By CAITLIN MURRAY
The District of Columbia property that serves as a key piece in a pending land swap to build a new D.C. United stadium was up for debate at an open forum Wednesday night – and complaints from area residents could complicate the deal.
Residents along the U Street corridor where the city-owned Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center sits said when private developers take over the site, they want it to bring office space and daytime foot traffic rather than luxury apartments, which would be the most valuable use.
With a deal to be brought to D.C.’s city council Friday, a change in the value of the Reeves Center location or an inclination by the council to limit how the property can be developed could add uncertainty.
The silver lining may be that residents did not object to the swap plan or the Reeves Center being turned over to private entities. For the deal to move forward, however, private businesses will need to see value in taking over the land.
Here are more notes from around the league:
VALETIN OPTS TO REMAIN IN NORWAY, WILL NOT PLAY FOR IMPACT NEXT YEAR
Defender Zarek Valentin will not return to the Montreal Impact in 2014, the club announced Thursday. Instead, he will head back to FK Bodø/Glimt in Norway, where he signed a new contract.
The Impact said they had “lengthy discussions with Valetin” but “were unable to reach an agreement.” They will retain Valentin’s rights if he returns to MLS.
The American had been loaned to the Norwegian second division club in March, helping Bodø break into the country’s top flight Tippeligaen division. In his first season in Norway, he made 27 appearances for a total of 2,363 minutes of play.
Valentin, 22, was the fourth overall draft pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. After a season with Chivas USA, he was selected by Montreal in the 2012 MLS Expansion Draft.
VALDES LOOKS TO GET OUT OF MLS AND STAY OVERSEAS
Carlos Valdes doesn’t plan to return to MLS next season despite the Philadelphia Union having exercised an option to keep the defender, who no longer has a club to play for in Colombia, his agent said Wednesday.
Valdes had been released by Independiente Santa Fe of Colombia’s top division last week, but the national team defender will not return to the Philadelphia Union for the first half of 2014, agent Ricardo Pachon said.
Valdes is considering offers from clubs in Russia and Argentina, Pachon said. But the agent added that Valdes is trying to work out a deal to remain in Colombia, even though the Union want to bring him back to MLS next season.
Valdes was an anchor for the Union defense during his time at the club, making the MLS All-Star squad in 2012 before going to Santa Fe on loan this year to secure a spot on the Colombian national team.
RED BULLS STAFF TAKES NOTE FROM PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS
Part of the New York Red Bulls’ staff is in England hoping to learn a bit from some of soccer’s best.
Head coach Mike Petke and sporting director Andy Roxburgh are making the rounds overseas, having met with managers for Arsenal, West Ham United, and Chelsea.
The Red Bulls’ management had said the trip was part of an offseason plan aimed at “refreshing” their ideas for the 2014 season.
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What do you think of this news? Will D.C.’s government be able to make the complicated stadium deal work? Do you think Valdes can work out a deal with the Union?
Share your thoughts below.
MLS teams aren’t very creative with their stadium designs, most look rather bland and unimaginative. Other than Sporting Park all the other stadiums are uninteresting. D.C. United stadium renderings look just like your typical MLS stadium.
Don’t lump Red Bull Arena in with the rest of those crap stadiums. It is the Cathedral of American soccer. .
Their stadium looks nice and BBVA Compass Stadium too. Stadiums with roofs going all the way around the arena look better than half roof arenas.
Red Bull Arena is cute for sure.
The Cathedral is Century Link, obviously. Best stadium in all of soccer.
No stadium with turf can call itself “best stadium in all of soccer.” The fans and support are tremendous, but the stadium sucks for soccer.
Especially with those gridiron lines. Yeah, “best in soccer.”
That’s a concept drawing. There hasn’t been any actual architecture work done yet. The actual stadium will probably be very different.
Again, the team hasn’t even picked an architect yet. If it looks like some off-the-shelf computer graphic for a stadium that’s because it probably is.
Agreed, with a few notable exceptions. A lot of the blame falls on Rossetti Architects for using essentially the same bland design on the StubHub Center, Rio Tinto, Toyota Park, and PPL Park. That’s 30% of the soccer specific stadia in the league, so I can see how it’d taint your overall perception.
BBVA Compass, Sporting Park, RBA, and Jeld-Wen (not purpose-built, but still a SSS) are the exceptions. Those are all fine looking stadia that put the others to shame.
You know it’s a great MLS Ticker when both DC and Philly recieve bad news at the SAME DAMN TIME.. AMIRITE?!!
You are in fact right
DC failing on the field might be good news, but any MLS team struggling off the field isn’t good news. So no, you aren’t right.
I enjoy feeling the warmth of DC’s smoldering ashes on my cold heart. So this is very good news, yes.
Espindola!
(giggles)
You can have him, thanks for Dax though!
Hey RBNY, let us know when: a) you actually *win* something and b) more than a few dozen paying fans start attending your games in empty, tomb-like Red Bull Arena.
Even with the amount of empy “Sold seats” RBA still puts you guys to shame….you want to talk about an empty stadium? 16K on a good day for DC is like a fourth of the capacity of RFK. Where as RBA have about 16 to 18K consistently in a 25K stadium even if only about 16K show up..
www. newyorkredbulls.com/video/2013/10/31/rbny-wins-2013-supporters-shield
^^^ Watch us *win* something.
You are not right. Jake is right about the stadium. A rising tide lifts all boats and DC getting a stadium deal done is good for RBNY, the league, and soccer in general.
I have been saying this for years:
1) The stadium will not get built
2) The team will relocate
how about they just renovate RFK!
i know its a terrible mess of red tape!
Well, you’ve answered half of your question. The other part is it would cost too much. Cheaper and better to build a new one — for all involved.
wow, really going out on a limb there…everybody’s been saying this for years.
Well, I didn’t say anyone else wasn’t saying it.
You’ve been wrong for years, then.
The DC United Stadium concept is a FAIL
1. Design will not protect from the weather. Winters and summers are getting more harsh
2. The roof is a flawed design. Will let too much sun in and will look like #$%^ on TV.
You probably don’t care about the fact that most DC United games start at 7:30 and even in the summer, there won’t be much/any direct sun.
He doesn’t know s h i t.
That’s a concept drawing. There hasn’t been any actual architecture work done yet. The actual stadium will probably be very different.
There is no DC United Stadium design. Thanks for playing.
Also — It “will look like #$%^ on TV”?????
Really??? Stadiums are built for the people who shell out money to pay for seats, not for those who’d rather sit at home and watch for free.
“Winters and summers are getting more harsh”
LOL, such nonsense.
Back to bed now grandpa
Consarned contraption! If man were meant to fly he’s have wings!
LOL
Is the liga colombiana really better than MLS? Or is this a perception thing?
Its all a perception thing. Their players believe that by playing locally, the national team coach will be able to evaluate them on a more consistent basis.
It’s perception; they’re about equal. However, most managers outside of MLS don’t consider MLS a particularly good league so players would rather stick it out in their native league.
MLS doesnt play copa libertadores
its why theres a perception issue they dont see how our teams stack up against the likes of South american teams
i believe were at the point where our teams can compete and not get embarrased.
Untill MLS decides to make a go and try to get in this tournament your going to see this happen with players like valdez.
I’m convinced MLS teams would be able to hold their own in a tournament like the Copa Libertadores. We have improved in the CONCACAF Champions league to the point where we can handle lesser CONCACAF teams but we still cannot defeat the Mexican teams to win the title. In South America, the teams are even stronger than the Mexican clubs and the playing environments far more hostile. Winning our own regional championship consistently should be the biggest priority before moving up the ladder.
*not convinced
We can’t even get to the semis of our own regional tourney. Besides blind hope and fanaticism, why would anyone think we can compete in the 2nd toughest regional club competition in the world? Would I like to see it? Someday. But it’s going to take years before a) MLS teams are both stacked and competitive enough to not get completely embarrassed and b) the travel options to get up and down the Western Hemisphere make it feasible.Someday, when the travel logisitcs would allow a Boca Juniors / Vancourver Whitecaps 2 leg series, with league and Open Cup games in between.
Why is South America so hostile? Not just in soccer/futbol games but EVERYTHING. The top 30 high crime cities in the world have about half in Brazil. Time to grow up, Sud America.
Time to grow up? Next time you’re in East New York, for example, why don’t you make the same comment to locals and see what happens.