Not so long ago, Major League Soccer teams were squatters. They lived as nomads, setting up camp wherever there was a free sports field and scoreboard. This made for a league without much in the way of a community rooting. So hasty was MLS’s foundation, its member clubs had no choice but to home share.
The Columbus Crew played at Ohio State University’s cavernous football stadium, while DC United called RFK Stadium, a former ballpark, home for 11 years. Over the past decade, though, MLS teams have embarked on a concerted program of stadium construction, building a series of venues specifically designed to host soccer.