D. C. United is an American football (soccer) team. Based in Washington, DC they play in the Eastern Conference of the MLS. Their official nickname is the "Black-and-Red", the team home kit is largely black.
The team ground is the 56,454-seater RFK 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, which is possibly the largest in the country, is called the Screaming Eagles.
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 to take the MLS Cup and A-League club Rochester 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 from 1998 to 2001, he was replaced by Thomas Rongen. Almost unbeatable throughout the 90's, United slumped from 2000. Two lackluster seasons led to the departure of Rongen and his replacement by Ray Hudson in 2002. In Hudson's first season, the club won the curious Atlantic Cup.
Famous past players for United include the US internationals Roy Lassiter, Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, John Harkes, Tony Sanneh, Ben Olsen, and Carlos Llamosa. Foreign stars included Marco Etcheverry, Raul Diaz Arce and Jaime Moreno. Hristo Stoitchkov is currently playing for the club.
Currently, teenager Bobby Convey is DC's most recognizable international. Convey was almost transfered to the FA Premier league during the 2003 MLS season, but the deal eventually fell through.
On November 18, 2003, D.C. United made sports history by signing Freddy Adu, a prodigy of a football player, at the age of 14. If Adu plays at all for United next season, he will be the youngest player in any professional sport in the United States since 1887.
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