Saturday was a special day. It was something of a relaunch for the entire franchise, symbolized by the opening of Audi Field. Many things about it went well, many things were not quite ready, or need to be ironed out. Many of the fans in the stands were new, drawn by the lure of the new stadium, by Wayne Rooney, or simply by not-RFK.
And many of the integral parts of United's past were not in attendance. Some would say by choice, some would say by the exclusionary actions of the front office.
I woke up in the morning, feeling kind of bummed. Hanging out on Twitter didn't help the mood. I picked out my attire, first selecting my "I Miss RFK" shirt, but then realizing that this wasn't about dwelling in the past, I put on my "Stadium For All" shirt. I got that when I testified in front of the DC Council as to the benefits of a new stadium. I was the second fan to testify that day, after one Adam Taylor. Members of every supporters group had put in a lot of effort over the years to make this day happen.
I drove to the Greenbelt Metro station, and I immediately noticed a few other United fans. One of them gave me a "D! C! U-NI-TED!" clap. I told him that I was actually heading down to the protest. He said, "That's fair." And I told him that I really did enjoy seeing all the United gear. As the train made its way downtown, I saw more and more fans in United jerseys getting on. This was a new phenomenon for me. I think one of the benefits of no parking at the stadium is going to be United fans taking over the Green Line.
I got off at Eastern Market, walked over a "No Wayne, No Gain" graffiti, and headed to Finn McCool's. Members of the Barra Brava and the District Ultras were gathering there. We talked about where things stood, how they'd gotten there. I've attended many meetings, and talked directly to the leadership of the Eagles and the Ultras since the partnership was announced exactly five months previously. Now I was finally hearing things from the Barra side of things. There seemed to be a consistency all around with the things I've heard and how I've seen them play out. Still, the sadness that I'd felt earlier in the day started to dissipate as I found myself in the presence of friends. The weather was wonderful, and a Pavlovian reaction was kicking in as kickoff approached.
A shuttle pulled up to take us over to our rally point, Canal Park. We got off, and started to drum and sing... before being told that this was private property and that we couldn't be there. Talk about a theme for the day! So we shifted over to the sidewalk, and did our bit there. I was trying to go as hard as I could, and the drums were making it easy. I was bouncing, singing, waving my Brickbats scarf overhead. This was what I knew. This was what I loved.
Then we started the march. I estimated that there were 200 of us (though some other accounts put it at 100). All I know is that there seemed like a whole lot of us as we made our way through Navy Yard. We grabbed attention. From the residents of the neighborhood to the people there to check out the All-Star Game festivities, to even the workers in the Five Guys, people were responding to what we were doing. They saw the flags, the banners, heard the drums, the singing, and felt the passion. Some bopped along and sang with us, and many of them recorded us on their phones.
We went through the whole repertoire of chants, but there were a few that were especially meaningful to me.
"This one's for you, DC United
We all love you more than you will know
We will stand and we'll sing for you
Cuz there is no place we'd rather be
Than in DC"
and
"Oh, DCU
We stand by you
Your loyal crew
So tried and true"
We feel that we've been screwed over by the front office, but the loyalty to the team is still solid. That's why we're there. That's why this hurts. But there was one other song that meant even more.
"Vamos! Vamos United!
Esta noche, tenemos que ganar!"
To me, that song is the true soul of the club. A lot of other teams use it, but we're really the only ones that have adopted "Vamos United" as a rallying cry and true ethos. "Tonight we have to win," is what the club is all about. Winning trophies and serving the community. It's also not an accident that it's in Spanish. I felt different singing that song then I did any other. It lifted me to a higher plane. It touched deep inside. People want to know what the big deal is, why the clubs are making a big deal over tickets. To me, it's about keeping the club's soul intact. We had 22 years in RFK, a stadium that was already old and steeped in soul before United even got there. Audi Field hasn't grown a soul yet, but the team had a soul that it could have easily transplanted. Instead, it's attempting to grow a new one from scratch.
We got to the stadium, and chanted and sang and drummed and waved flags to show what we could be bringing inside. I didn't get a good sense of how it was being received by the other fans, although it did seem like some of the people on the east side were checking us out. We were able to hear the in-stadium hype man telling the crowd to make some noise, followed by the sound of no noise being made. Whatever the benefits of having the Barra and Ultras in the stadium might be, or if they are in fact whiners and are welcome to keep pitching their hissy fit, I think we can agree that one of the best parts of playing in RFK was the lack of any in-stadium prompts. Whatever atmosphere was there was provided by the fans. I loved that! The Caps games that I've been to have been fun, but they hammer you over the head with that kind of hype. It becomes a turn off after awhile.
Anyway, that was my day. We walked back to our shuttle, and a few fans wished us good luck in getting things settled. We passed Conor Shanosky and Jared Jeffrey on the way. Finally, we got back to Finn's, and I watched the game there. I could tell that it was a fun time, getting moreso as the game progressed. It reminded me of the home opener in 2011 against the Columbus Crew. We won that one 3-1 also, welcomed in a celebrated new striker, and got a brace from a player that had flirted with the USMNT. It was one of the favorite games that I've been to. So I could guess what it was like inside. I'm hopeful for the day when all of the groups will be treated equitably, ideally under the blanket of an Independent Supporters Council. I'm eager to see the soul grow at Buzzard Point, and to be a part of it. But the front office needs to show its support for everyone too. I'm not just talking Barra and the Ultras either. They've been going hard after the more well-to-do fans, but there's more to being a successful club than just clearing profit. The owners have sunk a lot of money into this, between rent at RFK, building the new stadium, signing Rooney, and are clearly entitled to start making some money for once. But it doesn't have to come at the expense of people who have helped them get to this place, or the neighbors they now have in Buzzard Point.
I've seen a lot of fatigue, and people who are tired of negativity. Perhaps that's about the perception of supporters groups wanting special treatment, or that everyone is just interested in shit-talking the stadium. It probably applies to me, too. I can feel that I've become more toxic towards the club, but I still love it. I've gone to the "home" games, the Open Cup games, and even went on my own to the Draft, when the team didn't run a bus (and neither did the supporters groups). It stung to miss out on being there for the first game in the new stadium. But it felt important - it felt right - to be on the outside. I wanted to share this so the folks that didn't march could see what went on, and to give at least my own reasoning for taking part in it. I don't want to be automatically negative. If I'm negative, I want it to be for a reason. And I'm looking forward to being a lot more positive in the future.
