After calling RFK Stadium home for the last 22 seasons, D.C. United will play its final match at the iconic venue on Sunday against the New York Red Bulls.
As one of the longtime soccer cathedrals in the United States, RFK Stadium is a true staple in the respective histories of D.C. United and American soccer. The U.S. Men's National Team has played there 22 times, more than any other stadium.
In light of the #LastCallatRFK, today's #TBT revisits five of Sporting Kansas City's most memorable moments at RFK Stadium in chronological order.
Clean Sweep (July 31 and Aug. 4, 1996)
We confess: our first stop along RFK's memory lane encompasses two separate dates. A late-summer road trip sent the Kansas City Wizards to play two games at D.C. United in the space of five days. The goal-crazy visitors claimed victory on both occasions, winning 3-2 on the final day of July before cruising 4-2 on Aug. 4. Mark Chung scored three times and Digital Takawira struck twice over the course of 180 minutes as head coach Ron Newman's side completed a three-game sweep of the eventual 1996 MLS Cup champions.
Over at Halftime (June 10, 2000)
Only once in Sporting KC's 696-game regular season history has a match been called final after 45 minutes. That occurred in June 2000, when Kansas City and D.C. muddied through a scoreless first half before inclement weather drew a premature end to the contest. The second half was never played, and both sides were awarded a point.
Champions at Last (Oct. 15, 2000)
Seventeen years ago, the Kansas City Wizards reached the pinnacle as MLS Cup champions for the first time. An announced crowd of 39,159 at RFK Stadium saw Miklos Molnar fire Kansas City ahead in the 11th minute before goalkeeper Tony Meola delivered a heroic performance between the posts, giving the Wizards a 1-0 win over the heavily favored Chicago Fire. To this day, the match remains one of the greatest chapters in club history.
Hot Start (April 14, 2007)
Kansas City kicked off its 2007 campaign with an emphatic bang. The visitors struck twice in the first eight minutes through Michael Harrington and Sasha Victorine to stun the home crowd at RFK. D.C. would claw back to restore parity, but another surge from Kansas City proved too much to overcome. Eddie Johnson and Scott Sealy both found the back of the net to secure a 4-2 triumph on the first matchday of the season.
Sapong Strikes Late (March 10, 2012)
From opening day in 2007 to opening day in 2012, we reach our final RFK flashback. The 2012 campaign was a brilliant one for Sporting KC, who went on to lift the U.S. Open Cup, amass a franchise-best 63 points and set multiple MLS records behind a gaudy defense. And it all began on a chilly evening in the nation's capital, a scrappy affair that seemed destined to end 0-0 before C.J. Sapong rose to nod home Graham Zusi's corner kick in the 93rd minute.
