For those that went to the HDC a quick question

Different. RFK is awesome - I mean, it's our home, it's perfect for us. But as a soccer facility, HDC blows all other stadia in MLS out of the water - esp. that overgrown high school field they call Crew Stadium.

The House of Payne will be better than HDC, of course

 

The roof is great. We could use one over the fans behind the goal at the eventual DC United stadium.

Cheers,
Tim

 

HDC is definitely something to behold, its completely amazing, I have sat in 3 different sections and the seats are great in all of them. Its also easy to get to and clean around it.

 

I love:

• the look of it
• all the facilities
• the food
• the sightlines
• the proximity of the fans to the field
• most of all, the fact that it was built specifically for soccer, and is surrounded by other practice fields.

I dislike:

• the fact that it doesn't keep the sound in as much as a 'real' roof would.
• the fact that the Galaxy get to play there (except when we go there to pick up our trophy.)

 

Any place that takes away your drumsticks should be burned to the ground. Pronto. No exceptions. To the ground. I mean, 100% burned up.

Having said that, if they change their policy, its a pretty nice facility.

Andy

 

It's like a really nice mental ward and inmates are running it

 

I liked the width of the concourses, the bathrooms, the food selection/number of concession stands, the sightlines, the closeness of the seats to the field, and the newness of it all.

I disliked only having one Jumbo-Tron (impossible to see from our seats), and beer priced at $7.75, which is $.75 more expensive than what I pay in Baltimore at the Ravens games.

I want one of our own, of course, but I still don't think that HDC is the last word in what can be done in a SSS here.

 

It was my first trip to the HDC, and it was a very nice stadium. That being said, I hope our stadium is a little different. I want our place to be more a crazy loud cauldron of hurt for our opponents than a very pretty day out for those working on their trumpeting skills.

Something like the HDC with bouncing stands and a good solid roof on all sides would be a great start, and LA's stadium is certainly the class of the league right now.

 

The place looks cool, but the design does nothing for the atmosphere. The stands need to be totally covered all the way around to make it loud. I hope when we get our SSS they take that into consideration because its what makes RFK such a great place.

 

That's not so true. One of the best atmospheres at a soccer game in the US that I've ever experienced was the 1997 world cup qualifier in Portland OR. At this stadium the roof covers two sides of the stands, a building backs up the third, and the fourth is open. This configuration had an amazing acoustical character. You can achieve incredible acoustics with partial roofing. But your overall point that the acoustics of the Home Depot are not that great are true. A roof closer to the fans (ie, not suspended high above) would increase the sound retention. Also, covering around at least two adjacent and preferably three adjacent sides would do the trick.

Cheers,
Tim

 

after reading this thread i have decided our stadium needs to meet the following rules


1. it must be a loud, intimidating, cauldron of death.
2. it must be extremely unsafe
3. it must cut off all escape routes for metros fans. once they get in, they stay in, no one makesit out of DCU alive.

 

It's quieter at the open end than at the closed end. So if you sat with SE behind the goal you might not have gotten a true sense of how loud the HDC can be.

 

Unless you were standing next to the guy who was beating a big drum with beer bottles. In that case, you would not yet have regained the hearing in your left ear.

 

HDC blows. It has the largest field which means lesser shots on goal. Less action.

 

My .02 after having attended two games there (All Star 2003, Gal home game 2004).

Roof-I sat at midfield in the upper deck under the roof for the All Star game vs Chivas. That was the 2nd loudest game I have ever been at (1st was US vs Korea WC 2002). From where I was sitting it was very very loud. My ears were ringing the rest of the day (this from a guy that sits around artillery rounds going down range all day).

Sun-The reason I like the 3/4 roof is that it is southern California, any stadium in LA needs to be open to the great weather and sunshine.

Field-For a soccer specific stadium, they can't take care of the grass for ********.

Bar-Nice bar overlooking one end of the stadium. Got to take a piss next to Thomas Dooley and sit next to Cienfuegos while watching the game.

 

It is a beautiful stadium...the gate we walked in (right by the KC fans) goes directly to an open concourse with the field laying out right before you. I didn't really explore the stadium but on the opposite side of the stadium (where DC had there goal for the first half) looked like there was a restaurant/bar area overlooking the field and perhaps an open patio area.

My one issue is perhaps the HDC stadium is too open. When you enter RFK it's like you are descending down into the arena...I like the idea of descending down into the cauldron others have mentioned. I want a stadium that when the other teams walk in they are intimidated, with rabid DC fans screaming at them, like some poor fellow entering the gladiator pit. We need something that is new and nice but still maintains that gritty edge that I feel RFK has.

 

Excellent second paragraph there. That is a perfect image that I hope KP, et al. have in mind for framing the design of DC's stadium.

There will be one thing that is a certainty of the Poplar Point Stadium: one end will be open on the capital side, likely the side with the stage. Hence, if we are to have a cauldron like atmosphere that means that the other three stands must be enclosed. The kind of enclosure that is lacking at the HDC, where the roof is suspended high above the stands with like a canopy. A great roof design, but its on stilts and should be lowered more towards the stands for the DC design.

As far as entrances into the stadium, nowadays it's all dictated by crowd control and safety, so open is the mantra. However, it would be just so great to have one of those great entrances where you tunnel into the stadium and have it all open up there for you to take in.

Cheers,
Tim

 

Yeah, I had thought it would be nice to evoke the memory of RFK in the new stadium's shape as well- something like Hull's stadium in England, with it's rounded undulating roof. It seems an unlikely design though, as AEG clearly wants a stage at one end and a view of the capitol.

It's nice to dream, but AEG is footing the bill. As long as its a nice facility (with bouncing stands!) I have no doubt in the ability of the SEs, Barra Brava, and La Norte to make it an atmospheric venue.

 

The mouse is right.

DCU is the gold standard in this league and the closest thing in terms of passion to the visible, big money leagues around the world.

We have a unique city setting, and the ability to take this to a whole new level. Let's have a unique stadium with allusions to some of the great venues around the world. Sure, spell our DC United in the seats. Other reference points to the great Latin American venues would also be cool. We definitely want an entry tunnel. It builds atmosphere.

HDC is fine, but I wouldn't copy it.

Oh, and I stick with my earlier point. No drumsticks, no peace. Anyone who saw me playing the second half with empty beer bottles will understand.

 

I agree. There's some things we can take from Home Depot Center-seems like a great stadium but I've never been there.

I do think being America's Team our stadium needs to be unique in some fashion and represent the greatness, the "gold standard", in some imaginative way.

 

That's a banner for our trip to the HDC next year.

Tim