DC Defenders
Who occupied Audi Field from Feb 2020 to Feb 2021?
Audi Field Audi Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Buzzard Point in Washington , D.C . It is the home stadium for the Major League Soccer team D.C . United . The stadium is also used by the Washington Spirit of the NWSL in select matches . The stadium seats 20,000 people . Previously , D.C . United had explored sites in the Washington metropolitan area . Following the failure of an initial stadium proposal in 2006 , D.C . United made two additional stadium proposals that also failed to be built . In January 2011 , the club explored using previously unused land at Buzzard Point to build a stadium ; this was confirmed in July 2013 , when Buzzard Point was announced as the stadium location . The ground-breaking ceremony occurred in February 2017 , with construction completed in July 2018 . Site selection . Early proposals . D.C . United and Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber raised concerns about scheduling conflicts with the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium in July 2004 , with Garber stating that a soccer-specific stadium in Washington , D.C . needs to become a priority . Later that year , D.C . United unveiled a proposal to build a 24,000-seat stadium at Poplar Point along the Anacostia River , to open in time for the 2007 season . The stadiums size was later increased to 27,000 and incorporated into a mixed-use development on the site to the revitalize the Anacostia neighborhood , with the support of Ward 8 councilmember Marion Barry after he initially opposed the stadium . The stadium project was neglected by the citys leadership during the debate over a baseball stadium in Navy Yard . After a change of ownership for D.C . United in January 2007 , the $200 million stadium project was moved into public review , where it drew criticism over its public financing , gentrification , and displacement of residents . By mid-July , the Poplar Point plan was abandoned and D.C . United began looking at other locations for the stadium . Despite the failed bid , then-Mayor Adrian Fenty opted to have a closed-door meeting in February 2008 to discuss the city funding $150 million for the club . However , despite a short-lived renewed interest , when the D.C . Council recessed in July 2008 , the plan never was brought up , and ultimately died after the main developer for the Poplar Point project withdrew their funding . In February 2009 , the team announced plans for a new stadium in nearby Prince Georges County , Maryland , close to FedExField . This proposal ran into similar trouble , however , when the Prince Georges County Council voted to send a letter to the Maryland General Assembly opposing the stadium plan . Poplar Point . Originally , D.C . United proposed building a stadium at Poplar Point on the Anacostia riverfront in Washington , D.C . as part of a planned mixed-use development that would have included a hotel , offices , housing , and retail . Plans were formulated as early as 2005 and were formally announced in January 2007 . However , in July 2007 , the talks stalled between the team and city officials . There were disputes over the financial arrangements proposed by the team , which would have the city providing $200 million in subsidies and development rights while the team assumed construction costs . In January 2008 , the team announced it was looking at other possible sites in the area for construction of the new stadium . In February 2008 , Washington , D.C. , mayor Adrian Fenty suggested at a closed-door city council meeting that the city might offer as much as $150 million towards the costs of building a soccer stadium at Poplar Point . There was apparently renewed interest on the part of the city in providing public funds for the stadium at Poplar Point . However , in July 2008 , the D.C . Council recessed without considering the proposed stadium plan . With sites in Maryland entering the discussion , negotiations continued throughout 2008 before collapsing in early 2009 as the developer pulled out of the project . Prince Georges County . Maryland first expressed an interest in United as talks stalled in summer 2007 . In February 2009 , United co-owner Victor MacFarlane announced the team would seek a new stadium in Prince Georges County . However , county officials began expressing concerns about revenue from the stadium in March . On April 7 , the Prince Georges County Council voted to outline its concern to the Maryland General Assembly about proposed state legislation that would authorize a feasibility study for the new stadium . The legislation stalled in the Statehouse and died without the support of the Prince Georges Council . Following the failure of the Prince Georges County proposal , United began surveying fans about the possibility of relocating to Loudoun County , Virginia ; Frederick County , Virginia ; or Montgomery County , Maryland . However , no public negotiations ever began . Baltimore . In October 2009 , Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon asked the Maryland Stadium Authority to explore building a soccer stadium to serve as D.C . Uniteds home , as well as to host concerts , lacrosse games , and other events . A potential location mentioned for the stadium was the Westport Waterfront project , and the proposed stadium would have had access to light rail and Interstates 95 and 295 . Meanwhile , in March 2010 , MLS commissioner Don Garber criticized Washington , D.C. , politicians for how long it had taken to find D.C . United a permanent home stadium . Discussions continued with Baltimore and other sites in Maryland , with a feasibility study released in December 2010 . However , the club opted to refocus its efforts on finding a location within the District of Columbia . Loudoun County . In May 2015 , team officials visited potential sites in Loudoun County , Virginia and met with county and state officials about building a stadium in Northern Virginia rather than Washington . Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffes economic development team suggested sites in Woodbridge , Virginia , and Loudoun , while Loudoun County officials had multiple meetings with team officials . In a letter to the team , Loudoun economic development director Buddy Rizer wrote that a stadium in Virginia would be $38 million cheaper than in D.C . and would be ready by the 2017 season , which the team claimed was not possible in Washington . Buzzard Point . In January 2011 , the Web site Greater Greater Washington reported that the club was looking into building a stadium in the Buzzard Point neighborhood in the city . The project involved land owned by the Akridge Development Co . only a few blocks from Nationals Park . By May , according to the Washington Post , the team was also considering a stadium at a site near the Capital City Market and the Westport neighborhood of Baltimore . In late May 2012 , D.C . United was sold to a group led by Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir and attorney Jason Levien , with former principal owner William Chang remaining as a minority partner . The new owners said Buzzard Point remained their preferred option for a new stadium site . A few days after the sale was announced , the Washington Post obtained a confidential draft report , commissioned by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance ( a private , nonprofit foundation ) , which said a 24,000-seat stadium would cost $157 million to build ( which did not include the price of land ) . Construction of the stadium could generate $19.5 million in wages and $38 million in spending . The completed stadium would likely employ 600 to 800 part- and full-time jobs and generate $5.5 million to $7.3 million a year in tax revenue . The study assumed the stadium would include an $82 million mixed-use development as well . Financing and construction . On July 25 , 2013 , the District of Columbia and D.C . United announced a tentative deal to build a $300 million , 20,000–25,000-seat stadium at Buzzard Point . The deal required the District of Columbia to obtain the Akridge land at Buzzard Point in exchange for cash and title to the Frank D . Reeves Municipal Center ( the citys primary government office building , located in the desirable Shaw neighborhood ) . D.C . United would contribute $150 million to construct the stadium on the city-owned land , which it would lease for 20 to 35 years . The deal also gave D.C . United the right to build restaurants , bars , and even a hotel nearby . The Buzzard Point plan—formally termed the District of Columbia Soccer Stadium Act of 2014—was approved by the D.C . City Council on December 17 , 2014 . The December legislation significantly revised the July 2013 agreement . No longer would the city give Akridge a building and cash ; now , the city would pay fair market value for the Akridge land . If a deal could not be reached through negotiation , the legislation gave the city the right to use eminent domain to seize the land . In another revision , the city agreed to contribute the $150 million to purchase land for the stadium . $89 million of this amount was for land acquisition . Another $61 million would be to improve utilities , remove toxic and hazardous wastes , and clear the land for construction . D.C . United also agreed to spend at least $150 million for stadium construction . The legislation did not provide the club with $7 million in sales tax breaks it sought , but did give it $43 million in property tax credits . Outgoing Mayor Vincent Gray signed the bill into law on December 30 as one of the final acts of his term . Negotiations between the city and Akridge began in January 2015 . D.C . Council Chairman Phil Mendelson was downbeat about the talks , saying the two sides were very far apart on a price . In February , club officials estimated that the stadium would take 14 to 16 months to construct . Mayor Muriel Bowser , Grays successor , budgeted $106.3 million in fiscal 2016 to acquire the stadium site , add infrastructure ( such as water , sewer , electrical , and natural gas lines ) , and remove toxic hazards at the site . The budget provided for borrowing $106 million and reprogramming $32 million away from the citys school modernization program to pay for the citys stadium costs . The D.C . City Council began working on legislation to permanently close several city streets that crossed the stadium land in April 2015 . As the city and club came close to finalizing its lease agreement in May , D.C . United began talking with city , county , and state officials in Virginia about abandoning the District of Columbia and constructing a stadium in Northern Virginia . The talks became public knowledge on June 1 . D.C . officials were outraged , although they conceded the initiative was probably just a negotiating tactic to get the city to sweeten its deal . The controversy did not appear to harm the talks , as on June 8 , D.C . United and the city signed a final construction agreement . The agreement required that the facility seat a minimum of 17,000 people and established the term of the lease at 30 years for a minimal $1 per year . The agreement also contained a clause governing land : If the cost of land acquisition rose above $150 million , D.C . United was required to reimburse the city 50% of the excess ( although the clubs commitment was capped at $10 million ) . The club was also barred from playing more than an occasional home game away from the Buzzard Point stadium ( i.e. , barred from relocating for the lease term ) . Mayor Bowser then submitted the agreement , as well as land purchase agreements and a revised developer agreement , to the City Council for approval . The land purchase agreements paid Pepco $39.3 million for land and $1 million to remove electrical generation equipment from its site , $15.9 million for land owned by Super Salvage , and $10.32 million for land owned by developer Mark Ein ( owner of the Washington Kastles professional tennis team ) . The cost of the land purchase agreements was offset by a deal for Pepco to purchase a $15 million city-owned parcel of land at 1st and K Streets NW . The council approved the land purchase agreements on June 30 , 2015 . Under the terms of the June 8 agreement , D.C . United was required to submit a concept design for the stadium to the city by September 1 , 2015 . The District of Columbia faced a deadline of September 30 , 2015 , to use eminent domain to acquire the Akridge land , which forced the club to commit to building a stadium before the city finished purchasing land . On September 30 , the District of Columbia filed for eminent domain for the Akridge parcel . On February 15 , 2017 , German automobile manufacturer Audi and D.C . United announced a long-term naming rights deal for the new stadium . The Washington Post reported the deal was for a minimum of twelve years . Audis United States headquarters are located in Herndon , Virginia , a suburb of Washington . Construction began two weeks later with a ceremonial groundbreaking . Opening . Audi Field had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 9 , 2018 . The first-ever opening match held in Audi Field was a Major League Soccer match between D.C . United and Vancouver Whitecaps FC on July 14 , 2018 , which ended in a 3–1 win for D.C . United in front of a sellout crowd of 20,504 people . A sideline reporter was injured after being hit by a piece of the railing before the game . Public transport . Audi Field is within 1 mile ( 1.6 km ) of the Navy Yard–Ballpark station of the Washington Metro . The station is served by the Green Line . It is also served by DC Circulator and Potomac Riverboat Company shuttle services on match days . Sports . Soccer . In addition to serving as the home stadium for D.C . United , Audi Field occasionally hosts other soccer matches . On August 25 , 2018 , in a National Womens Soccer League regular season match , the hometown Washington Spirit lost 1–0 to the visiting Portland Thorns FC . The Spirit returned to Audi Field for two matches in the 2019 season , against the Orlando Pride on August 24 and Reign FC on September 14 . The Spirit are now transitioning toward making Audi Field their primary home venue . In 2020 , they were slated to play four home games at each of three venues—Audi Field ; their original home of the Maryland SoccerPlex in Montgomery County ; and Segra Field , home of D.C . Uniteds USL Championship reserve side Loudoun United FC in Leesburg , Virginia . In 2021 , the Spirit will play seven home games at Audi Field and five at Segra Field . On September 3 , 2018 , the Maryland Terrapins mens soccer and Virginia Cavaliers mens soccer teams drew 0–0 in the first collegiate soccer match played at Audi Field . Loudoun United used Audi Field for three home games in their inaugural 2019 season while its permanent venue of Segra Field was under construction . The United States mens national soccer team played an international friendly match against Jamaica at Audi Field on June 5 , 2019 . The US lost 1–0 . The USMNT played at Audi Field again in a CONCACAF Nations League game against Cuba on October 11 , 2019 . The US won 7–0 . Lacrosse . In its inaugural season , the Premier Lacrosse League played three games at Audi Field the weekend of July 6–7 , 2019 . Football . In 2020 , the DC Defenders of the XFL played their home games at Audi Field . Their first game was on February 8 , 2020 , with the Defenders defeating the Seattle Dragons by a score of 31–19 . After three home games , the XFL season was suspended and ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Defenders won all three games at Audi Field .