When D.C. United return to action against Sporting Kansas City this Saturday, March 4, it won’t be just another home opener—it will be the Black-and-Red’s 22nd and final home opener at RFK Stadium. While United want to kick off the 2017 season with a win and push toward another Audi MLS Cup Playoff appearance, the final home opener will also serve as a reminiscent reminder of great RFK openers of the past.
United have enjoyed 21-years worth of home openers at RFK, earning a solid record of 9-6-6 since their first in 1996. D.C. hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy in their inaugural home opener, and although the Black-and-Red were unable to pull out a win, more than 35,000 fans came out to RFK to support D.C.’s newest team and witness Raúl Díaz Arce score the club’s first-ever goal.
The Black-and-Red treated fans to their first home-opener win while hosting the MetroStars in 1997. Just as the match seemed like it was going to end in a 1-1 draw, United’s Jaime Moreno played hero for D.C. and scored an epic goal in the 89th minute to earn United the win and push the Black-and-Red to 2-0 on the season. The opening win launched United toward their second consecutive MLS Cup.
Late-game heroics have been a regular feature in D.C. United home openers. When United hosted the Kansas City Wizards in their first match of 2001, D.C. found themselves in a 2-1 deficit heading into halftime. The Black-and-Red surged in the second half, though, tying the game at 2-2 with a converted Díaz Arce penalty kick in the 65th minute and stealing a 3-2 victory from Kansas City with a Mark Lisi goal in the 88th minute.
United’s most dominant home-opener victory came in 2008 against Toronto FC. The Black-and-Red overpowered Toronto the entire match and treated fans to a scoring clinic thanks to goals from Luciano Emilio, Santino Quaranta, Marcelo Gallardo, and Jaime Moreno. D.C. won the opener by a final score of 4-1.
It’s appropriate that United will take on Kansas City in their final RFK home opener, as Kansas City have been a familiar foe in D.C. home openers. The Black-and-Red have faced Kansas City four times in RFK openers, beating the Wizards in 1998 and 2001, falling in 2007 and falling to re-branded Sporting Kansas City in 2012.
Since 1996, RFK Stadium has served as the backdrop to 30 home-opener goals for D.C. United. Legends Jaime Moreno, Ben Olsen, John Harkes, Nick Rimando, Luciano Emilio, and others have kicked off championship seasons in RFK. A total of 433,775 fans have descended on RFK to cheer on the Black-and-Red in their first home matches of the season. This Saturday, United will look to treat fans to one final home-opener win in RFK, kicking off what should be a successful farewell season for the historic stadium.
