D.C. United Tryouts
DC United is an American professional soccer franchise based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference.
DC United Youth Development System
D.C. United Camp Programs
As of this page update, the Camps Program website on D.C. United official website is currently unresponsive. If you would like to continue to check back later, the link to the Camp Programs can be found by clicking here.
D.C. United Development Training Programs
D.C. United’s Development Academy Training Program is a tryout-based program that provides competitive soccer players (ages 8 – 13) the opportunity to train in a professional academy environment. Led by D.C. United’s Academy Staff, the USSDA Training Program provides each player a view of the Academy’s training methodology, as well as player development curriculum. Through the USSDA Training Program all players will be assessed by the Academy staff with the purpose of identifying top talent for the D.C. United Academy.
The Development Academy Training Program provides a highly competitive environment to enhance individual player development. Activities are tailored to challenge players in the following areas: technical actions with the ball, athletic movements with and without the ball, decision-making processes with and without the ball, awareness and brain processing with and without the ball, etc. All sessions also include games/live play for players to work on topics and demonstrate their abilities in a match setting.
Topics include:
- Individual Dribbling – Ability to Beat Opponents 1v1: Technical + Physical Speed
- Passing and Receiving – Combination Play / Creating Numerical Superiority
- Ball Striking – Finishing On Goal: Get Unmarked
- Individual Defending – 1v1 Defending: Positioning (relationship between the ball/goal)
The D.C. United Academy will host two open tryouts for the Spring semester. From the tryouts, the Academy staff will invite players to participate in the Spring semester of the program.
To view further dates and registration links, please click here.
D.C. United Talent Center
D.C. United’s Development Academy Talent Centers act as a primary player-identification and assessment opportunities for local talent interested in joining D.C. United or one of the Development Academy Partner Clubs, Arlington Soccer and/or Loudoun Soccer. The Centers will host players between the ages of ten and fourteen and be held throughout the year.
To sign up for the Talent Center or to learn more, please click here.
D.C. United Recruitment
Currently, D.C. United are in the process of building a U15 team for the upcoming 2021-22 season. Accordingly, they are focusing our player recruitment efforts within the DMV for players born in the years of 2007 & 2008.
If you feel you have a birth year 2007 or 2008 player who should be considered and evaluated by their scouting team, please submit a direct inquiry to Gus Teren at [email protected] to coordinate a scout’s attendance at your next match.
Scouting
D.C. United Academy utilizes both coaches and scouts to identify prospective players. Individuals identified through scouting will be offered an opportunity to participate in a scheduled player trial or included within the appropriate age group team training.
Strict policies govern the scouting process and the manner in which scouts or members of the Academy Technical Staff conduct themselves. Direct contact with players is not permitted during the course of the season and on-field contact between a scout and player is prohibited. Academy scouts are required to report any player identified to the D.C. United Academy Technical Director and the Chief Scout.
DC United Recruitment Trials
Player Scouting Application
Players interested in being considered for the D.C. United Academy and who would like to coordinate one of the academy scout’s attendance at your next match, please submit the Player Questionnaire. Upon review of your questionnaire, they will contact you and your family to discuss the potential options for evaluation, see below. Please note, all players may not receive a response due to a high volume of interest in the D.C. United Academy.
- Scout player in match
- Extended trial with DCU academy team
- Participate in Talent ID Sessions / tryouts
For any inquires or further information regarding potential trial / player ID opportunities within the D.C. United academy please click here to visit DC United’s official academy web page.
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DC United Overview
D.C. United is a professional American soccer team situated in the nation’s capital. Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of professional American soccer, has the team as a member of the Eastern Conference. After ten teams were established in 1996, the New York Yankees were one of them. Bruce Arena, the team’s former head coach, led them to eight of their first thirteen MLS championships between 1996 and 1998. Three U.S. Open Cup titles and four Supporters’ Shield titles make United one of the most successful MLS teams ever.
Additionally, it is the first team to win both the MLS Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup in the same season. D.C. United has competed in the CONCACAF Champions League and the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup on the international level. A CONCACAF champion in 1998, the team is one of only two in MLS history to achieve this feat. In 1998, United beat Vasco da Gama of Brazil to win the now-defunct Copa Interamericana. An MLS team has never won an international championship. The District of Columbia owned the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which served as the team’s home field from 1996 until 2017.
During the summer of 2018, the team relocated to the 20,000-seat Audi Field at Buzzard Point, just a few streets from Nationals Park. D.C. United Holdings is the group that owns the team. Chad Ashton, a former assistant coach, has been named interim head coach of the team. Jaime Moreno, Marco Etcheverry, and Eddie Pope have all had notable careers with the team and are three of its most decorated players. Four different fan groups support D.C. United. Home uniforms are black and white with red highlights for the “Black-and-Red” club. ‘United’ is a prevalent prefix in soccer team names in the UK and worldwide, and this is a play on that.
DC United History
The United States Soccer Federation fulfilled its pledge to FIFA prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup by helping to establish a new professional league. One of the first seven clubs in Major League Soccer was picked to play in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 1994, from a pool of twenty-two candidates. As a nod to European teams like Manchester United and Leeds United, the team’s name was picked. D.C. United took on the San Jose Clash in the opening game of the league on April 6, 1996, at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California.
D.C. was the most successful team in MLS in its early years. First MLS Cup victory over Los Angeles Galaxy and 1996 U.S. Open Cup victory over Rochester Raging Rhinos in their first year under head coach Bruce Arena was a historic moment in contemporary U.S. soccer history. In 1997, in front of a home crowd at RFK Stadium, D.C. replicated its MLS Cup victory over the Colorado Rapids. Additionally, in 1998, the team won the Champions’ Cup and the Interamerican Cup in CONCACAF competitions, respectively.
Arena left D.C. United in October 1998 to take over as head coach of the United States men’s national team. The loss of Arena ushered in a new era of struggle for the team. Thomas Rongen led the team to victory in the MLS Cup in 1999, but poor results in 2000 and 2001 led to his departure and the appointment of Ray Hudson in 2002. Hudson’s tenure was short-lived, and Piotr Nowak took over as coach before the 2004 season began. At the beginning of Nowak’s first season, injuries plagued the team and some players voiced displeasure with the coach. Christian Gómez, a late-season acquisition from Argentina, helped propel United into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, despite a disappointing season. In a game that has been referred regarded as one of the greatest in MLS history, the New York Cosmos beat the New England Revolution on penalties. United then defeated the Kansas City Wizards to capture their fourth MLS Cup.
In a game against the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001, United drew 54,282 fans to RFK Stadium, setting a new attendance record. A 14-year-old soccer prodigy named Freddy Adu was signed by MLS on November 18, 2003, and on January 16, 2004, he was chosen by Manchester United with the first overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. On April 3, 2004, Adu became the youngest professional sports player in the United States since 1887 when he came on as a second-half replacement in United’s regular season opener. Adu and goalkeeper Nick Rimando were traded to Real Salt Lake on December 11th, 2006, in return for a significant allocation, goalkeeper Jay Nolly, and future considerations by D.C. United.
The club made MLS history again in 2005 when it became the first American team to compete in the Copa Sudamericana, reaching the Round of 16. With Celtic F.C. and Real Madrid in Seattle in 2006, Manchester United has performed well against international opposition. In addition, United’s manager Piotr Nowak led the 2006 MLS All-Star Team to a victory over English champions Chelsea, which included eight United players. United became the first team in MLS history to win the Supporters’ Shield two years in a row in 2006 and 2007. Following back-to-back Shields in 2006 and 2007, MLS Cup Playoff qualification has been impossible for the team for the past six seasons. United won the U.S. Open Cup in 2008, their only major trophy during this time period.
United’s failure to make the playoffs in the 2008 and 2009 seasons was a result of poor play at the close of each season. Only six wins, four draws, and 20 losses were recorded in the 2010 MLS season for them. In the second-to-last week of the 2011 season, United once again failed to make the playoffs. After missing out on the playoffs five times, Manchester United made a comeback in 2012, winning a spot in the second-to-last week of the regular season. In 2013, D.C. United won just three games, a historic low in the National Football League. In the U.S. Open Cup final, D.C. United overcame Real Salt Lake despite their terrible league performance. The team qualified for the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League as a result. In 2014, Washington, D.C. Man Utd’s epic comeback earned them a place in the Champions League, their second successive appearance in Europe’s elite competition.
2015 MLS postseason qualification for D.C. United occurred. D.C. United beat the New England Revolution in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the New York Red Bulls in the second round, ending their run. D.C. United’s new logo was unveiled in December of last year. This year, D.C. United qualified for the MLS playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round by the Montreal Impact. D.C. United finished last in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs last year. The 2017 season was D.C. United’s final season at RFK.
Colors and Badge
On October 17, 1995, a presentation in New York City introduced the team’s colors and original logo, along with those of the other ten original teams. D.C. United’s primary colors are black and white, despite the nickname “Black-and-Red.” The team’s home jersey features red accents, while the road outfit is predominantly white. The white and black shoulder stripes don’t signify the three states that make up the Washington Metropolitan Area (Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia), but rather the fact that Adidas makes the team’s uniforms. This year’s shirt sponsor is Leidos, a defense contractor in Reston, Virginia. The team’s third jersey, which is mostly red with black elements, was adopted in 2011 and is worn four or more times during the season. Washington, D.C.’s flag colors are white and red, and the stripes on the team’s white road uniforms are likewise reminiscent of those on the flag.
It was in 1996 when the team’s first shield, which featured a black bald eagle clawing three soccer balls placed on three white stars, was introduced. The region’s three jurisdictions were represented by the three stars and balls. Many of the team’s characteristics, such as speed and power, are represented by the bird, which is connected with the federal government and based in Washington, D.C. In advance of the 1998 season, the logo was updated. The eagle was shifted to the left, and the three stars below it were replaced by three raised wing feathers, which kept the eagle’s symbolism. A single gold-colored star and soccer ball adorn the eagle’s head, commemorating the team’s 1996 championship win in Major League Soccer’s inaugural cup. With four silver stars above the team’s name, the logo can signify the MLS Cups they’ve won. D.C. United debuted a new logo on December 10th, 2015, designed by Peter Horridge, which has an eagle with a D.C. flag-inspired design across it, a revised wordmark, and more dynamic wings.
DC United Stadium
A soccer-specific stadium, Buzzard Point’s Audi Field holds 20,000 spectators and is located in the Southwest neighborhood of Washington, DC. On July 14, 2018, it hosted its debut game, a matchup with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. A 12-year contract was signed with Audi in February 2017 for the stadium’s naming rights. Populous and Marshall Moya Design created it.
When D.C. United first proposed building a new stadium along the Anacostia River near Anacostia Park in July 2006, local officials objected and the team was forced to consider other locations. It was announced on July 25, 2013, that a $300 million stadium with a capacity of 20,000–25,000 people would be erected on the site. On December 30, 2014, it became legislation. Commencing on February 27, 2017, construction was completed on July 9, 2018, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
RFK Stadium (1996–2017)
Stadium with a curving overhang behind a largely empty parking lot.
D.C. United’s initial home was RFK Stadium. RFK Stadium (formerly known as Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium) served as D.C. United’s home field from 1996 through 2017. North of the stadium is the D.C. United Training Complex, home of the Reserve Division squad.
In 1961, RFK Stadium was created as a dual-purpose stadium for baseball and American football. RFK Stadium The Soccer Bowl in 1980, the Supercoppa Italiana in 1993 and five World Cup matches in 1994 were among the events it held before 1996. There were complaints regarding the playing surface and the field’s size while the Washington Nationals baseball team shared the field from 2005 to 2007.
Other stadiums
Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1996 and George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Virginia in 2010 were two examples of regional university stadiums where the club has played Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup games. Since the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Maryland opened in 2001, the team has used it for numerous early-round games in the U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. The Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at Annapolis, Maryland, hosted an MLS match between D.C. United and Columbus Crew SC on April 14, 2018, while Audi Field was under construction. FedExField in Landover, Maryland, has also hosted exhibition games and infrequent regular season matches.
Club Culture
Supporters and Mascot
La Barra Brava, the Screaming Eagles, and the District Ultras are three of D.C. United’s most prominent fan organizations. The safe-standing portions at the north end of Audi Field are occupied by all three groups. A group of Latino fans in the Washington, D.C. area, mainly Bolivian immigrants, formed La Barra Brava in 1995 in support of United’s initial stars Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno. At home, they want to play with a more South American flair. Before each of their home matches, all three teams hold public tailgates, and they are well-known for their on-field singing.
Talon, an anthropomorphic bald eagle, is D.C. United’s mascot.
Rivalries
The New York Red Bulls are the principal competition for D.C. United. United FC. The Atlantic Cup, a competition between the two clubs, is held each year. The squad with the most points at the end of the season is crowned champion. D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union share a 120-mile distance between them, hence the two teams have a growing rivalry. DC United’s rivalry with the Charleston Battery of the United Soccer Leagues is unique among MLS teams, as they compete against each other every time they face each other for the Coffee Pot Cup, a trophy created by their supporters.
Ownership
billionaire investor and director of Washington Soccer L.P., the company that owned the operating rights to D.C. United, George Soros, was the league’s principal financial backer and first director when it was established in 1995. Kevin Payne, the current CEO of D.C. United and the former President of Soccer USA Partners, played a key role in the formation of this ownership group. After a year of searching for new investors in 1998, the team was sold to Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), created by Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz, on February 15, 2001. AEG exercised its option to become the sole investor-operator on January 8, 2002. An entity known as AEG, which also owns the Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, ran the team until 2007. United and Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro signed a one-year strategic collaboration in May 2007. Sharing knowledge and experience, as well as creating new chances, is the goal of the cooperation, which aims to improve both the sporting and financial success of the teams.
D.C. United Holdings, a newly created joint venture that comprised real estate developer Victor MacFarlane, founder of MacFarlane Partners, and William H.C. Chang, chairman of Westlake International Group, purchased the operational rights of D.C. United on January 8th, 2007. Former Duke basketball stars Brian Davis and Christian Laettner were among the other investors in D.C. United president Kevin Payne’s Blue Devil Development. After two stadium plans fell through, Victor MacFarlane sold his share of the team to his business partner William Chang in April 2009. Chang bought out Davis and Laettner in October 2009 to take full control of the team. Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants are also owned by Chang. Erick Thohir and Jason Levien, minority owners of the Philadelphia 76ers NBA franchise, joined Chang as partners in July 2012. Among Thohir and Levin’s declared priorities is establishing an international presence for Manchester United while also designing and constructing a facility specifically suited to soccer.
City of Washington, D.C.
As the capital of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, or D.C., is sometimes known as Washington or D.C. Washington was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States and a Founding Father, who founded the city following the American Revolution. In addition to being the capital of the United States, Washington is also home to a number of international institutions, making it a major global political hub. More than 20 million people visit Washington, D.C. each year, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States.
Geography
Washington, D.C., is a city on the east coast of the United States, in the mid-Atlantic region. The city’s total area is 68.34 square miles (177.0 km2), of which 61.05 square miles (158.1 km2) is land and 7.29 square miles (18.9 km2) (10.67%) is water. It is surrounded by four counties in Maryland: Montgomery County (northwest), Prince George’s County (east), Arlington County (west), and Alexandria (south).
As of 2016, the district had 7,464 acres (30.21 km2) of parks, which is 19% of its size and the second highest percentage among high-density US cities, according to a report by The Nature Conservancy. According to the charity Trust for Public Land, Washington, D.C., was placed third in the nation for park access and quality in the 2018 ParkScore rating of the park systems of the 100 most populous cities in the United States.
Climate | Weather
A humid subtropical climate characterizes the region around Washington, D.C. The Trewartha climatic classification is defined as oceanic (Do). Summers are hot and humid, with only a little dusting of snow in the winter. Plant hardiness zones indicate a humid subtropical environment, with zone 8a near downtown and zone 7b elsewhere in the city. It is temperate to warm in the spring and fall and cold with an annual snowfall of 15.5 inches in the winter (39 cm). Mid-December to mid-February sees an average low of 38 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius). However, it is not rare for winter temperatures to rise beyond 60 °F (16 °C).
With an average daily temperature of 79.8 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius) in July and a daily relative humidity of roughly 66%, the summers here can be moderately uncomfortable for the typical individual. At the height of summer, heat indices frequently reach 100 °F (38 °C). Summer’s high humidity and heat bring frequent thunderstorms, some of which can spawn tornadoes in the area on rare occasion. A blizzard hits Washington, D.C., every four to six years on average, on the East Coast. “Nor’easters” are the most destructive storms that frequently hit wide swaths of the East Coast. The city recorded 28 inches (71 cm) of snowfall on January 27 to 28, 1922, making it the greatest snowstorm since the first official measurements began in 1885. There were reports that a snowfall in January 1772 dumped 30 to 36 inches (76 to 91 cm) of snow on the city.
At the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 2007, the Washington Monument could be seen from across the Tidal Basin
In the late summer and early fall, hurricanes (or their remnants) pass through the area, but they are usually weak when they reach Washington, D.C., in part because of the city’s inland location.
A combination of high tide, storm surge, and runoff flooding the Potomac River has been known to cause major property damage in the Georgetown district. Throughout the year, there is a chance of rain or snow. Climate change will cause an increase in temperature and precipitation in Washington State. August 6, 1918 and July 20, 1930 were the two days with the highest recorded temperatures of 106 °F (41 °C) and 15 °F (26 °C). At least 37 days a year see temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and 64 nights see temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. On average, November 18 is the first day with a low of 32°F or lower, and March 27 is the final day.
Washington, D.C. Lifestyle
