After finishing 4th in Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Eastern Conference and making it to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2015, D.C. United (DCU) had high hopes for the 2016 season. Now five games into the 2016 season, DCU find themselves in ninth place out of 10 teams in the Eastern Conference and 19th overall in league standings out of 20 teams.
To add to this discouraging start to 2016, Matthew Parsons, a long-time supporter, and leader of DCU’s District Ultras supporters group, as reported by DCist has been banned from attending MLS events and venues for one year. This punishment comes after Parsons used a smoke bomb outside of RFK Stadium before DCU’s last match on March 26th.
Not only has Parsons been banned from attending DCU home matches for one year, but “District Ultras section “will not be permitted to have flags, flag poles, and drums” at this Saturday’s game vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps at RFK—though a team official clarified to DCist yesterday that the Ultras will still be permitted to use drums at the match.” As one fan said via Twitter, in true MLS fashion, “way to make a mountain out of a mole hill.”
There are several reasons for the uproar over this:
CF97 Sirens 