AI Customer service agent built on Theta EdgeCloud will power an enhanced digital experience for Black-and-Red supporters
Theta Labs today announced a multi-year partnership with Major League Soccer's D.C. United. Theta Labs artificial intelligence will be integrated into the club's website, giving fans access to an AI customer service agent that delivers real-time information while creating a more engaging and personalized digital fan experience.
The agent is trained on D.C. United and Major League Soccer data and deployed on Theta EdgeCloud's distributed GPU infrastructure. It uses Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), which means responses are generated only from verified club and league sources rather than from the model's general training data. As a result, fans get accurate answers on schedules, results and roster information rather than plausible-sounding guesses.
"D.C. United are proud to welcome Theta Labs to the Black-and-Red family this season and beyond," said Leonard Edwards, Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Partnerships at D.C. United. "Innovation drives progress through technology, and we are excited to be able to elevate our fans engagement while creating new ways for our supporters to connect with the club."
"D.C. United are one of the most exciting and prestigious clubs in Major League Soccer, and we are thrilled to be putting our technology in front of their supporters. Audi Field sits in the heart of the nation's capital, and having an AI agent built on Theta EdgeCloud serving Black-and-Red fans there is something we are genuinely proud of. This is the most exciting U.S. sports deployment we have done to date, and we think it points to where fan engagement is heading across the league," said Mitch Liu, founder and CEO of Theta Labs.
The AI agent helps with matchday assistance by providing live matchday updates, lineups, stats, as well as parking and venue information. It also provides team and player insight, covering player statistics, injury updates, historical data, and performance metrics.
Fan engagement is enhanced through trivia, polls, and interactive content, while merchandise and ticketing support gives fans ticket availability, team gear and behind-the-scenes content. Together, these features provide a more interactive and seamless digital experience.
The partnership aims to create a more connected experience for the Black-and-Red faithful by providing a user-friendly interface to access information. D.C. United becomes the third Major League Soccer club to partner with Theta Labs, joining the San Jose Earthquakes and Philadelphia Union.
About D.C. United
One of the founding clubs of Major League Soccer in 1996, D.C. United are among the most decorated teams in the United States with 13 domestic and international trophies. D.C. United have called the District home for the last 28 seasons and play their home games at Audi Field in the Buzzard Point neighborhood of Southwest, Washington, D.C., which opened in 2018. In addition to D.C. United games, the 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium hosts over 100 events year-round.
The Black-and-Red train at the United Performance Complex, a state-of-the-art training facility and performance center located in Leesburg, Va. The 40,000 square foot 30-acre training facility, which opened in 2021, features four outdoor practice fields, and a training center equipped with a weight room and recovery facilities. The Black-and-Red have won the MLS Cup four times (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004), the Supporters' Shield four times (1997, 1999, 2006 and 2007) and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup three times (1996, 2008 and 2013). For more information and club updates, please visit www.dcunited.com and find us on social media @dcunited
