Last weekend’s D.C. United home opener saw the second-lowest attendance (15,895) in franchise history, which led to some speculation that fans may have been siphoned off by both the U.S./El Salvador match and Elite Eight games in the NCAA Tournament. MLS teams individually control their own start times, and in theory the kickoff could’ve been moved up because the game was only available on Direct Kick anyway, which would’ve at least allowed folks to get home and catch most of U.S. match. So I poised the question to DCU spokesman Doug Hicks, did they ever consider moving the kickoff?
He provided this response: “We didn’t consider changing the start time. We feel that the rain and cold were the biggest deterrents to ticket sales Saturday night. Early-season matches before the break in the weather are often tough sells for us. Though Saturday nights crowd was as spirited as you’ll find in the League, you can be sure larger crowds will come later in the spring.”
