Queretaro. So rouse yourself and get your tickets now!

DC United lost 2-0 on the road to Queretaro last week, so they have their work cut out for them. But you already knew that. Let’s see if the U.S. has what it takes.

CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals: DC United (USA) vs. Club Queretaro (Mexico)
RFK Stadium
Tuesday, March 1
8:00pm
$20-55
All ages

Don’t Miss: DC United Playoff Game @ RFK Stadium, 10/28/15

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged D.C. United, MLS, New England Revolution, RFK Stadium, soccer.

Playoffs? Yes, the playoffs!

DC United had an up and down year. They were riding high as the #1 team for much of the first half of the season, only to fall back to Earth for the second half.

They finished with 51 points (15-6-13), good enough for the #4 Seed.

We won’t know exactly which team will show up on Wednesday, October 28th, as they begin their playoff run against the New England Revolution.

This is a one and done, so the losing team starts vacation immediately!

Thankfully, it is a home game, where the Screaming Eagles, La Barra Brava and other supporter clubs can cheer them on to victory. Let’s do this!

Tickets are still available here.

MLS Cup Eastern Conference Knockout Round: New England Revolution @ DC United
RFK Stadium
Wednesday, October 28
7:00pm
$25-60

Don’t Miss: DC United’s Season Opener @ RFK Stadium, 3/7/15

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged D.C. United, MLS, Montreal Impact, RFK Stadium, soccer.

Time for a new ball and a new season

The beauty of the beautiful game (soccer, as if you didn’t know), is no matter the conditions, you can still play.

Snow, sleet, rain and mud, freezing cold, even sun, it is all good when it comes to kicking the ball around the pitch. As a kid, I played in all these conditions. Snow is the most fun, because it makes the game even harder.

So don’t let DC’s winter get you down, you can catch DC United’s season opener against the Montreal Impact this Saturday, March 7, at 3pm at RFK Stadium.

The weather should even be nice (comparatively), up to the mid-forties. Wear your scarves.

DC United enters the 2015 campaign with something to prove. They excelled in 2014 during the regular season, finishing with the third most points (59), but then fizzled badly versus the New York Red Bulls in the playoffs. Brutal.

Major League Soccer made a few changes for this season, expanding the league to 20 teams. Most notably they contracted Chivas USA (gone!) and added two new teams, Orlando City FC and New York City FC.

Get your tickets and get on the United bandwagon now.

DC United MLS Season Opener vs. Montreal Impact
RFK Stadium
March 7, 2015
3pm
$35 and up