Adu’s MLS Debut to Be ‘Downsized’
In a new twist on supply and demand, D.C. United of Major League Soccer could be turning away fans from Freddy Adu’s first game -- even though thousands of seats will be empty.
United has closed off the upper deck of 53,000-seat RFK Stadium in Washington this season and will strictly adhere to a downsized capacity of 24,607.
“We’ve downsized in the past, but we haven’t always stuck to it,” General Manager Kevin Payne said Tuesday. “At some point in the next few years, we’re going to have a stadium that only seats about 25,000, so we need to get people in the habit of buying tickets in advance.”
The opener against San Jose on Saturday is on pace to sell out in advance at the downsized limit, fueled by the publicity surrounding the debut of 14-year-old Adu.
This year, the team is drawing the line at the upper deck, even if it means some fans will go home unhappy.
“You can’t just open the upper deck. It’s got to be staffed,” Payne said. “If it’s not staffed in advance, then we don’t even have the option of opening it.”
Galaxy to Play Iran
The Galaxy will play host to the national team of Iran in an international friendly April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl. Iran is ranked No. 24 in the world, its best FIFA ranking ever.
It will be the first game for Iran in Southern California since it played to a 1-1 tie with the United States on Jan. 16, 2000, at the Rose Bowl.
MetroStars Sign Glen
Trinidad and Tobago international forward Cornell Glen agreed to play for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of MLS.
Glen, 22, has played for Trinidad and Tobago 11 times. He scored three goals March 17 against the Chicago Fire in the first leg of the quarterfinals of CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Fire advanced to the semifinals after the second leg, however.
Quick Passes
Two-time World Cup champion Argentina beat Ecuador, 1-0, in a South American World Cup qualifying match at Buenos Aires, and Chile beat host Bolivia, 2-0, at La Paz.
Lazio and AS Roma will replay a game suspended March 21 in Rome after a false rumor that police had killed a boy sparked chaos, the Italian league ruled. No date was announced.
