I Started Supporting a Third Tier US Soccer Team

Here’s what I found when I became a fan of the Richmond Kickers

City Stadium, Richmond, VA, USA; photo by the author

I’ve been a soccer (football) fan my entire life.

I played the sport from age 6 until 16, then played again off and on in adult fun leagues. I cheered on Major League Soccer (top tier) squad DC United from the start.

As an adult, I lived in and around Washington, DC for years. I joined one of the supporters groups, Barra Brava, and attended United matches. I enjoyed the beer-soaked anarchy of the matches at crumbling RFK Stadium. I adopted the refreshing new Audi Field. At both stadiums, I loved jumping up and down and chanting for my team.

RFK Stadium, October 16th, 2016, DC United vs NYCFC; photo by the author.

I moved to Richmond, VA in 2019. While still in the DC major sports market, the traffic between can be exhausting. So I stopped going to DC United matches. At the same time, the quality of the team declined.

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