WASHINGTON - Major League Soccer fans have been calling out media figures who invoke versions of the "DC Sports Curse" as excitement is building over the Capitals run at the Stanley Cup.
"Check the facts," emailed one D.C. United fan to several D.C. media outlets. "D.C. United was the last. They are getting no love."
Washington's professional soccer team most recently won the U.S. Open Cup in 2013.
"The curse" or the "sports drought" has been noted by the likes of Sports Illustrated. It has been taken as gospel that no major professional sports team in D.C. has brought home its league's championship for going on 26 years.
MLS fans object to being left out of the "major" sports category.
The average game attendance for D.C. United in 2017 was 17,904, which is comparable to the Capitals at 18,744 and the Wizards at 17,973.
Plus, D.C. United is the most decorated team in the MLS with 13 major national or international championships.
The team will begin playing in it's new home, the $500 million Audi Field in Southwest D.C., in mid-July.
"I think it's time we stop thinking about the major four sports and we start thinking about the major five," said Lindsey Simpson, a spokesperson and broadcaster for D.C. United.
"Soccer is the most popular sport in the world," she added.
D.C. United fans and players are pulling for the Capitals like everyone else. Simpson noted that 2018 is an exciting year for fans of all sports in the DC region.
