There was plenty of excitement in the air on East Capitol Street on Saturday evening. The weather was cold, the wind was cutting, but five days after D.C. United hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of their new stadium, there was optimism ahead of the Black-and-Red’s season opener against Sporting Kansas City.
Then, an hour before kickoff, the lineup was announced, and Luciano Acosta was absent due to injury. Next, just a quarter of an hour into the game, Marcelo Sarvas had a penalty saved. And with just over 20 minutes left in the second half, two goal line clearances and a save by Tim Melia forced United to settle to a 0-0 draw against SKC to open the 2017 MLS season.