Peter Vermes was the captain and Marcelo Balboa scored the goal for the Colorado Rapids in a 2-1 loss at Columbus Crew SC on September 4, 1999. This was the Rapids’ first game in the league’s first soccer-specific stadium.
Down the years, MLS teams have shared the space with football (the American variety) and baseball, both pro and college. But on Saturday, the Rapids will stride into the league’s latest soccer stadium when they face Orlando City SC. Orlando City Stadium, with a capacity of 25,500, staged its first MLS match on March 5, 2017.
Columbus were the first and Orlando are the most recent, but there have been many in between. After then-named Crew Stadium, it would be a further four years before MLS would welcome another soccer-specific stadium, when LA Galaxy moved into Home Depot Center (now StubHub Center) in 2003.
FC Dallas would have their own home in 2005, followed by Chicago Fire a year later. It was in 2007 that the Rapids moved to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, having been tenants at the home of the Denver Broncos since the league began in 1996. The same year, Toronto FC landed in the league, and brought with them BMO Field.
Other MLS teams steadily followed suit: Real Salt Lake (2008), New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union (both 2010), Sporting Kansas City (2011), Houston Dynamo and Montreal Impact (both 2012), and then San Jose Earthquakes (2015).
The next new arena to house a MLS team is Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This, though, will be used by both Atlanta United FC and the Atlanta Falcons. Three more soccer-specific venues are expected to open in 2018, with D.C. United finally moving away from RFK Stadium, LAFC entering the league in their brand-new Banc of California Stadium, while Minnesota United will swap TCF Bank Stadium for their own place in St. Paul.
The Rapids' record when playing a first game in a new soccer-specific stadium (including Dick's Sporting Goods Park) is: 2-8-3.
<strong>First game at new stadium</strong> |
<strong>Venue (name at time)</strong> |
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
September 4, 1999 |
Crew Stadium |
Columbus Crew SC |
L 2-1 |
June 7, 2003 |
Home Depot Center |
LA Galaxy |
L 2-0 |
May 18, 2005 |
Pizza Hut Park |
FC Dallas |
L 2-1 |
August 26, 2006 |
Toyota Park |
Chicago Fire |
L 1-0 |
<em>April 7, 2007</em> |
<em>Dick's Sporting Goods Park</em> |
<em>D.C. United</em> |
<em>W 2-1</em> |
June 2, 2007 |
BMO Field |
Toronto FC |
L 2-1 |
August 29, 2008 |
Rio Tinto Stadium |
Real Salt Lake |
L 2-0 |
August 14, 2010 |
PPL Park |
Philadelphia Union |
T 1-1 |
September 11, 2010 |
Red Bull Arena |
New York Red Bulls |
L 3-1 |
July 6, 2011 |
Livestrong Sporting Park |
Sporting Kansas City |
T 1-1 |
April 28, 2013 |
*BBVA Compass Stadium |
Houston Dynamo |
T 1-1 |
June 29, 2013 |
*Saputo Stadium |
Montreal Impact |
W 4-3 |
August 14, 2015 |
Avaya Stadium |
San Jose Earthquakes |
L 1-0 |
KEY:
* - stadium opened in 2012
