This past weekend the city of Toronto hosted the inaugural Roller Derby World Cup, featuring the national teams of thirteen different countries. The captain of the French team was one of our own D.C. Rollergirls. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Whether you’re a loyal fan or recently initiated into World Cup frenzy by an uncharacteristic fist pump after a last-minute header against Brazil, eyes are on Frankfurt today where the U.S. Women's National Team will play for the World Cup title in the final against Japan. Obama couldn’t make it, but he’s sending a presidential delegation led by Jill Biden. more ›

In a shocking letdown for soccer fans in Washington and across the country, FIFA announced this morning that the 2022 World Cup would be awarded to Qatar. In another surprise, Russia will host the 2018 tournament. The United States, with its overwhelming number of large soccer-ready stadia and immense success hosting the 1994 tournament, was considered by many to be heavy favorites. Washington would have hosted as many as seven matches during the tournament, likely at FedEx Field. (Apparently, Councilmember Harry Thomas' appearance at the Newseum this morning didn't bring the U.S. bid much luck.) As a huge soccer fan, this DCist editor is really bummed out about the fact that he won't be able to hop on the Orange Line to go see a World Cup match in twelve years, but I guess it could be worse -- we could be England, who basically invented the modern game and was, yet again, snubbed for hosting duties despite having not held a World Cup in the country since 1966. more ›

What a great game that was. Congratulations to [insert team name here], you deserve your World Cup win. Sorry, [insert other team name here], you played very well, but today just wasn't your day. Congrats to Africa too for putting on a great event, despite whatever [insert miscreant here] says. more ›

Austin Danforth, reporter with The Alexandria Times, is in South Africa for the World Cup. This is Danforth's third travel dispatch for DCist from his trip; read his others here and here. more ›

Donovan struck. Fans far and wide and old and new, including in our nation's capital screamed. What's in store for tomorrow? more ›

They might be 3-8-1 as Major League Soccer nears the end of its two-week hiatus for the World Cup, but one feels like D.C. United's best soccer is still ahead of them. The club welcomed the El Salvador national team to RFK Stadium on Saturday night for a friendly which benefitted the Spanish Catholic Center Langley Park medical clinic and United for D.C. The Black-and-Red looked decent too, winning 1-0 on Adam Christman's 51st minute goal and stretching their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games in front of what was a largely pro-Salvadoran crowd. more ›

Austin Danforth, reporter with The Alexandria Times, is in South Africa for the World Cup. This is Danforth's second travel dispatch for DCist from his trip; read his first here. more ›

Austin Danforth, reporter with The Alexandria Times, is in South Africa for the World Cup. This is Danforth's first travel dispatch for DCist from his trip. Keep an eye out for more. more ›

"U.S. wins 1-1!" That was my favorite cheer following the U.S.–England World Cup soccer match, during which a bunch of us Americans feigned interest in soccer or whatever when what we really like to see is British people losing at things that are really important to them. Or -- well, is that what happened? Yglesias writes in earnest about being a fan on the bubble. And one BBC correspondent in fact reported the U.S.–England matchup from the "rock festival" atmosphere of Dupont Circle, where hundreds if not thousands of fans gathered. The report says that British and American soccer fans are a lot alike, but well of course there are some differences, as you would only expect . . . blah blah England's single tiny goal against the U.S., because BBC HD or whatever switched to commercial before the play. Bwahaha! Whose call was that, Robert Green's? USA, USA! more ›

Some 2,400 5,400 customers in Northwest D.C. are experiencing power outages, according to Pepco's service alert map. That may have something to do with the cable problems that people are reporting on Twitter. U Street Girl says that the electricity is out south of U Street NW but not north of U Street, which fits my experience and some other reports, and that soccer hooligans are streaming out of U Street bars in search of a working World Cup broadcast. more ›

At the half, the U.S./England World Cup match is all tied up at 1-1. As Matthew Yglesias put it, "Robert Green stops kicks like BP stops oil spills." (Which is good, because that first England score was something.) Other twitterers are reporting massive crowds in Dupont Circle and its nearby bars. And rumors of a Comcast outage in the area will likely only add to the crowds. This guy, captured in Dupont Circle by maxedaperture, doesn't look too bothered. more ›

Gooooooooooooopher! World Cup spirit has swept the Smithsonian National Zoo's Small Mammal House. With li'l fellas hailing form all over the world, the Small Mammal House might be the greatest hotbed of World Cup fervor this side of Embassy Row. Plus, the zookeepers covered the soccer balls with peanut butter. Even the most reluctant globalist couldn't pass up that deal. more ›

While most of us must beg off work or blow off work in order to catch a World Cup matchup, 17 students from George Washington have to observe the games -- there in South Africa -- to further their careers. ABC7 profiles a team of GWU graduate students who are there to study firsthand the economic impact of the World Cup on South Africa, possibly the least developed country to ever host the games. Given the important work they're doing, it's hard to begrudge these students their amazing opportunity. But not impossible. more ›

The waiting is nearly over: the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in less than 72 hours. South Africa gets things started against Mexico at 10 a.m. on Friday, with France vs. Uruguay to follow at 2:30. The time difference between the eastern United States and South Africa place group play kickoffs in the Eastern Standard time zone at a reasonable 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 2:30 p.m., and the District has given bars the go ahead to open up early for all games, with the right to start serving alcohol at eight in the morning. more ›

The prospect of drinking on the sly at 7 a.m. on a Saturday while watching international football might not appeal to everyone. Some of you -- gasp! -- may actually be interested in spending your weekend outside, instead of fostering the kind of Vitamin D deficiency only seen in bloggers who routinely decamp in the dankest corners of pubs, rooting on teams from countries they've never even set foot in. more ›

Oh, this should be an interesting intersection of events! According to The Washington Blade, a "World Cup event, called Soccer in the Circle, will take place inside Dupont Circle on June 12, the same day that the Capital Pride parade will travel along the circle’s perimeter as 10,000 people walk in the LGBT parade or watch from the sidewalks." more ›

The D.C. City Council passed legislation today that allows bars to open as early as 7 a.m. throughout the World Cup. This year the series takes place in South Africa, which is six hours ahead of D.C., so some games will begin at 7:30 a.m. our time. The legislation allows bars to register with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration and pay a flat fee so that they can open at 7 a.m. from June 11 to July 11, but liquor serving hours will remain unchanged. more ›

If the United States wins its aggressive bid to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022, 18 cities will vie to host matches in what is arguably the most important sporting competition on the planet. Unsurprisingly, Washington, D.C., will be one of those cities. The USA Bid Commitee announced this afternoon that D.C. will be represented in the official United States bid book for the 2018 and 2022 finals with the inclusion of FedEx Field as a potential venue. more ›

The cold, blustery and wet conditions at RFK Stadium were nothing short of appropriate for the United States' final World Cup qualifier, really: the fitting backdrop for the conclusion of a road trip which has seen little sunshine for the men's national team. In the light of the car crash which severely injured forward Charlie Davies, most of the 26,243 on hand focused their meditations on one question: would the accident inspire the Americans to perform at the peak of their abilities, or would they simply fall flat in a match that both math and the accident had rendered much less of a priority? more ›

Shaq couldn't get in to see the Commander-In-Chief on Monday, but FIFA boss Sepp Blatter sure did. And from the sound of it, Washington's most famous resident turned on the charm, dribbling a ball which Blatter brought with him and kinda-sorta accepting an invitation to attend the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. more ›

Two weeks ago, D.C. United traveled to Los Angeles to play a depleted Galaxy team and were lucky to come away with a disappointing 0-0 tie after Nate Jaqua missed two easy opportunities in front of the United goal. Determined not to fall into the trap of playing down to their competition again, United scored early in their 3-1 victory over the visiting Chicago Fire and never looked back. Fire goalie Matt Pickens bobbled... more ›

If you've been to the box suites at RFK Stadium, you may have noticed photos of acts that have played the stadium lining the hallway - U2, New Kids on the Block, the Promise Keepers and so on. But after we finished laughing at the New Kids, one plaque off to the side caught our eye: "Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, site of Olympic football, 19 July-4 August 1996." What? The Olympics were at RFK? There... more ›

Yesterday we picked up a false report from a usually reliable news source, and conveyed misinformation as facts. Washington Capitals team webmaster Mike Vogel ran a story on the official team website stating that Caps forward Alexander Ovechkin had been disciplined for a "hit from behind," and we picked it up as fact. After all, there was a link to the story on the NHL.com homepage, so someone must have checked it out. Hitting... more ›

> > Deadline worth noting! Anyone interested in participating in this year's DC Idiotarod has until tomorrow, Thursday March 1, at 11:59 p.m. to register your team for the big race on March 3. Don't miss out on this opportunity to bring wanton chaos to the streets of D.C. [DC Idiotarod] > > Fans of soccer, wine, photography, and philanthropy will descend upon the JW Marriott tonight for the Goals for Girls Auction & Wine... more ›

We'd like to start this week's run-down by wishing a very happy birthday to parent blog Gothamist, which turned four on Friday. If it wasn't for them, the rest of us wouldn't be here. They celebrated their birthday by nabbing an interview with Entourage star Adrian Grenier, who misses NYC public transportation when he's working in LA. They also reported on NYU students protesting a band whose name is also known as a slur,... more ›

Despite having the best record in MLS, D.C. United took the field Saturday night looking to regain the form that has the team on pace for the second best season in MLS history. On paper, the visiting L.A. Galaxy seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. However, after a rough stretch that saw them lose 9 of 11 matches, the Galaxy have come around of late, losing only one of their last nine... more ›

Fresh off of their victory Wednesday night over the New York Red Bulls, MLS leading DC United hope to continue their winning ways Saturday night when they host the LA Galaxy. While the Galaxy's 7-11-5 record may not sound too enticing there are plenty of subplots in Saturday's game that bear watching. Recently departed Santino Quaranta, traded from DC to LA for a future draft pick, will be making his return to RFK. He's... more ›

Mired in a 4-game winless slump and experiencing an offensive drought, DC United headed into last night's match against Red Bull New York with a degree of uncertainty. Would United's forwards be able to capitalize on the scoring chances that had slipped by them in past games? Could the team regain its competitive edge? Was it time for another early exit from U.S. Open Cup play? United provided an emphatic answer to these questions,... more ›

After soundly thrashing Celtic FC in a friendly two weeks ago, MLS-leading DC United will take on another international power, only this time it's the mighty Real Madrid. Due to scheduling conflicts at the local stadiums and Real's already booked West Coast tour, this friendly will be played in Seattle at Qwest Field on August 9th at 11 p.m. ET. We here at DCist are bummed that we won't be able to watch this... more ›