Major Fan Drama As DC United Opens New Stadium: Report

WASHINGTON, DC -- DC United is just two days away from playing its first game at its gleaming new stadium, but already there is drama growing among the fanbase.

Audi Field, which cost $300 million and fits 20,000 fans, will certainly host a sell-out when they host Vancouver on Saturday and showcase their new star player, Wayne Rooney. But after that, the club may have to deal with fallout from some of their superfan groups.

D.C. United has three main fan groups that dominated at RFK Stadium: Barra Brava, the District Ultras, and the Screaming Eagles. But WUSA9 reports that the club is only entering into a partnership with the Screaming Eagles.

"As part of the partnership," the club said in a statement. "The Screaming Eagles will take the lead role to manage all aspects of the supporter culture including single game supporter tickets sales for both home and road matches as well as organizing all activities and in-game fan experiences in the north end zone, in an effort to further unite the Black-and-Red supporter base that established the benchmark for U.S. soccer supporter culture in the early years of Major League Soccer."

That partnership made Barra Brava and the District Ultras feel left out, according to the report, noting that the group had attempted to purchase a block of season tickets but was unable to.

The organizers say they are going to continue to try to see if they can get "equal treatment and fair treatment" from the club, and they will be holding a "Stadium for All Supporters' March" before Saturday's game.

"Opening in July 2018, it will also host a variety of other sporting and cultural events, community activities, and concerts," reads the DC United statement. "The state-of-the-art urban facility has a capacity of 20,000 fans and will feature 31 luxury suites, a bike valet, and 500,000 total square feet of mixed-use retail and residential space on site, making it a 365-day destination for fans and D.C. residents alike."

Image via DC United