6 April 1996 - The Name "San Jose Sex Pistols" Is Still Available

On 6 April 1996, the San Jose Clash hosted DC United for the inaugural Major League Soccer match. San Jose won, 1-0, but United went on to win the league title.

The new league was part of the deal that brought the World Cup to the United States in 1994. Only ten teams contested that first season, followed by a playoff tournament to decide the league champion. In addition to the tournament, MLS departed from the International Football Association Board rules by using a countdown clock (which paused for stoppages of play) and shootouts to decide matches that were even at the end of regulation.

It looked as if the shootout procedure might be needed in that first game, played before a capacity crowd of 31,683 at San Jose's Spartan Stadium. But with two minutes left, Clash forward Eric Wynalda dribbled into the DC United box, beat one defender, then split two others to fire a shot into the far corner of the net. It was the very first goal scored in MLS and was enough to give the victory to the Clash.

In 1999, the Clash renamed themselves the Earthquakes, taking the name from the city's old NASL team. The team moved to Houston in 2006 and became the Dynamo, while the Earthquakes name and records remained in San Jose. After a two-year hiatus, the Earthquakes team rejoined MLS in 2008.

11 December 2006 - DC Says Adieu To Adu

On 11 December 2006, DC United parted ways with midfielder Freddy Adu, sending him to Real Salt Lake along with goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

Adu made history when he signed for United in 2004. He was only 14 at the time, making him the youngest American athlete in over a century to sign a contract with a professional team in any sport. He played in 31 matches in his first season, primarily as a substitute, and scored 5 goals as United won both the MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield.

He eventually earning a regular starting position by 2006, the same year in which he earned his first cap for the US national team. But he publicly complained about his lack of playing time, which undoubtedly played a role in his eventual transfer to Salt Lake. In return for Adu and Rimando, United received goakeeper Jay Nolly, a major player allocation (valued between $250,000 and $350,000), and a portion of Adu's future transfer revenue.

After just over 7 months in Salt Lake, Adu moved to Portugal to play for Benfica, who purchased his rights for $2 million. He later spent time with Monaco and Belenenses, and currently plays for Greek side Aris.

Rimando remains with Salt Lake where he won the 2009 MLS Cup and was named an MLS All-Star in 2010.

5 December 1998 - Pope Blesses DC's Trophy Cabinet

On 5 December 1998, DC United overcame a first-leg deficit to win the final Copa Interamericana.

Since 1968, the Copa Interamericana had matched the winners of South America's Copa Libertadores against the CONCACAF Champions Cup holder, though the tournament was not played every year. The 1998 edition featured a match-up unique in the Cup's history, pairing the tournament's first Brazilian team--Vasco da Gama--against its first US side--DC United.

Vasco won the first leg, played at DC's RFK Stadium in November, with a solitary goal from midfielder Felipe. Although Vasco were the ostensible hosts for the second leg, it was played at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Vasco arrived having just lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in the Intercontinental Cup four days earlier.

The match was scrappy, with the referee issuing yellow cards to players from both sides within the first 15 minutes. DC drew level on aggregate with a 34th-minute strike from midfielder Tony Sanneh. Vasco manager Antônio Lopes made some drastic changes at halftime, withdrawing midfielder Juninho and forward Luizão for substitutes Guilherme and Vitor, but it was DC who moved ahead with a goal from defender Eddie Pope in the 77th minute.

That was the last Copa Interamericana, as CONCACAF teams started competing in CONMEBOL competitions, making the tournament redundant.

21 September 1951 - A Bruce Is Born

On 21 September 1951, future two-time MLS Coach of the Year Bruce Arena was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Arena was a standout goalkeeper for Nassau Community College in New York, earning All America recognition in 1970 and 1971 for both lacrosse and soccer. After two years, he transferred to Cornell University, where he won the 1972 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. A short professional stint followed, including a single US cap, but Arena made his most significant impact as a coach.

In 1978, Arena moved to the University of Virginia to coach both lacrosse and soccer (he eventually dropped lacrosse in 1985). He guided the UVa program to prominence, winning five national championships. He left in 1996 to take up the reins at DC United for their inaugural MLS season, winning the MLS Cup twice in his first two years and claiming his first Coach of the Year award in 1997.

In 1998, he left DC to manage the US national team and guided them to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, their best showing since 1930. But a disappointing group stage exit in 2006 led to his departure. A short stint with the New York Red Bulls followed, but he was sacked after just over a year. He is currently the manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy, where he won his second Coach of the Year award after guiding them to the MLS Cup Final in 2009.

19 January 1974 - I Wonder If He Wore Golden Booties

On 19 January 1974, DC United captain and all-time MLS scoring leader Jaime Moreno was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

Moreno started his professional career in 1991 with his hometown club, Blooming. After two successful seasons, he transferred to Colombian side Independiente Santa Fe, but made only 5 league appearances before transferring again in 1994, this time to English Division One side Middlesbrough. When Boro were promoted for the 1995-96 season, he became the first Bolivian to play in the Premier League.

After playing sparingly for Middlesbrough, Moreno returned to the Western hemisphere in 1996 to play for DC United in the new American league. Other than one season (2003) with the MetroStars, Moreno has remained with DC ever since. Along the way, he earned several honors, including four MLS Cups (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004), two US Open Cups (1996, 2008), and one CONCACAF Champions Cup (1998).

In 1997, he won the MLS' Golden Boot, scoring 16 goals in 20 league appearances. He is currently the league's all-time top scorer, with 131 goals through the 2009 season.

18 November 2003 - DC Likes 'Em Young

On 18 November 2003, DC United signed United States U-17 international Freddy Adu to his first professional contract, making the 14-year, 169-day old Adu the youngest athlete to sign a professional contract for a team sport in the United States in over 100 years.

Born in Ghana in 1989, Adu emigrated to the United States in 1997, becoming a US citizen in 2003. While growing up in Maryland, he quickly displayed a talent for the game. As a 10-year old, he played with the US U-14 squad and began to draw attention from noted clubs including Inter Milan and Manchester United. In January 2002, he joined the US Soccer Federation's U-17 residential program at the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Despite the interest from Europe, Adu and his family decided he should stay close to home with MLS and DC United. He made his first appearance for DC as a second-half substitute in their season opener on 3 April 2004. He played in all 30 regular season matches, finishing with five goals and three assists, and also helped DC to the 2004 MLS Cup.

Though moderately successful, Adu's time in DC was marred by complaints over playing time and positioning and, in December 2006, he moved to Real Salt Lake. He has since changed clubs a number of times, including stints at Benfica, who currently hold his contract, and loan spells with Monaco and current club Belenenses.

Before signing Adu, DC United had previously signed the league's youngest players in Bobby Convey (2000) and Santino Quaranta (2001), both of whom were 16 at the time they signed.

24 July 2007 - Not To Be Confused With The Danish Top Flight

On 24 July 2007, the first two matches of the inaugural SuperLiga competition were played in California and Texas.

Intended to be a smaller North American version of the UEFA Champions League, the competition includes US and Canadian teams from MLS, as well as teams from Mexico's Primera División, drawing four teams from each league. The teams play a group stage with two 4-team groups. The top two teams from each group then advance to the knockout stages, which consist of the semi-finals and the final.

For the inaugural tournament, the teams were chosen by invitation. MLS selected DC United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, and LA Galaxy, while the Primera División chose Monarcas Morelia, Pachuca, América, and Guadalajara. In those first matches, FC Dallas drew 1-1 with Guadalajara, while the Galaxy defeated Pachuca 2-1 with an 81st minute matchwinner from Landon Donovan.

Both LA and Pachuca advanced from their group and faced each other again in the Final, where Pachuca got their revenge, winning on penalties 1-1 (3-4).

21 April 1991 - It Was Almost, But Not Quite, Like The Beatles At Shea Stadium

On 21 April 1991, midfielder John Harkes became the first American to play in an English cup final at Wembley Stadium. He started the match for Second Division Sheffield Wednesday against First Division Manchester United in the League Cup Final before a crowd of 77,612.

The Owls beat United 1-0, with the lone goal coming from Harkes' midfield partner John Sheridan. The victory was particularly meaningful for Sheffield Wednesday manager Ron Atkinson, who had been the manager of Manchester United until 1986, when he was replaced by Alex Ferguson.

Two years after his record-setting appearance, Harkes became the first American to score in a League Cup final, as the Owls lost 2-1 to Arsenal. He played in England from 1990 through the 1995-96 season, including stints at Derby County and West Ham United. In 1996, he returned to the U.S. to play for MLS side D.C. United under coach Bruce Arena, who had coached Harkes at the University of Virginia.

17 April 2004 - Adu A-Does It

On 17 April 2004, D.C. United's Freddy Adu became the youngest goalscorer in MLS history before a crowd of 31,419 at New York's Giants Stadium.

At 14 years, 320 days, the Ghanian-born U.S. international entered the match in the 54th minute, replacing Alecko Eskandarian. D.C. was trailing 3-1 when Adu put a six-yard shot past Metrostars goalkeeper Jonny Walker in the 75th minute. That was the last goal of the match, however, which ended 3-2 in favor of the MetroStars.

Despite the loss, D.C. went on to win the MLS Cup that year, with Eskandarian claiming the honors for the league's Most Valuable Player.

Adu stayed with United through the 2005-06 season, making a total of 87 appearances and scoring 11 goals. He then transferred to Real Salt Lake for the 2006-07 season, before moving on the Portuguese side Benfica. He is currently on loan with A.S. Monaco.

Photo copyrighted by Bill Kostroun - AP.