History of D.C. United

The History of D.C. United spans 21 years, beginning in 1995 when Major League Soccer awarded a franchise to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Since the team's inception, D.C. United has played in RFK Stadium located in the city's seventh ward near the Eastland Gardens neighborhood and D.C. Armory.

D.C. United was the first franchise awarded by MLS, and was the dominant team in MLS during the league's first few years of existence. For those reasons, United is often regarded as MLS's "flagship franchise". As of 2013, the club has won four regular season and league championships, more than any other sports franchise in the Washington area. The team has also won three U.S. Open Cup titles and a CONCACAF title.

The Washington Diplomats played in the North American Soccer League and American Soccer League from 1974 until 1991, and won one title, the ASL Championship in 1988. For a majority of the franchise's season, the Diplomats played at RFK Stadium, but some of their matches were played at W.T. Woodson High School in nearby Fairfax, Virginia.

Prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation fulfilled promises to FIFA by aiding in the foundation of a new professional league. On June 15, 1994, Major League Soccer selected Washington, D.C. out of twenty-two applicants to host one of the first seven franchises, with three more to be added before the league's launch. Once an MLS franchise was awarded to Washington, new management had to name it. In keeping with sports naming conventions in the United States, the earliest efforts entailed the area's name followed by a mascot. Some ideas included the "Spies", "Americans" and "Eagles". Eventually, however, the new team's operators decided simply to name the team "D.C. United". The name "United" alluded to well-known European club names such as Leeds and Manchester United, and reflected the team's location in the capital of the United States.

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