WASHINGTON — As D.C. United’s longest continuously tenured player, right back Nick DeLeon had learned to appreciate the unique advantage of playing at RFK Stadium, the club’s venerable former home, this time of year.
Yet as the Black-and-Red approach their first game in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs at Audi Field, he’s pretty sure the new digs will exceed the old in one regard.
“I think it’ll be a little louder,” DeLeon said. “Just because the fans are a little more on top of you.”
The steeply banked seats, intimate dimensions and raw noise of some of MLS’ original ultras will be felt in full force when United kick off against Columbus Crew SC in a Knockout Round match on Thursday (8 pm ET | FS1, UniMás, TVAS, TSN) in a venue as imposing as any for away teams in MLS this season.
D.C. are 13-2-2 at home overall, including a 12-2-1 mark since opening Audi Field on July 14, and have been able to storm to the playoffs on a 10-match unbeaten run with eight of those games being played at home.
“It definitely starts with the atmosphere. It’s a good atmosphere. The crowd is loud, which brings energy to guys on the field,” DeLeon explained. "But I think it’s just a confidence that comes with that. The guys at home have had a different confidence. That’s just a mental game it can play with opposing teams.”
In terms of points, the Black-and-Red have earned 37 of 45 on offer at Audi Field, or about 82 percent. Only the New York Red Bulls have been better, going 14-2-1 at Red Bull Arena to take 43 of 51 possible points, or roughly 84 percent.
To be fair, all of those games have come since D.C. signed former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney. And most have come since midfielders Russell Canouse and Junior Moreno returned to health and goalkeeper Bill Hamid returned on loan from Denmark.
And while D.C. are clearly feeling like their new home is — in fact — home, the exact nature of their edge isn’t quite clear yet. At RFK, it was the outdated decor, old school ambiance and occasional raccoons. In Houston and Dallas, it’s the heat and humidity. In Toronto, it’s sometimes the cold. In Seattle and Atlanta, it's huge crowds and synthetic surfaces. And at New York City FC, it’s the cozy pitch dimensions.
“I don’t know if it’s any different than everybody else’s home field,” D.C. coach Ben Olsen said of Audi Field. “The energy the fans give you, the field dimensions, the surface, it’s home field. It’s no different than everybody else’s home field. And you’ve been there more times than you have when you go away.”
There was a 3-1 victory over Atlanta United in August, when the visitors and neutrals both noticed suspiciously long grass, possibly left unmowed to slow down the visitor's dynamic transition game.
Otherwise, perhaps it’s as simple as more fully appreciating all that having a home means, after going nearly a full year without a place to call their own. Both by the players and the fans.
“We have a confidence coming into our stadium knowing that more times than not we’ve obviously won,” defender Steve Birnbaum said. “It gives us that push that we’ve needed. And the fans have done a great job this year with keeping the momentum going. And when we’ve been down, they’ve lifted us up to wins that maybe we wouldn’t have had in the past.”
Watch: Will home field spur D.C. to Knockout Round triumph?
