One of my goals for 2006 was going to be attending a regular season game of every Washington team from the traditonal big four leagues, MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL. In 2005 I had seen the Wizards beat the Nets in January, the Nationals a dozen times over the summer, and the Capitals a couple of times in the fall. I did not expect to see the Redskins during the regular season (I saw them in preseason vs. Steelers), but tickets fell into my lap for the final game. In short, mission accomplished, a year early.

With that goal achieved my next one is to see a DC United match. They have been here for 11 seasons and not being a soccer fan and having never even played it (I played tackle football for several years), it was nothing that really interested me. Now, I am changing my tune. Since the Red & Black share RFK with the Nats, I figure I might as well check them and out and see why the ballfield is getting turned into a pitch all the time. I have been reading DCenters regularly since the spring to learn more about the squad and the sport.

I’ll throw this one out to the gallery, what recommendations do you have for seeing DC United? I am a soccer novice who wants the best possible introduction to the beautiful game. How long does a match take to play? What section would be the best for a newbie like myself? I have targeted August 26 as the day I intend to go.