Even though we've had a first division league for nearly 14 years and a national team that's on the verge of qualifying for its sixth straight World Cup, soccer still occupies a pretty peripheral spot on the American sports landscape.
For that reason, every bit of good news matters. Even if they're not headline worthy and don't 't get the mainstream sports media and fanbase talking, small steps forward are a sign of bigger steps to come. And this week has included several, giving US soccer supporters reason to be optimistic as crucial qualifiers approach and as the MLS regular season reaches its climax.
The team with 'Tradition' printed on the backs of their jerseys, the one whose marketing campaign for Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup final centered on a collection of trophies unsurpassed in this country, wound up being the side that appeared nervous and out of its depth. The visiting Seattle Sounders attacked D.C. United from the start with confidence and speed and were unlucky not to be ahead by two goals at the half. They sealed their first trophy when Fredy Montero scored in the 67th minute and D.C. goalie Josh Wicks lost his mind, jumped on the Colombian and was ejected.
Seattle's players, staff and ownership celebrated heartily afterward in RFK Stadium's visitors' locker room, spraying champagne and singing their traditional rendition of "Jingle Bells." FanHouse was there and spoke with former U.S. national team goalkeeper and Sounders captain Kasey Keller and minority owner and comedian Drew Carey about winning the Cup and what makes their club different from its competitors in Major League Soccer.
The Avellaneda billboard war began in the spring of 2005. Racing Club, for reasons unknown, paid for a sign toward the end of the bridge that connects central Buenos Aires with the southern "suburb" celebrating its status as "the only team to fill two stadiums on the same day." It was referencing the Thursday four years before when it clinched the Apertura championship at Velez Sarsfield before thousands of its own fans, then returned to celebrate at a packed El Cilindro.
Archrival Independiente quickly responded, proclaiming on its own sign nearby that, "We may fill only one stadium, but we win more than one title every 35 years." Racing soon returned fire, and it was on. I was lucky enough to be in Argentina at the time and was both fascinated and envious, hoping that someday our clubs would be as passionate and hilariously petty as theirs.
That day may be Wednesday, as D.C. United hosts the Seattle Sounders in a U.S. Open Cup final that may be a turning point for both the oft-ignored competition and the way American soccer clubs market themselves.
For a little more than a half, D.C. United was on a level playing field with Real Madrid, whose rich tradition is surpassed only by its financial largesse. In the end, the depth and talent attracted by both (along with fresh legs in 95-degree heat) proved too much for the modest Major League Soccer outfit and the Spanish side triumphed, 3-0, in Sunday's friendly at FedEx Field.
United certainly can be proud of its effort. Its commitment and courage in possession and on the tackle far surpassed that of starstruck Toronto FC, which fell behind by three goals after a half hour in Friday's 5-1 loss. But D.C. is as tradition-rich as they come in MLS and has played these sorts of games before (Madrid in 2006, Chelsea, Boca Juniors, Vasco da Gama, Tottenham Hotspur, etc.).
The smiles on the faces of D.C. United's players late last night at the Estadio Cuscatlan sent a welcome signal, as did coach Tom Soehn's lineup decision.
The club's leadership and marketers, its supporters, the rest of Major League Soccer, and the large number of people throughout this country who claim to like the sport may be too distracted by the vacationing superstars from Europe to care, but at least United's players and coaches seemed to last night. They got a result in a match that actually mattered, overcoming conditions that had proven too much for many predecessors to advance to the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. In so doing, they proved that a select few people in American soccer still have their priorities in order.
I half-jokingly asked D.C. United's veteran midfielder and sage Ben Olsen on Monday afternoon whether he had "Champions League fever." He said "yes", and that he was excited about the buzz created during a summer that so far has featured the U.S. national team's amazing run to the Confederations Cup final and a slew of high-profile exhibitions drawing massive crowds, and which will continue with Wednesday's All-Star Game against Everton.
No, I clarified. The CONCACAF Champions League. The official continental club tournament that United will kick off Tuesday night against El Salvador's L.A. Firpo; the one that offers a shot at international glory and a berth in the Club World Cup.
D.C. United President Kevin Payne said Wednesday that, "We are trying to build the kinds of traditions on and off the field that clubs like Real Madrid have built over decades. I want our fans and players to look at Real Madrid and say 'That's what we aspire to'."
Madrid has a rich history, a global brand and an overflowing trophy cabinet, no doubt. It's also a club that distorts the competitive landscape of European soccer by paying outrageous transfer fees for players developed by other clubs, and one that famously lacks patience with the coaches charged with integrating those players. Since firing Vincente Del Bosque in June 2003 (after two Champions League and two La Liga titles in four years), Madrid has hired nine managers.
Madrid Director of Football Emilio Butragueno joined Payne on a conference call hyping the Aug. 9 friendly between the clubs and defended spending hundreds of millions of euros to bring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka to the Bernabeu.
Before there was any clamor in Seattle, any color in Toronto or any singing from Chicago's Section 8, there were the Screaming Eagles and Barra Brava, the supporters groups who established themselves as Major League Soccer's most devoted, creative and authentic fan base from the very first kick in 1996.
They helped boost D.C. United to four league titles and were a big part of what made the franchise a model for those that followed. Today, incredibly, American soccer's flagship club is in trouble. Politicians in two jurisdictions have reneged on promises to help United build a new stadium, leaving its future in the capital in doubt. "There's no question that [moving] is a possibility. It's not an outcome we desire and it's something we will work very hard to ensure never happens," United President Kevin Payne told FanHouse.
Today, as United (3-1-4) prepares to play Toronto FC (3-2-3) in a battle for first place in the Eastern Conference, its fans will once again attempt to help carry the club through a rough patch -- this time, outside RFK Stadium.
It's no suprise that a club that's dressed in green and white, blue-and-black stripes, and maroon and sky blue, all within 13 years, has had a bit of trouble forging a lasting identity.
The Colorado Rapids have made the playoffs more often than not, play in a beautiful new stadium and have featured players like Carlos Valderrama, Marcelo Balboa and Pablo Mastroeni. Yet they barely resonate on either the American soccer landscape or in Denver, struggling to attract fans (just over 11,000 this season) and media coverage while falling behind several expansion teams in their national Q rating. They have an owner, Stan Kroenke, who's been accused of being more interested in raising his stake in Arsenal than with fielding a winner at home, haven't played a meaningful international match in more than 10 years and count two MLS reserve division titles as their only honors. The Rapids are boring, or even worse, anonymous.
While most of Washington, D.C. cheered when the Washington Nationals moved into town in time for the 2005 Major League Baseball season, I couldn't help but feel a little bit let down. Why? Because with the Nationals moving into town, D.C. United would be forced to share RFK Stadium -- an event that immediately made the 4-time MLS Cup Champ a second class citizen in their own stadium.
In other words, for as long as Major League Baseball would be played at RFK, the needs of Major League Baseball and the Nationals would have to come first -- which meant that a stadium that had become one of the best American venues for Soccer would have to be reconfigured for baseball at least 81 times per year. That meant an outfield wall. It meant a pitchers mound and plenty of dirt for an infield, foul ground and a warning track. Plenty of dirt that would have to be covered with unsatisfying pieces of temporary turf.
But with the Nationals leaving RFK for good at the end of September, RFK is Soccer-only once again, just in time for the MLS Playoffs and the arrival of MLS Cup 2007 at RFK on November 18. Thanks to D.C. United defender Bobby Boswell, we got permission to show you the first photos of the new configuration. My oh my, does that grass look beautiful, just the way the Soccer gods intended. Welcome back.
Even though we've had a first division league for nearly 14 years and a national team that's on the verge of qualifying for its sixth straight World Cup, soccer still occupies a pretty peripheral spot on the American sports landscape.
The team with 'Tradition' printed on the backs of their jerseys, the one whose 
For a little more than a half, 
The smiles on the faces of 
I half-jokingly asked D.C. United's veteran midfielder and sage 
D.C. United
Before there was any clamor in Seattle, any color in Toronto or any singing from Chicago's Section 8, there were the Screaming Eagles and Barra Brava, the supporters groups who established themselves as Major League Soccer's most devoted, creative and authentic fan base from the very first kick in 1996.
It's no suprise that a club that's dressed in green and white, blue-and-black stripes, and maroon and sky blue, all within 13 years, has had a bit of trouble forging a lasting identity.
