Earlier this year, I was looking at various schedules and noticed that Washington had an intriguing doubleheader on Sunday, August 19. The Nationals were hosting the Marlins at 1:05 while D.C. United would take on New England in the evening in their new stadium, Audi Field, just a couple of minutes away. Amtrak was running specials at $39 one-way from NYC, so I booked the family for an extended trip. In the end, I went to the Nationals on Friday night to see Max Scherzer pitch and spent Sunday afternoon touring, but still had plenty of time to make it to Buzzard Point, site of the newest venue in the Big 5. Although the MLS season began in March
I took the Green Line to Waterfront-SEU from which the stadium is a 10-minute walk through a leafy residential area. I arrived at the corner of 2nd and R, where the photo above was taken. Gate C is here and you can walk in if you already have your mobile ticket, which is pretty much your only option. Yes, this is another venue that has ignored those of us who like hard tickets, forcing you to print a flimsy piece of paper or use your phone, with no will call option available.
I wanted a hard ticket and had been watching prices online during the day. The cheapest seat was $25, but when I went to the box office at the corner of R and First, I was told the least I could spend was $33. That is too much to sit in the end zone, so I decided to purchase a resale ticket on my phone for $36, which got me the view below. In the end, I could have gotten the hard ticket and sat in the same seat, as ushers were not checking tickets, instead asking if fans knew where they were going. Fellow sports travellers Bob and Gary were coincidentally sitting just one section over and one row down, so we spent some time chatting before the game.
Before that however, I did a quick tour. The stadium has some of the steepest seats I have seen, particularly in the south stands where the team name is imprinted.
It isn't as bad to walk up as I expected, and certainly not as dangerous as in some other indoor venues where there is little lighting. Tickets here start at $22 for the upper rows.
From the top, it certainly looks steeper than usual. The good news is that you won't get someone blocking your view.
The east side is divided into two levels. The lower level, in red, is a club and suite level, while the grey seats above (Sections 101-111) are open to the general public. I was in section 104 near the other end. One thing I didn't like is how few rows are right next to the pitch and how far away the other seats are. Soccer can be a very intense game when you are next to the action, and atmosphere does impact the home team. It will be interesting to see if there is any long-term effect on the club's home performance, or if other teams opening new venues copy this design.
The west side is a single level with tickets starting at $62, and this would be the best place to sit if you can get a cheap ticket. Just to the right is the beginning of the corner seats, which are $55.
To the right of those are two supporter sections, just beneath the scoreboard. There has been some controversy over how some supporter groups were treated in the allocation of tickets and it is interesting to see how politics and sports mix in this situation. No doubt the club wants a family-friendly atmosphere but upsetting your long-time fans is not the best way to achieve this. The atmosphere was still decent but I suspect could even be more impressive if all three supporters groups were out in full force.
The seats along both sidelines are well covered in case of inclement weather, but those in both end zones are not.
A view of the field from the top of the south stand.
One of the most intriguing spots is the Heineken rooftop bar, to the right of the scoreboard in the photo above.
It contains a number of rail seats with a social area behind. Before the game, this spot is quite busy but once the game starts, only those with seats remain. If you want to sit here, I think you need to be one of the first in the door, race up the stairs, and grab a seat. If I ever return, I will try that. The view from the rooftop bar is below.
As the game was set for a 7:55 kickoff, sun was not an issue. There was even a nice sunset in the west before the game got underway that my crappy phone camera was unable to capture.
Overall, Audi Field is a good addition to the MLS stadium scene. I appreciate soccer-only venues where the closest seats are just a few feet from the pitch. Having an entire sideline reserved for club seats and mostly away from the pitch is something I hope that other clubs don't emulate in their new venues. Look at the San Francisco 49ers and Levi Stadium for how a cynical approach can hurt the team in the long run. Fortunately for the average fan, there are still plenty of good seats and certainly any sports traveler should be heading to DC to see a United match.
The Game
The Revolution were 7th, a spot ahead of D.C. United in the Eastern Conference, from which 6 teams make the playoffs, so this match was not meaningless. Wayne Rooney, like many European stars wanting a final payday, is playing his final seasons in the MLS. He joined United a few weeks back, and has improved them considerably. That's him in black with orange shoes on the right of the center circle. Yep, I need a camera.
United was dominant immediately and opened the scoring in the 13th minute off a long free kick that Paul Arriola took on the right side of the box. He crossed it in front of about 4 Rev defenders and Luciano Acosta chipped it over Matt Turner. The home team continued to press but could not find another and as the second half progressed, it looked like New England might grab an equalizer. But a second yellow to Scott Caldwell dropped them to 10 men and although they continued to attack, they left their defense prone to a quick counter, and that's exactly what happened in the 89th minute as Junior Moreno sprung Zoltan Stieber who had no trouble beating Turner as D.C. United won 2-0.
That's the home supporters above celebrating the second goal, and below the final score with Stieber's name still on the scoreboard.
An entertaining game and certainly D.C. United might be a dark horse in that Eastern Conference playoff race.
Next Up
The NFL is back, and I'll be checking out the 7 road teams I have yet to see. That means trips to Chicago (for the Seahawks), Indianapolis (for the Texans), Buffalo (for the Titans), and Cincinnati (for the Steelers). The other three teams (Jaguars, Buccaneers, Packers) all play in New York, so I will see them there. Along with two Maple Leaf road games in Detroit and Buffalo, the last part of the year will be busy and I'll be posting recaps here as always.
Best,
Sean
