On a picture-perfect night many fans longed for, the New York metropolitan area finally got its own soccer stadium Saturday. The long-suffering Red Bulls even got a win, and Major League Soccer ensured five years of labor peace by signing a new collective bargaining agreement before the match. The sky was cloudless blue, and the first evening of spring felt more like early summer.

After a year of disappointments and an offseason full of change, D.C. United heads into the 2010 season in hopes of making the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2007.