Thanks to heroics by goalkeeper Bill Hamid and a gorgeous stoppage-time free kick by Luis Silva in his 2015 debut, D.C. United (3-1-0, 9 points) is back on top of the Eastern Conference. It’s the best start since 2006 for the Black-and-Red, the fifth time in club history that the team has opened a season with at least three victories in the first four matches.
Here’s look back at the other four campaigns as D.C. United begins its preparation for another highly-anticipated clash with the New York Red Bulls (Saturday, 7 p.m., Comcast SportsNet):
1997 (4-0)
Riding the momentum of capturing the inaugural MLS Cup title in 1996, United opened the league’s second season with a shootout victory over Los Angeles tie in a championship match rematch. The Black-and-Red toppled the MetroStars twice and got four goals from Raul Diaz Arce in a 5-2 romp over Colorado before suffering a shootout loss to San Jose for the first defeat of the year.
Season result: MLS Cup champions
1998 (3-1)
Six different players accounted for the Black-and-Red’s first eight goals of the year, including three from Roy Wegerle. United opened the year with three wins in a row (at Miami, vs. Kansas City, vs. New England) before dropping a 2-1 decision at Columbus, then improved to 4-1 with a 2-0 shootout victory over Colorado following a wild 3-3 draw at RFK Stadium.
Season result: MLS Cup runner-up
1999 (3-1)
The Black-and-Red went on the road for the first three games of the season (Tampa Bay, New York/New Jersey, New England) and came away victorious in each one, starting with a 5-2 win at Tampa Bay. Roy Lassiter piled up four goals in the trio of wins before United fell, 2-1, to San Jose in its home opener – the first of three straight defeats before rolling the rest of the way to the MLS Cup title.
Season result: MLS Cup champions
2006 (3-0-1)
United came back from down 2-0 to tie New York in the opener at home before winning three in a row (vs. Chivas USA, vs. Houston, at New York). Alecko Eskandarian provided an indelible moment of Atlantic Cup history with his Red Bull spit-take in the Black-and-Red’s 4-1 triumph at Giants Stadium. D.C. United drew with Dallas to stay unbeaten (3-0-2) through five games before the team’s first loss of the year, a 2-1 defeat at Colorado.
Season result: Eastern Conference finalist
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