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Several hours before the inauguration of the Audi Field last Saturday, manager Ben Olsen walks alone "
See his team in a new house had to look a little surreal for Olsen, who is with DCU as a player and coach since 1998.
Olsen was in the front row as DC United. flourished in the early days of MLS, then stagnated while the club was struggling for relevance during a long and fruitless search for a new stadium
"I wanted to look around me because I knew I was not going to be able to appreciate the moment, "Olsen said.
On Saturday night, DCUnited finally fell in love with what he so desperately needed.
It took the form of a brand new stadium, a 3-1 win over Vancouver, a start for a world-renowned player. star who seemed to still have a lot in the tank, and the feeling that better days are yet to come.
After more than two decades of calls at the stadium at RFK Stadium, D.C. United has finally got its own football stadium.
With his team late by three goals late in the game, Olsen admitted that he was wandering his mind, thinking "how long the club has gone through this fight to get this building."
United has been trying to leave RFK for more than a decade before Audi Field becomes a reality. The proposals came and went. Years passed, and the team was still playing in the cavernous and squeaky RFK Stadium, built in 1961.
"We never thought it was going to be built," Olsen said.
But finally, it was built. And with the new stadium came a new unprecedented investment in the product on the ground.
Saturday saw the debut of Wayne Rooney, by far the most expensive and best known player in the history of the club.
Many have mocked the signature of the 32-year-old man, claiming that the legend of England was almost exhausted. But in 32 minutes, Rooney looked like nothing …
Rooney was dynamic, well combined with his teammates, and got his first help in MLS with a layoff in the 80th minute of Paul Arriola, who scored twice.
"I thought we were playing fantastic football," Rooney said. "It was a big win, it was a great night for the club, we are all thrilled."
Although the result on the ground could not have been much better, the night did not completely disappear without a hitch.
There were reports of several sections of falling railings. One coin even struck an employee of the team at D.C. United, who was treated for injuries on the scene.
A continuous quarrel between DC United and two fan groups meant that dozens of diehard fans were not participating in the match in protest.
The atmosphere suffered and was relatively tame compared to the RFK stadium, which is booming.
With the introduction of Rooney and two goals in the semifinal of Arriola, the stadium finally awoke.
"They got there," said Olsen about the crowd at Audi Field. "The energy has arrived, it took a few goals for the building to rock."
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United hopes the trend will continue while the last place will attempt to win fourteen of his remaining 19 home games MLS
Whatever happens, the club has another moment to add to its illustrious story, and the promise of more to come in the future.
"It's one of the big parties in the history of D.C. United, and we've had some good ones," Olsen said.
