On this date 20 years ago, on a Saturday evening on East Capitol Street, D.C. United played its first match at RFK Stadium. It was an old building then.
There were 35,032 witnesses. Home Team Sports, Comcast SportsNet’s predecessor in the Washington TV market, provided live coverage. Dave Johnson and Gordon Bradley had the call. MasterCard sponsored United’s jerseys, Budweiser marked the Los Angeles Galaxy’s.
United star Marco Etcheverry wasn’t available because of Bolivian national team commitments. Galaxy goalkeeper Jorge Campos was in his finest fluorescent lime outfit.
Raul Diaz Arce scored for United in the seventh minute, but Mauricio Cienfuegos, Diaz Arce’s teammate on the Salvadoran national squad, equalized with a penalty kick, drawn by Cobi Jones, midway through the first half.