This article documents the history of D.C. United, an American soccer club based in Washington, D.C. For a general overview of the club, see D.C. United.
The club's roots trace back to FIFA awarding its quadrennial tournament, the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 1989, specifically for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. As part of receiving the hosting rights, the United States Soccer Federation had promised FIFA it would have a fully-professional first division soccer league sanctioned by the end of the century. In December 1993, Major League Soccer was founded with the anticipated goal of beginning play in 1996. In June 1994, Washington, D.C. was selected as one of the eight original cities to host an MLS franchise, and the first franchise to be announced by MLS. The club's name, colors, and logo were announced in New York City in October 1995. It was also announced that United would begin play at RFK Stadium located in the city's seventh ward near the Eastland Gardens neighborhood and D.C. Armory. The stadium would remain the club's home venue until moving to their current home, the soccer-specific, Audi Field in 2018.
The club hired played its first match in April 1996 against the then-called San Jose Clash. They would proceed to win three of the first MLS Cup championships. Additionally, during this period from 1996 until 1999, the club would win the Supporters Shield (league regular season champion) twice, the U.S. Open Cup (domestic knockout cup) once, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (continental championship) once, and the now-defunct Copa Interamericana (intercontinental championship) once. For this run of success the club was often regarded as the league's "flagship franchise" early on and was seen The late 199 were seen as a dynasty era for United.
D.C. United was the first franchise awarded by MLS, and was the dominant team in MLS during the league's first few years of existence. For those reasons, United is often regarded as MLS's "flagship franchise". As of 2013, the club has won four regular season and league championships, more than any other sports franchise in the Washington area. The team has also won three U.S. Open Cup titles and a CONCACAF title.
History of professional soccer in Washington, D.C.
The Washington Diplomats played in the North American Soccer League and American Soccer League from 1974 until 1991, and won one title, the ASL Championship in 1988. For a majority of the franchise's season, the Diplomats played at RFK Stadium, but some of their matches were played at W.T. Woodson High School in nearby Fairfax, Virginia.
Early years (1995–1999)
Introduction
Prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation fulfilled promises to FIFA by aiding in the foundation of a new professional soccer league. On June 15, 1994, Major League Soccer selected Washington, D.C. out of twenty-two applicants to host one of the first seven franchises, with three more to be added before the league's launch. Once an MLS franchise was awarded to Washington, new management had to name it. In keeping with sports naming conventions in the United States, the earliest efforts entailed the area's name followed by a mascot. Some ideas included the "Spies", "Americans" and "Eagles". Eventually, however, the new team's operators decided simply to name the team "D.C. United". The name "United" alluded to well-known European club names such as Leeds and Manchester United, and reflected the team's location in the capital of the United States.
The team's colors and original logo, along with those of the other ten original teams, were announced on October 17, 1995, 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. Three stripes along the shoulder, in white at home and black on the road (and originally on the front of the shirt itself), do not represent the three jurisdictions of the Washington Metropolitan Area Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, but reflect that the team's kits are made by Adidas. The team's shirt sponsor is 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. Goalkeepers usually distinguish themselves with a red or green colored shirt.