By George Solomon
Sunday, July 23, 2006; E02

Notes from Friday night's "reopening of RFK Stadium."

Metro's Orange Line train to the Stadium-Armory stop nearly full with Nats fans and Cubs fans who dressed in expensive Cubs jerseys and caps worthy of Wilbon. My seat neighbors came from New Orleans to root for the Cubs. . . .

The "fan fest" set up on the grassy plaza leading to the stadium featured stuff for kids such as a bounce house, dunk tank, giant slides, pitching machine and T-ball stand. A good grandparent takes his grandchildren to "fan fest" today -- not batting practice. . . .

I wondered how weeks of promotion for this new day for the Washington Nationals and the new owners, the Lerner family, might be torpedoed by that nastygram Major League Baseball (likely with ownership's knowledge) sent city officials this week complaining D.C. had failed to meet construction provisions for the ballpark. But fans didn't care and Theodore N. Lerner signed the papers Friday night, making him official owner of the Nats. Check for $450 million in the mail to MLB, Mark Lerner said.

"The frustrations have been building for a long time," added team president Stan Kasten. "It's hard dealing with delays." The Lerner group and city need to get along better or the next 18 months will be torture for everyone but WRC's gloom-meister Tom Sherwood. . . .

What a sight: Alfonso Soriano greeting fans and shaking hands as they arrived at Gate A. "First time I've ever done that," Soriano said later. "I shook a lot of hands."

Joe Kissel of Rockville was awed: "Things like this make a difference." I saw one frantic woman drag her two preteen daughters into the mob, yelling "it's Soriano" at them. Hmm. Maybe the owners ought to keep Soriano and trade the GM.

Food review: Mezzanine level food court is a nice addition, but lines were much too long, as they were throughout rest of the stadium. More televisions needed for dopes like me standing in line. Even hot dog eating king Takeru Kobayashi would turn his nose up at Natdogs. Nathan's or Sniders grocery must be called. . . .

But nice touch adding the W to a flower bed in front, the Dixieland band playing outside, the ushers trying even harder than they did before ("the Lerners met us at one training session," one said), new furniture, carpeting and a flat screen television in the Nats' clubhouse. Most important to the new owners, the majority of the 35,442 fans in red hats left happy with a 7-6, come-from-behind, Washington victory.

"A great night," Kasten said.

Fans will notice Washington Nationals banners alongside those of D.C. United's -- an example of coexistence among the two RFK Stadium tenants. But that's where the comparisons end. While the Nats struggle to escape the cellar of the NL East, United is running away from the other 11 teams in Major League Soccer. Consider these facts: Going into this weekend's games, United had 44 points on a 13-1-5 record, 11 points more than its nearest rival (FC Dallas), and boasted an 13-game unbeaten stretch. It also has seven players and Coach Peter Nowak on the league's all-star team that plays the two-time defending English Premier League champion, Chelsea, Aug. 5 outside Chicago.

With the lengthy regular season slightly more than halfway completed, Nowak, United's intense third-year coach, isn't concerned about his team peaking too soon before the playoffs begin in late October. "For 19 weeks, we try to teach our players to win," Nowak said after practice at the stadium on Wednesday. "First things first -- win the games and the regular season and then worry about the playoffs."

Nowak, 42, played pro soccer for 23 years before becoming a coach. He has a reputation as a no-nonsense taskmaster whose infrequent use of teenage prodigy Freddy Adu in 2004 and 2005 was criticized by the media here and in Europe. But this year Adu has become a regular and Nowak put the 17-year-old midfielder on the all-star team.

"The fact my coach selected me was very satisfying," Adu said. "When I started here three years ago the expectations, including my own, were ridiculous. But I'm more relaxed now and just trying to play my game."

"I'm a tough teacher," Nowak admitted, adding that he signed as a player in Poland "when I was 15, so I know it's difficult at Freddy's age. But he's made a lot of progress the past three years and has become a stronger person. He's on the all-star team -- because he's earned it."

Still, Adu's success in Washington this season has not deterred his determination to leave United and MLS to play in Europe next year. "I'll be 18 -- and that's where I'm headed. I'm just waiting for the right situation," he said.

Nowak's take: "It's very demanding to play in the best of the European leagues. But everyone has dreams. When he's ready, he'll know it."

One of Adu's mentors, Jaime Moreno, 32, United's six-time all-star, says that nowadays "most young players are spoiled." Moreno, who has played 225 games for United and is a steadying force, remembered his early days, "cleaning shoes and doing stuff for the older players." But he respects Freddy.

I asked Moreno if he'd like to be 17 again? "Not 17," he answered. "I'd be happy to be 20."

· The Capitals, after losing Jeff Halpern and Brian Willsie to free agency this month, showed they are serious about riding Alex Ovechkin into playoff contention this year. GM George McPhee's recent signing of tough guy Donald Brashear and defenseman Brian Pothier, as well as trading for right wing Richard Zednik, prompted McPhee to tell The Post's Tarik El-Bashir "we're probably two moves away from being a playoff team." Encouraging comments from the normally reserved McPhee.

· The Wizards also have been busy, extending Coach Eddie Jordan's contract by three years for $12 million, keeping him in the fold through 2010. Jordan deserved the extension, but front-office suggestions that he add a defensive specialist to the coaching staff seem reasonable. The Wizards would have won more games in the regular season and beaten Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs with better defense.

Adding fourth-year forward Darius Songaila (6 feet 8, 240 pounds) to the front court is a plus, as is the Wizards' intention to retain Jared Jeffries. But indecision on whether top draft pick Oleksiy Pecherov will play this season for the Wiz or his Ukrainian team, BC Kyiv, is puzzling. While President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld said the key is having Pecherov play (somewhere) this year, I'm old fashioned enough to think first-round draft picks should help a team right away; nor will I be following BC Kyiv, regardless of Feinstein's plans to chronicle Pecherov's season if he remains in the Ukraine.

Have a comment or question, reach me attalkback@washpost.com.