By Ruben Castaneda
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 21, 1996; Page C1

Believe it or not, this really happened: As the New York Giants were rallying against the Washington Redskins yesterday, an Arlington restaurant manager announced to about 100 patrons that he was switching the seven televisions they were watching — to a soccer match.

No one protested. No one moved to an adjacent room, where the football game was still being shown. The men, women and children inside Summers restaurant were gathered not to bury their allegiance to the Redskins, but to root for D.C. United, which—on a drenched field in Foxboro, Mass.—defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy, 3-2, in sudden-death overtime in the inaugural Major League Soccer championship game.

It looked grim for a while, but in the end the fans had plenty to cheer. Down 2-0 early in the second half, United rallied with two goals in regulation. In the fourth minute of overtime, Eddie Pope scored the winning goal on a header.

For about 5,000 soggy Washington area soccer fans who traveled to Foxboro and thousands more who stayed here and caught the game on TV, Pope’s header set off a wild celebration.

At Summers, the fans jumped up screaming. Glasses toppled. Strangers hugged. One man leaped so joyously high he dislodged a ceiling tile with his fist.

"I hope there wasn’t too much damage," said a happy Joe Javidari, the restaurant manager.

"Absolutely fantastic. What a great day for American soccer," shouted Lincoln Richman, 28, a Silver Spring writer whose fist rearranged part of the low ceiling.

"This is the beginning of something big," said Jose Campos, 38, an Arlington County employee who watched the game at the restaurant. "This is for real."

It certainly seemed that way.

From suburban living rooms and restaurants to downtown sports bars, soccer fans across the area gathered in front of television sets to cheer United, the first local professional team to reach a championship game since the Redskins did it in 1992.

Entire families watched the game in their homes. Young soccer players whose games coincided with the championship had their parents tape the match. Sports bars and restaurants that usually serve up a strict football-basketball-baseball diet had soccer on their TV menus.

United, and MLS itself, struggled to attain an identity in the league’s first season. Initially, Latino fans—who the team estimates make up about half of United’s following—rooted for MLS players based on their country of origin. But as the season wore on, local Latinos began to ally themselves with United, Campos said.

This is how far the team has come in building a following: Before the game, Campos took his 8-year-old soccer-playing daughter, Natalia, to a McDonald’s in Fairfax County.

Just for fun, he asked a group of girls about her age whether they knew who Raul Diaz Arce is. And they all knew Diaz Arce is a star player for United, Campos said.

Campos and the rest of the fans at Summers roared when United players were introduced, and booed Galaxy players. They groaned when the Galaxy scored and went "oooh" when United missed scoring opportunities. They railed at game officials who made decisions unfavorable to United and encouraged their favorite players by name.

A group of 10-and-under soccer players—boys, mind you—sat still to watch the game.

Lots of folks watched from home, too.

In Germantown, the Layton family gathered in front of the television at 3:30 p.m.—even though the Redskins game was still airing on another channel.

Brian and Sharon Layton and Kevin, 15, Danny, 14, and Ashley, 6, cheered together for United—something the family would never do for, say, the Redskins.

"I hate football," Sharon Layton said. "Soccer’s different—we can all relate to it. Even my little girl watches soccer. She started playing this season."

It would be difficult to find a more soccer-friendly family than the Laytons. Brian, 46, has coached for 15 years. Kevin plays on three teams, including the varsity at Seneca Valley High School. Danny plays on a team. Ditto Ashley. And Sharon, 42, is a commissioner of the Montgomery Soccer League for youths. The league has a staggering 15,000 players, with 50 teams just for girls in the first grade, she said.

Soccer’s increasing popularity here is reflected in its presence on TV in sports bars and restaurants.

The championship match was among the games shown at Mister Days Sports Rock Cafe, a popular bar and eatery in an alley off 19th Street NW. Each of United’s previous playoff games (all of which were on cable) was shown at Mr. Days and drew healthy gatherings, bartender Rick Yurko said.

"There’s more soccer fans than you can imagine," Yurko said. "They come out of the woodwork. A lot of people have called to ask if we were showing the soccer playoff games."

The fan interest has been welcomed by United officials, who targeted two major groups in their marketing: Latinos and suburbanites.

Putting out some pregame Washington-style spin, Ray Trifari, director of team administration, said United would have been a winner even if it had lost the championship game.

"We think getting to the championship establishes us as winners," Trifari said, "and Washington loves a winner."