D.C. United’s Conor Doyle challenges Philadelphia Union’s Richie Marquez for a header in the air.
by Sean Maslin
There is an old saying in Washington D.C.: no deal on a project is done until dirt is broken and the big giant ribbon is cut. It is an adage built out of years of deals being backed out of and a notion that an agreement between two parties is just another step in the negotiation process. For those outside of the Beltway it is everything that is frustrating about American politics. For those inside the Beltway it is Wednesday.
On Tuesday the rest of the American soccer world just learned how maddening things can be inside this former swamp when it was revealed that D.C. United were looking at a potential new stadium site. In a report conducted by the Washington Post’s Johnathan O’Connell it was revealed that club President Jason Levien had been spotted lunching with Loudoun supervisors in New York.
Now it is not a crime to have dinner with someone. But this of course comes after the team had finally come to an agreement with the D.C. City Council on building a soccer-specific stadium in downtown D.C. O’Connell’s report also mentions that the club had hosted Loudoun County officials last week to review stadium sites. It also comes after 15 years of back and forth between both the team and the city council, a process that made Sisyphus’ rolling a boulder up a giant hill look like a walk in the park.
So why the sudden change of heart? As with many things here in Washington D.C. money seems to be the issue. The current stadium deal calls for United to fork over $143 million to buy the land at Buzzard’s Point, the location in Southwest where the team would call home in 2017. That part does not seem to be an issue.
However, it appears that there are two major issues that have stymied progress on the stadium. First, the D.C. City Council passed a bill in May giving the city additional protections in case United cannot fulfill their obligations in helping build the stadium. Second, as O’Connell notes from a private source, the team is reticent towards paying cost overruns in case the team cannot build the stadium.
D.C. United have yet to comment publicly about the stadium situation. D.C. Mayor Murriel Bowser did talk to the media yesterday saying, “We have a very generous deal on the table. We have unanimous approval from the council of the District of Columbia and substantial agreement from the residents of the District of Columbia. So we have demonstrated our commitment to keeping D.C. United in the District of Columbia, which they have represented to their fans is their long desire.”
For those that are not from the area Woodbridge is a city in Loudoun County Virginia. It is a city of about 4,000 people but is about 23 miles south of Washington D.C. It is not metro-accessible and is not located in downtown Washington D.C., two things that would obviously not sit well with Major League Soccer officials (not that they haven’t compromised that rule before).
Virginia, as a state, is a major soccer hub. The Virginia Cavaliers have won twenty-seven NCAA Men’s Division I Soccer titles and the women’s team has won four. State and local officials in Arlington County have also been in negotiations with the North American Soccer League about bringing launching a team in the northern part of the state. That team, the Northern Virginia Cavalry, was expected to being play in 2017 but ownership and stadium troubles have put that deal in doubt.
It should also be noted that D.C. United in recent months have strengthened their ties in the state of Virginia. Back in March, the club announced an affiliation agreement with Evergreen FC, a squad from Loudoun who play in the National Premier Soccer League. There had been some rumors that United may use this club as a means for developing their own United Soccer League affiliate over the next few years.
While it may seem like the end of D.C. United in Buzzard’s Point, all of the pieces just do not add up. Why would United want to take their team away from the Washington D.C. area, risk alienating many of their fans, and face the wrath of the league office?
In the end this sounds and feels like D.C. politics at its finest. United are looking to use their one chip, their relationship with Loudoun county and the state of Virginia, to help negotiate a better deal with D.C. It does not make economic sense for United to build a stadium in a growing part of Virginia, but one that is likely not in the near future capable of hosting an MLS team. The situation is a win-win for Loudoun too because even if they do not get United they will likely receive a D.C. United-USL squad in the future.
The losers in this are the supporters. For about over a decade they have waited and waited for a stadium deal to be done. While other teams like the New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew, and Chicago Fire have been given soccer-specific stadiums, United have played in a historic, but dilapidated structure called Robert F. Kennedy War Memorial Stadium.
D.C. United’s big gamble should they choose to break off ties with Washington D.C. and move to Woodbridge is that their supporters will follow them. For some after being asked to attend committee hearings and speak on what it would mean to have a new stadium, being asked to travel to Woodbridge may just be a step too far. Politics can leave bitter feelings and if this move happens it might be enough for some supporters to say goodbye to D.C. United.
Related:
D.C. United could spurn Buzzard Point for stadium outside city limits
