Redskins, D.C. United Fans: A Separate Peace

By George Solomon
Sunday, November 12, 2006

On a sunny morning in the parking lot at FedEx Field last Sunday, the tailgaters were getting ready early to cheer the Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys. By 11 a.m., the chicken was on the grill, the beer and Bloody Marys flowing, and Adam Carreno of Rockville was suggesting Mark Brunell "start throwing downfield more" while friend Brent Robinson of Richmond believed Joe Gibbs's current Redskins were "more about individuals than team."

The tailgaters were asked if any of them had plans to finish the day at RFK Stadium, where D.C. United was playing the New England Revolution in the MLS Eastern Conference final for a spot in today's MLS Cup.

Their stares were sharp and long. Soccer? "Does D.C. have a soccer team?" asked tailgater Johnny Cifolilli of Annapolis. Cifolilli's mates -- engaged in a game called beer pong -- were equally enthusiastic about not trying to follow the lead of one sportswriter who was looking to see both Washington area professional sports teams in crucial games in stadiums about seven miles apart.

The Redskins were plenty for this crowd. Gibbs against Bill Parcells, "The Tuna," his nemesis of nearly two decades. Washington, at 2-5, the sharks circling, angry voices wondering on every sports-talk station in town if the game had passed Gibbs by. More than 90,000 were in the stands to see if the Redskins had enough life to stop a 4-3 Dallas team rejuvenated by young quarterback Tony Romo.

The game went back and forth, the Redskins dreadful in the red zone (why is T.J. Duckett on this team?), failing seven times inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter but somehow tied at halftime, 12-12, and trailing 19-12 after three when Chris Cooley's 18-yard touchdown catch from Brunell tied the score nearly a minute into the fourth quarter.

I could not find Cifolilli to persuade him to leave with me for RFK halfway through the fourth quarter and listen to Sonny, Sam and Larry on Triple X ESPN Radio -- its signal barely audible after the sun sets. "Why are you sitting in the car?" the security man in the yellow jacket asks me 15 minutes later in the RFK parking lot.

"Vanderjagt is trying to win the game for the Cowboys; it's a chip shot," I replied. "Novak just gassed from 49."

"Your door is open," the security man said.

"The signal will fade if I close the door," I plead before Troy ("Goodbye, Adam") Vincent blocks Vanderjagt's kick, Sean Taylor picks up the ball, Huff is screaming, a Cowboy yanks Taylor's face mask and Novak is setting up from 47. "It's good," Sonny yells. The security man asks, "Are you going to close your door now?" as his yellow-jacketed colleagues begin jumping up and down with joy.

I am not arrested for listening to Sam Huff in an open-door vehicle, and instead head for the RFK entrance. It's four minutes into the game and New England's Taylor Twellman, a former Terp, has scored moments before I settle into my seat in front of Arlington's Bryan McEachern. "Where you been?" McEachern wonders. "FedEx," I reply. "Don't tell me who won," McEachern asks. "I taped the game."

McEachern was frantic as United, cheered on by the chanting of nearly 20,000 fans, many waving banners and flags and standing throughout the game, came close to scoring several times. But New England goalkeeper Matt Reis was too tough and the game ended 1-0 with the Revolution moving on to the title game.

"It was torture to leave the television and the Redskins," said J.P. Szymkowicz of Washington. "But I love this."

Paul Bobeczko interrupted, asking, "Who are the Redskins?"

A question for which Don Garber, commissioner of the MLS, had an answer: "From the time of Richard Nixon, it's a fact that you have to be a Redskin fan to be part of Washington.

"We're the new kids on the block. Much of the soccer crowd is diverse -- ethnic, Hispanic and young urban professionals who have moved to town and have played the game growing up and love the game."

And on this night, with the Redskins fans celebrating in the vast FedEx parking lots, United fans kept standing until the end, shaking the stands. "That," said Garber of United's fan base, "is one of the best images of MLS."

In the locker room afterward, United Coach Peter Nowak thanked his guys for "playing one of their best games in a long time" and added that a place in today's final outside Dallas "wasn't meant to be." An hour earlier, Gibbs was thanking his fans for making FedEx Field "electric" and saying, "I've never been part of anything like this."

Two stadiums, two local teams playing so close -- yet so far apart. "There's still a fair amount of bias among NFL fans against a non-American sport," said Richard Zamoff, who teaches sociology of sports at George Washington. "Soccer is perceived as a recreational sport until the age of 15. But to its fans, soccer is a bonding experience for families who love the game or have been priced out of the stadium by the NFL."

Finally, when the lights went out Sunday, at least two participants in the action -- United midfielder Ben Olsen and Bill Parcells -- could echo the same sentiment: "This is a cruel game."

Quick Takes

· This has been written before, but phenoms Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals and Gilbert Arenas of the Wizards make winters here a lot more fun. These guys are great.

· College basketball season got underway with Maryland's men winning their first two games in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic to advance to New York for a Thursday game ("We need to shoot better," said Coach Gary Williams); The Terps' women, defending their NCAA title, are selling lots of season tickets; Georgetown is a top 10 men's team; the GW women are strong, and the guys are coming off a 27-3 season. Not to mention George Mason's Cinderella Men. Coach Jim Larranaga wonders, answering the same question, "How do you top that?

· I'm prepared, with pen and notebook, for the Nationals to name their manager.

· Sports fans missed out if they didn't watch the Breeders' Cup and live racing at Laurel last Saturday.

· It was nice to see that the Greater Washington Jewish Community Center will honor Special Olympic swimmer Adam Tepper, 18, at its annual Hall of Fame dinner Saturday. "A wonderful recognition of his accomplishments," said Adam's father, Jonathan.

· What about the new book by Stephen S. Hall: "Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness and Success of Boys -- and the Men They Become." According to reviewer Scott Stossel in last Sunday's New York Times, guys over 5 feet 8 have it all over the rest of us. Which makes me wonder who among the all-time greats in sports was shorter than 5-9, besides Wee Willie Keeler, Phil Rizzuto, Barry Sanders, David Eckstein, Muggsy Bogues and Stump Mitchell? FYI: Pat Fischer was 5-9 in the day, but now seems 5-8, still taller than me.

Send your short stars totalkback@washpost.com.