ALLSTON, Mass. – On the banks of the Charles River, far from the sterile MLS environment in Boston’s distant suburbs, Harvard University’s athletic complex furnished an intimate habitat for a U.S. Open Cup encounter Wednesday between old MLS rivals.
Hundreds of spectators filled metal bleachers unevenly lining one side of Jordan Field for the New England Revolution’s 2-1 victory over D.C. United.
Local supporters’ groups lurked behind one goal. Dozens of others watched from a slight grass embankment on the other end. The drum of a visiting fan in an upper corner interrupted partisan song.
The locker rooms were a five-minute walk away, in the hockey arena.