SPRINGFIELD, Va. — D.C. United gathered today at The St. James, a sprawling, newly-opened athletic facility in the D.C. suburbs that feels a bit like it was plucked out of a science-fiction novel.



The place is massive. Aside from a full-size, fully-enclosed soccer pitch, it boasts a seemingly endless supply of basketball courts, an ice rink, fitness center and amenities like a “hockey treadmill,” which is a thing that exists, apparently.



The whole place still smells like fresh paint and has that veneer of newness that simultaneously impresses and, in other ways, makes you wonder if it’s sustainable, or whether the mid-century furniture at the bar (yes, there’s a bar there) will crumble the second it gets any prolonged use.



It seemed an apt place to host United, a club coming off a massive 2018 campaign that in some ways felt like a corporate re-launch. Gone was the drab side that for years struggled to tread water in MLS’...