The 2013 DC United Season Is Here!

Another season of Major League Soccer is upon us, now in its eighteenth year, officially making it an “adult” in the on going journey to establish itself among the top tier of American sports and win the hearts and minds of grid iron, hoops, and hardball fans alike.

It’s the earliest ever start to an MLS season and last week’s kickoff marked the beginning of a seven month, 34 game march to hoist the MLS Cup in October. The season will run parallel with what should be an overall exciting year for international soccer. Over the next seven months countries will duke it out in World Cup qualifiers to earn a trip to Brazil in 2014. And this summer Rio de Janeiro, the Mecca of soccer, will host the Confederation’s Cup – the quadrennial dress rehearsal tournament for the World Cup featuring the national champions of each continent, defending world champions Spain, and Brazil as next year’s World Cup host. The start of the MLS season also coincides with the knock-out rounds of the Champion’s League – the high holy grail of club soccer. It’s the annual season-long tournament between the top teams in Europe which always produces mouth-watering fixtures between the best of the best in the world. On the menu this week is, oh, a little match-up between Manchester United and Real Madrid, followed next week by heavy-hitters FC Barcelona and AC Milan.

Photo Credit: Tammy Whiting

MLS may long to rival the caliber of European soccer and, realistically, it perhaps never will. But that doesn’t take away from the long strides that the league has made. MLS typically makes a splash when a big name player (sure, often a year or two past his prime) crosses the pond from overseas to play in the US. However among the many storylines to this season is the departure of notable players who have left for Europe, proving that the league is more and more becoming and incubator for quality talent. The highest profile figure to depart is of course Mr. Posh Spice David Beckham. But other more rank-and-file players have gone on to competitive teams in England, Belgium and elsewhere in Europe.

Unfortunately, for hometown boys DC United Saturday’s season-opener was out with the old and in with the uumm…. old as well. That is, they kicked off this season the same way they ended last year’s – with an away loss to the Houston Dynamo. Losing in Houston has become a near certainty for the Black and Red with the 2-0 defeat marking their tenth straight loss in Space City. The writing wasn’t necessarily on the wall, but the odds were perhaps stacked against them given United’s misfortunes in Houston and the absence of star player and 2011 league MVP Dwayne De Rosario due to suspension. United were led by inspiring performances from goalkeeper Bill Hamid who had a string of stellar saves including a first half penalty kick on Houston’s Brad Davis, and near chances by All-Pro forward Chris Pontius. They were eventually undone by two late game scores – an unfortunate own goal headed in by James Riley and an authoritative strike from a tough angle in the box by Houston’s Ricardo Clark.

Saturday’s loss and De Rosario’s two game suspension indeed make for a less than optimal start to the season. But United fans have much to look forward to. The team enters the season with the same core unit that led them to the Eastern Conference finals last year — ending a five year playoff drought in the process — including rising stars Nick DeLeon and Perry Kitchen who were among the most promising rookies in the league over the past two years. They’ve also bolstered the lineup with key acquisitions in veteran forward Carlos Ruiz and rising star Rafael from Brazil. Expect the Black and Red faithful to be out in full force at RFK on Saturday when United host Real Salt Lake in their home opener.

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