Perhaps DC United's US Open Cup campaign could already be termed a success simply because they find themselves in the final. Winning is what sports is supposedly all about, of course, and so a chance at a repeat should be a reason to celebrate.

But it's DC United's other US Open Cup campaign, one of the marketing variety, that has taken center stage in light of the controversy over the site of the final. After allegations of preferential treatment on the part of US Soccer by Seattle Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer, and the acidic response of United President Kevin Payne, the pressure is now on for United to draw a large crowd for Open Cup final on September 2nd.

The team has taken some novel approaches to market the game, including the website WeWinTrophies.com. The front page of the site is dominated by a picture of United's trophy collection, with a rundown of the twelve that the team has won since its inception in 1996.



United took the step of having stickers attached to editions of the Washington City Paper, a free alternative weekly paper aimed at young professionals, with a US Open Cup themed logo (incorporating the date of the final) on one side and the URL for WeWinTrophies.com on the other. Once connected to the website, curious City Paper readers would find themselves reading a blurb on United's rich trophy history, and an entreaty to join the club for what is sure to be the next victory on September 2nd. Interested parties can buy tickets directly through the website, by clicking a link that redirects to Ticket Master.

While targeting the younger readers of the City Paper initially, United has not neglected the much broader and significant readership of the Washington Post. President Kevin Payne has penned an open letter to the people of Washington, and the team has purchased a full page ad in today's Post to appeal directly to the DC community's sense of pride. "The Sounders, and its fans, have said that Washington, D.C. and its fans do not deserve to host the match at RFK. They insisted the match should be played in Seattle," Payne writes, "I know not all of you are D.C. United fans. Many of you aren’t even soccer fans, but a challenge has been issued and we expect all sports fans in D.C. to meet it. Stand up for D.C."

Midweek games, which the Open Cup final will be (September 2nd is a Wednesday) are notorious difficult sells in the American soccer environment. Last year's final, also hosted by United, drew only 8,200 fans to RFK. Although the step up in competition, the Charleston Battery of USL-1 were United's opponents in 2008, should help increase interest, United still faces an uphill battle to draw a significant crowd.

The controversy over the awarding of the final to United is being excellently leveraged by the club, though a failure at the gate could still be a public relations hit. US Soccer should also have a vested interest in seeing United draw well after they chose DC over Seattle as hosts, though their often lukewarm promotion of the tournament leaves open the question of their actual concern. With Seattle's success drawing massive crowds to Sounders' games this year, both US soccer's governing body and DC United as a club face extra scrutiny if these marketing campaigns are unable to drum up significant ticket sales for September 2nd.

But the added drama is an extra selling point for United, one they have taken to heart and are pushing intently. It will be interesting to see if their efforts bear fruit, and if this US Open Cup final meets the higher expectations, both on the field and in the stands, that have come with the competitive chatter usually missing from the tournament.

With three weeks left until the final, I expect United's marketing department may have a few more tricks up their sleeves.