D.C. United has, after significant back-and-forth with Major League Soccer, finalized their two “home” games to be played while construction continues at Buzzard Point. The Black-and-Red will host the Houston Dynamo on March 17th at the Maryland Soccerplex, United’s longtime home for early-round U.S. Open Cup games. On April 14th, D.C. will head east to Annapolis, MD to host the Columbus Crew at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.
The Washington Post’s Steve Goff reported last week that MLS had issues with United’s plans to play at the familiar confines of Maureen Hendricks Field, with Goff’s sources pointing to referee facilities and security at a complex hosting multiple events as the league’s objections. However, the two sides have reached a compromise, with the game’s kickoff time being moved up to 1:30pm as a result.
April’s match against Columbus posed no such issues, with Navy-Marine Corps Stadium meeting league requirements. That game will be played on a turf surface, but given the lack of regional options that were both available and ready to meet MLS criteria, Annapolis seemed like a sure thing throughout the long process of nailing these dates down.
United has never played in Annapolis before. However, their history in Boyds is extensive and colorful. United is 13W-3D-2L playing at the Soccerplex in Open Cup play, having first started using the venue in 2001. In that time, they’ve compiled a +25 goal difference, and Cup games at the Plex have often produced memorable and/or bizarre moments. Most recently, United briefly found themselves behind local amateur club Christos FC before coming back late to win 4-1 in the fourth round of last year’s Open Cup.