Top Five Worst MLS Stadiums for 2008

Calling all architects, these teams need soccer-specific stadiums, NOW!

5) RFK Stadium (DC United)
It's tough to put RFK Stadium on this list because they boast some of the most knowledgeable soccer fans in the league -- but that's in the stands. The atmosphere here (and at No.4) doesn't begin to make up for the poor performance of the field and the antiquity of the facilities.
Attendance: 66,237*

4) Giants Stadium (NY Red Bulls)
Both Giants' and RFK are similarly poor places to play, but New Jersey's jewel beats out the rundown RFK because it features the bane of soccer player's existence FIeldTurf. While it is certainly better than artificial turf (which was essentially concrete painted green), it is a substance designed for American football, not soccer, and the speed at which the ball travels allows semi-talented goalpoachers like John Wolyniec to have something resembling a career. Plus there are football grid lines, yuck!
Attendance: 17,619*

3) Rice-Eccles Stadium (Real Salt Lake)
Playing on a college field isn't always bad, but playing on a FieldTurf football field is. The ground up tires that make up FieldTurf pitches make for an ugly game. Football grid lines here, too, but at least it allows the poor announcers to more accurately estimate how many yards out the free kicks are.
Attendance: 18,037

2) Buck Shaw Stadium (San Jose Earthquakes)
Didn't the Don say that one of the requirements for expansion would be a soccer-specific stadium (or plans to build one at least). The MLS is back in San Jose and although they avoided the god-awful Spartan Stadium, they are now in the equally forsaken Buck Shaw Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University.
Attendance: 11,500.

1) CommunityAmerica Ballpark (Kansas City Wizards)
Is it fair to criticize a club's home field when they are only playing there temporarily while there spanking new stadium gets built? Yes, it is. There are high school fields that would be more suitable for soccer than this minor league baseball park. It is so narrow that they don't need goal posts; they just use the corner flags.
Attendance: 10,385* (only 6,537 fixed seats)

*record attendance