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Longtime MLS watchers and DC sports fans know that every year a hot rumor about DC United’s stadium situation begins to make the rounds, only for that rumor to fall apart and the team move ever closer to leaving the nation’s capital. &nbsp;Last year, it was Upper Marlboro and the University of Maryland that seemingly were landing places for DC’s stadium, with Baltimore lurking in the background to pick up the pieces. &nbsp;And who can forget the ill-fated stadium in Poplar Point that never came about. &nbsp;At this point, it is reasonable to be skeptical about any reported progress on a new soccer stadium in Washington, DC.
However, winds of change are blowing across the Anacostia and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/dc-united-stadium-cost-tax-benefits-outlined-in-study/2012/06/04/gJQAVcPYCV_blog.html" target="_blank">when even longtime soccer writer/guru Steven Goff is expressing optimism</a>, MLS may have reached a turning point with the DCU stadium situation. &nbsp;The hope revolves around two major developments with the team over the past two weeks. &nbsp;The first is the rumor that there may <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/2012/4/3/2922364/media-magnate-erick-thohir-rumored-to-be-interested-in-d-c-united" target="_blank">be a new investment in the team by Erick Thohir</a>, a part-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and a soccer fan. &nbsp;It was Thohir, president of Visi Media Asia, who <a href="http://the-diplomat.com/sport-culture/2011/12/09/beckham-still-shines-in-asia/" target="_blank">organized the LA Galaxy’s offseason tour of Indonesia</a>. &nbsp;Additionally, Will Chang, the principle owner of DC United, is working with Inner Circle Sports to help find additional investors for the team. &nbsp;RSL fans may recognize the New-York based bank as the company that helped organized their most recent sale, but possibly more importantly they helped the most recent sale of the 76ers, showing a familiarity to Thohir and his company. &nbsp;Thohir and another partner<a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/sports/penalty-kicks/2012/05/potential-investor-visits-dc-united/654221" target="_blank"> attended DC’s last home game against New England and met the team</a>, another telling sign.
[It is important to note that Will Chang has said he is not selling his entire ownership stake. &nbsp;In addition, in MLS owners do not directly buy teams but instead invest in the league as a meandering way to control different teams.]
Even if that sale went through, it would still leave the team lacking a place for a stadium. &nbsp;The most recent rumor had been that DCU was <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/plans-detail-buzzard-point-soccer-stadium-for-dc-united/2012/03/08/gIQAsFvL5R_story.html" target="_blank">exploring a site at Buzzard Point for a 22,000 seat soccer-only stadium</a>. &nbsp;The site has the advantage of being near the Washington Nationals’ stadium, meaning it would benefit from the social sites being built around the baseball stadium. &nbsp;How much everything would cost, however, is becoming more clear with a<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/2012/06/01/gJQA7LP7BV_story.html" target="_blank"> report leaked this week on the economic benefits of a new DCU stadium</a>. &nbsp;The Greater Washington Sports Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to sports in the nation’s capital with a number of prominent sports and business figures on the board, estimated that the stadium would cost $157 million to build (by comparison, <a href="http://blog.chron.com/soccer/2012/05/mls-commish-don-garber-praises-dynamo-ownership/" target="_blank">BBVA Compass Stadium cost $95 million</a>) but would support almost a thousand full time jobs as well as generate $38 million in revenue annually. &nbsp;The significance of this study (conducted by Convention Sports &amp; Leisure International) is that some of the leading personalities in the city are moving forward with creating a pitch and a plan for a new stadium. &nbsp;While not shovel to dirt, it’s the biggest step to date in the DC stadium quest.
(H/t to Steven Goff and Jonathan O’Connell of The Washington Post, and the gents at Black and Red United for some of these tidbits in this story)

DC Inching Closer to New Stadium and Funding

DC Inching Closer to New Stadium and Funding - World Soccer Talk

On the eve of the second leg of the conference semifinals, the league has stirred some intrigue around one of its teams not in the playoffs. &nbsp;According to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/mls-gauging-interest-in-club-playing-in-baltimore/2011/11/01/gIQA1B4MdM_blog.html" target="_blank">Steven Goff of The Washington Post</a>, soccer fans in the Baltimore, MD area have begun to receive surveys gauging their interest in locating an MLS franchise in the city. &nbsp;Obviously this is a major issue for fans of DC United, whose franchise has been searching for a home and for the past few years has been rumored to be moving to Baltimore or outside of DC.
According to Goff and <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/cheers-jeers/2011/11/mls-has-survey-gauge-interest-baltimore" target="_blank">Craig Stouffer of The Examiner</a>, the survey asks how likely would fans follow and attend the games of a team in a soccer-specific stadium in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westport,_Baltimore" target="_blank">Westport area of the city</a>; the questions ask about a new franchise or a relocated franchise. &nbsp;The survey then asks which of the following teams residents would lobby hardest to have move to Baltimore: DC United, Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls, or other. &nbsp;The final two questions ask specifically about DC United’s relocation to Baltimore.
Some DC fans <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/2011/11/1/2531607/dc-united-moving-to-baltimore-soccer-survey" target="_blank">have already begun to prepare themselves</a> for what seems to be an inevitable move, but I can see a few different reasons why MLS is doing this survey at this time. &nbsp;Here are my thoughts (and for my previous thoughts on DC United in Baltimore, check out my previous article):
DC United is preparing to move to Baltimore
In an incredibly <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/a-few-minutes-with-dc-united-president-kevin-payne-part-2/2011/10/26/gIQApqy1IM_blog.html" target="_blank">informative interview last month with Goff</a>, DC United President Kevin Payne was blunt about his team’s courtship with Baltimore:
<blockquote>We’re not hiding anything. We are trying to work through some issues with the District and we are having conversations about how to get something in the District, but we’re having those same conversations with Baltimore. I’m not sure I want to categorize it, but the state of Maryland, Maryland Stadium Authority and city of Baltimore know how to do this. They’ve done it successfully.</blockquote>
DC United last year did an economic benefit study with Baltimore last year so they have some research to back-up potential moves. &nbsp;And the team has discussed outside of the city stadium sites, including failed negotiations with Upper Marlboro, MD, to build a soccer stadium there (similar to how the Redskins play in Landover, MD, not DC). &nbsp;Before the end of the season, DCU presented Events DC, which owns RFK Stadium, with almost an ultimatum to either renovate the stadium for soccer use or the team is gone. &nbsp;How much the city is willing to put into a fifty year old stadium is unknown. &nbsp;So the most likely reason for this survey is that it is the first step in a multi-year process to move DC United to Baltimore.
DC United is&nbsp;aggressively&nbsp;trying to have DC call its bluff
Despite the negativity surrounding DC United’s stadium situation, it is not all a dark cloud. &nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.C._United_Stadium#Poplar_Point" target="_blank">The Poplar Point stadium</a> is up in the air, but has never been declared absolutely dead. &nbsp;In fact, with changing DC demographics and the continued development of the Southwest Waterfront, this may turn out to be an economic option intriguing to the DC Council. &nbsp;With the grassroots movement <a href="http://www.keepdcunited.org/" target="_blank">Keep DC United</a> picking up combined with the thought of losing what is essentially a business to Baltimore (and the DC government hates&nbsp;losing large businesses to competing regional cities), these tactics by the league and the team are just pressure points to keep the issue on the DC Council’s radar.
MLS is feeling out Baltimore for relocation of another franchise
In all&nbsp;likelihood the inclusion of Philadelphia, Columbus, and New York was a poor attempt to not make the survey all about moving DC United to Baltimore. &nbsp;But what if MLS is considering Baltimore not just as a landing place for DC United but any other troubled MLS franchise? &nbsp;If DC works out a stadium deal somewhere in the nation’s capital, could Baltimore be a destination for a team like <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2011/5/16/2335236/don-garber-tells-las-vegas-that-mls-is-listening-about-expansion/in/1937823" target="_blank">Columbus</a>, whose attendance has fallen and MLS has publicly worried about its financial&nbsp;well being? &nbsp;&nbsp;If this was the case, Baltimore would have to compete with cities like Las Vegas and New York, who are also clamoring to get into MLS (or in NY’s case, have a second franchise). &nbsp;Baltimore is a good location with a good sports tradition, only two major league&nbsp;franchises, and some soccer tradition. &nbsp;So while maybe the survey was about testing Baltimore as a landing place for any team, I find it unlikely that they would be surveyed now to establish&nbsp;themselves&nbsp;as relocation site #1.
MLS is considering Baltimore to host an expansion franchise
Many of the arguments for the previous idea apply, but I find this even less likely. &nbsp;The twentieth team will probably be the New York Cosmos, but MLS has publicly courted Minnesota, San Antonio, Las Vegas, and even Miami about housing an expansion MLS franchise. &nbsp;For Baltimore to suddenly be the new home of a 20th, 21st, or 22nd team, they would have some work to do. &nbsp;But maybe, just maybe, the survey is designed to see just how much of a possibility this is.

MLS Gauging Market for a Team in Baltimore

MLS Gauging Market for a Team in Baltimore - World Soccer Talk

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DC Inching Closer to New Stadium and Funding

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MLS Gauging Market for a Team in Baltimore