Tag: Audi Field

Man fatally stabbed outside Audi Field prior to D.C. United game

Police responded to an incident just outside the stadium an hour before kickoff

A man was fatally stabbed just outside of Audi Field prior to Saturday’s game between D.C. United and the Seattle Sounders.

Police said they responded to an incident at the 100 block of T Street SW around 6:30 p.m., an hour before kickoff.

They found a man with multiple stab wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Police said that a suspect was in custody.

As the game kicked off, D.C. United released a statement saying that the club was aware of the incident and because there was no ongoing threat to the public, the game would proceed on time.

“This was an isolated incident, and the Metropolitan Police Department has advised that they have the suspect in custody,” the club said.

“There is no ongoing threat to Audi Field or its guests, and the 7:30 p.m. game will kick off as scheduled,” it added.

D.C. United would win the match 2-1, as Christian Benteke scored both goals for the home side.

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DC Defenders improve to 8-1 after overtime win over Arlington

The Defenders are 8-1 and finish the regular season next week.

The D.C. Defenders improved to 8-1 Sunday after a narrow 28-26 overtime win over the Arlington Renegades in front of a sold-out crowd at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

With the win, the Defenders clinched a home playoff game in two weeks for the North Division championship.

D.C. jumped on the Renegades early as quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw two touchdown passes and D’Eriq King also had one to give the Defenders a 20-9 halftime lead.

D.C. struck again in the third quarter when former Washington Redskins and longtime NFL safety, D.J. Swearinger intercepted Arlington quarterback Luis Perez and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. At this point, the Defenders led 26-9.

The sold-out crowd went wild when Swearinger took it to the house.

While the two teams went scoreless for the remainder of the third quarter, the Renegades made a furious fourth-quarter comeback after a pair of De’Veon Smith touchdown runs and a field goal to suddenly tie the game on a Taylor Russolino 27-yard field goal with five seconds remaining.

The game went into overtime where Ta’amu found Jake Hammond for the score and another Defenders’ win.

Ta’amu completed 14 of 20 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. King completed six of nine passes for 76 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Swearinger finished the game second on the team in tackles with seven in his second XFL game.

Next up for D.C. is a trip to San Antonio to close out the regular season before returning home in two weeks to host either St. Louis or Seattle for the North Division championship.

DC’s ‘other’ pro football team improves to 4-0

The Defenders are one of only two undefeated XFL teams remaining.

Pro football is alive and well in Washington, D.C.

The D.C. Defenders improved to 4-0 in the rejuvenated XFL Sunday after a 32-18 win over the Vegas Vipers. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 14 of 19 passes for 177 yards and rushed for 89 yards leading the Defenders to another victory.

DC jumped out to a 14-6 lead behind Gregg Williams’ stout defense at halftime. Two field goals in the third quarter increased DC’s lead to 20-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, in the fourth quarter, the Vipers made a comeback attempt. Quarterback Luis Perez found wide receiver Cinque Sweeting for a 26-yard touchdown to trim DC’s lead to 20-12. The Vipers 2-point attempt failed as Perez’s pass was incomplete.

How did the Defenders respond?

Not did DC answer with a field goal and terrific defense to increase their lead to 23-12, but quarterback D’Eriq King found wide receiver Jequez Ezzard for a 32-yard touchdown to put the Defenders up 29-12. With 2:40 remaining after that score, that was the play that essentially clinched the win for DC.

Another Vegas connection between Perez and Sweeting cut the lead to 29-18. The Vipers missed the 2-point attempt.

DC’s next possession ended when kicker Matthew McCrane drilled a 23-yard field goal to make it 32-18 with 47 seconds remaining.

That was the end, and the Defenders are now 4-0, with a 3-0 mark at Audi Field in Washington.

The Beer Snake was alive and well.

The Defenders and Houston Roughnecks are the only two undefeated teams remaining in the XFL. The Roughnecks are coached by longtime NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

The Defenders are back on the road next week with a game at the 3-1 St. Louis Battlehawks. DC defeated St. Louis last week in Washington. The showdown between DC and Houston is scheduled for Monday Night Football on March 27.

 

WATCH: Fans in DC started an anti-Dan Snyder chant at an XFL game

Audi Field in Washington, D.C., is quite the atmosphere.

The D.C. Defenders improved to 3-0 Sunday with a 34-28 win over the St. Louis Battlehawks at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. It was another fantastic atmosphere that saw plenty of the Defenders’ famous beer snake in the crowd.

In addition to the beer snake, there was a Dan Snyder chant at Audi Field. As you might expect, it wasn’t a supportive chant for the embattled owner of the Washington Commanders.

[Warning: video contains explicit language]

Here’s another video of the anti-Snyder chant.

The Commanders remain for sale, but last week featured multiple developments. The week began with a Washington Post report stating that Snyder wanted fellow owners and the NFL to indemnify him from future liabilities and costs if he sold the team.

The following day, Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN  released a bombshell report that traced Snyder’s falling out with his former minority partners. Van Natta had access to documents highlighting a $55 million loan Snyder received from Bank of America without the knowledge of his former partners.

The NFL owner’s meetings begin on March 26, and the league hoped to have clarification on Washington’s sale by that time. However, last week’s developments created a lot of uncertainty.

As for the XFL fans at Audi Field, they continue to show Commanders’ fans the blueprint to a fun, home-field environment in the nation’s capital, something old-school fans know all too well during the franchise’s glory days at RFK Stadium.

The NWSL title game will be on primetime TV for the first time ever

The match, which was confirmed for Audi Field in Washington D.C., will start at 8 p.m. ET

The NWSL has announced that its title game is set for October 29 at Audi Field in Washington D.C. and, for the first time ever, the game will be broadcast in a primetime TV slot.

The match was originally scheduled for noon ET but has been moved to 8 p.m. ET, with coverage set for network television on CBS.

“We are delighted to bring the NWSL Championship to D.C. this year and, thanks to the continued collaboration with our partners at CBS and Ally, equally excited to present the match in its first-ever primetime slot for fans tuning in across the country,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Though the time and location were confirmed just two months before the game, it is still a notable improvement over the events surrounding last season’s NWSL Championship.

The match was originally scheduled for 9 a.m. local time in Portland in order to fit into a noon ET national television slot.

Amid an outcry from fans and players over the extremely early kickoff, the league moved the game to Louisville just one month prior to the match.

The league and its broadcast partners will now hope that the move to primetime will provide even more exposure.

“We are thrilled to present the NWSL Championship Game in primetime, creating more exposure and reach for this fantastic league as we showcase the best in soccer to a passionate fanbase as well as a new audience,” said Dan Weinberg, executive vice president of programming at CBS Sports.

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2023 MLS All-Star Game to be played in Washington, D.C.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the All-Star Game is in the District

The MLS 2023 All-Star Game will be played at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., with the league announcing the choice today at D.C. United’s home stadium.

News of MLS choosing Audi Field broke last week. The 2023 edition of the All-Star Game will be played on July 19, 2023, with the opponent not yet named.

“We are thrilled to bring the MLS All-Star Game and festivities back to Washington, D.C., a city with a rich soccer history, as well as a diverse and vibrant soccer culture,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in announcing the news. “D.C. United and the community have always held a special place in the hearts of everyone who believed in the power and growth of soccer in the U.S., and Audi Field will provide an incredible backdrop for next summer’s game.”

The District of Columbia has hosted the All-Star Game twice before, with the 2002 and 2004 games both being held at RFK Stadium. The 2023 version will be Audi Field’s first significant league-wide event since opening in July 2018. Previous big events at Audi Field include MLS and NWSL playoff games—the Washington Spirit also call the stadium home—and international friendlies.

The All-Star Game opponent in each of the last two seasons has been a Liga MX All-Star team, with the 2021 edition going to MLS on penalties. The 2022 All-Star Game will take place on August 10 at Allianz Field in Minneapolis.

The 2023 All-Star Game will cap off a full week of events in D.C., with MLS noting that the All-Star Skills Challenge will be part of the festivities along with community initiatives, concerts, and parties.

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Audi Field in Washington D.C. set to host 2023 MLS All-Star Game

It will be only the second time that Washington, D.C. has hosted the MLS All-Star Game

Audi Field in Washington, D.C. will host the 2023 MLS All-Star Game, sources have confirmed to Pro Soccer Wire.

The news was first reported by the Washington Post.

An official announcement of Audi Field hosting the match is expected next week.

For the city of Washington, D.C., it will be something of a consolation prize after its combined World Cup 2026 bid with Baltimore was rejected by FIFA this week when it named the 16 host cities for the tournament.

Washington, D.C. has hosted the MLS All-Star Game two times before, in 2002 when the MLS All-Stars took on the U.S. national team in the first and only iteration of the game in that format, and in 2004 when the Eastern Conference All-Stars faced the Western Conference.

After 15 years of MLS All-Star teams facing teams from Europe touring the U.S. during their preseason, the league changed format in 2021 to a match featuring all-star teams from MLS facing all-star teams from Liga MX. This year’s All-Star Game in Minnesota will be the second straight year of that format.

Audi Field opened in 2018, replacing RFK Stadium which had served as the home of D.C. United since the team’s inception in 1996.

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