By RYAN TOLMICH
After years of waiting, D.C. United will finally have a stadium of their own
The D.C. Council approved the development of a new 20,000-25,000-seat stadium for D.C. United in the group’ second and final vote on Wednesday morning. The stadium, which is set to be constructed in Buzzard Point, is targeted for a 2017 opening.
“We are grateful that D.C. United’s future in our nation’s capital is secure,” D.C. United Managing General Partner Jason Levien said in a statement. “This is a historic victory for the team and its fans, the city, the region and the sport of soccer in this country. I am deeply appreciative of the efforts of many city leaders, including Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Mayor-Elect Muriel Bowser, City Administrator Allen Y. Lew and the D.C. Council.”
The District is now expected to acquire the land necessary for the stadium by Sept. 15, 2015 for preparation work ahead of groundbreaking for construction.
Wednesday’s approval comes following roughly a decade of efforts, with the most recent planning stage beginning in 2012.
“This is a moment that is the final product of a collective effort of all of those, on and off the field, who have ever worn the Black-and-Red and proudly represented D.C. United over the last two decades,” Levien added. “The championships won by the players, the atmosphere created by our supporters, and the tireless efforts of our staff in the community have together forged this club’s storied history. The realization of a new stadium is a tribute to their unwavering dedication.
“Our new stadium will generate jobs and economic activity. Our new stadium will add to the positive development already taking place along the Anacostia waterfront. It will be a venue that makes its neighbors proud; it will help our city become the nation’s soccer capital.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber also offered congratulations to D.C. United while also revealing the importance of soccer-specific stadiums going forward.
“One of the real legacies of Major League Soccer is that our owners have built a foundation for the sport with soccer stadiums that has helped transform the sport in the United States and Canada,” Garber said.” “These stadiums have made a difference in our local communities, and we certainly believe the new D.C. United Stadium will provide an enormous community benefit to the Buzzard Point neighborhood.”
A soccer-specific stadium for D.C. United would leave just a handful of teams remaining that don’t play in soccer-first facilities. Those teams include the New England Revolution, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, New York City FC, Atlanta’s MLS franchise, and the new LA MLS franchise.
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How will D.C. United’s new stadium impact soccer both locally and domestically?
Share your thoughts below.
Congrats DCU fans. You guys have waited a long time for this.
Now just don’t build it too small or at least without the ability to add on, otherwise in a few years you will be kicking yourselves.
wonderful news 🙂 gotta love all this mls stadium news.
However, teams like columbus, fc dallas, galaxy need to upgrade their stadium.
In reality columbus needs a new stadium or super upgrade but teams like galaxy,dallas and even montreal definitely need a modern upgrade.
Then you have seattle and vancouver, but people say they dont need a stadium.
It’s been a long time coming. Congrats and thanks to everyone who made this happened!
Congrats to DC!
Now, a minor correction to the article: “…a handful of teams remaining that don’t play in soccer-first facilities…[including] the Seattle Sounders….”
CenturyLink, previously Qwest Field, was approved by voters as “a public…football/soccer stadium and exhibition center.” Sight lines, etc. conform to MLS specs and camera locations were chosen with soccer in mind. Its first game was a soccer match (i.e., literally “soccer-first”).
Then convince the stadium managers to replace the awful football-oriented short and hard turf in favor of bushier field turf that is more soccer friendly. There is a world of difference between the playing surface in Portland and the playing surface in Seattle.
My rec league rents time at D.C. Public Schools fields. Even rec players can tell the difference between stubbly and hard field turf and more bushy and supple field turf. It’s much, much easier to have a good first touch and weight passes on the latter. It’s nearly impossible on the former.
The quality of the entertainment of the pro game is diminished when the players can’t weight passes or are hesitant because they’re unsure how the ball will play off the surface (this is a problem in Vancouver too since their turf seems to be even worse than Seattle’s). We all understand that the Sounders share the stadium with the Seahawks and the football in a wet climate like Seattle would destroy any grass surface so turf is almost a must. Just get turf that is designed for soccer and isn’t like an office carpet.
This is a thread about “soccer-first” stadia, not turf. Hence, I pointed out that there is nothing anti-soccer about CenturyLink stadium and replacing it with a “soccer-first” stadium would be utterly redundant.
But since you bring up the turf, yeah the turf is bad. Similarly, the grass turf in a bunch of stadia is really bad; e.g., Wembley, icon of soccer that it is, had some of the worst turf for years. It was still a “soccer-first” stadium though.
Sounders fans would be unwise to bother trying to convince owners to “replace the awful football-oriented short and hard turf in favor of bushier field turf.” It’s simply not going to happen as long as Seahawks are in town. What fans should do is push for a roll-up/exchangeable system like:
http://www.matrix-turf.com/softtop-roll-up-turf/
Sounders get their own turf that is entirely separate from what Seahawks play on; long and thick for the former, short and matted for the latter.
Makes sense. Thanks for filling me in on the local Seattle perspective.
We are home! Thanks for everyone who helped in this looooong journey. Now we rebuild to the power that we once were.
Vamos United!
this proud franchise will finally have a home of their own
What happen to the Vegas vote, I would really love Vegas in MLS. This is what I think is going through Garbers soccer mind, ” I will let Sacramento be #23, I will then let Vegas take Los angeles2 spot, in order to give Los Angeles2 more time. Then I will pursue Minnesota to join MLS, and they do the same like Vegas, Minnesota will take Miamis spot, in order to give miami more time.”
Meaning MLS will have 26 teams, and if everything goes right, if Miami and Los Angeles join at the same time as teams 25 and 26, we might see Christiano Ronaldo in LA vs Messi in Miami for their first game in MLS in 2018.
Positives for Vegas: They could get Herc to come home.
Negatives: Quatar like temperatures
“Quatar like temperatures [a few nights a year]”
ftfy
At its worst, the heat index in Las Vegas at night is comparable to Dallas, Houston, Atlanta—i.e., other cities that no way could ever possibly host MLS teams, right?
It’s a negative there also.
As a Dynamo fan (and former DC resident), I think this is awesome news for DC United and MLS fans. DC deserves a new functional home and I look forward to visiting the new digs in the away visitors section!
Awesome news. So happy for DC United fans and so happy for MLS
Still afraid to celebrate until I actually see it.
We’ve been through a lot on this.
Exactly. After all that’s happened, I won’t be able to truly celebrate until construction reaches the point where it’s cheaper to finish the stadium than it is to stop and tear it down.
But this is a necessary step to get there; so that’s good.
Speechless, dc united and MLS deserve this stadium after many years of neglect from the anti soccer government.
Now please make it like red bull arena or skc, something similar or even better. Dc united deserves to have the best stadium in MLS, given that is the most powerful capital of United States and the world.
Work on a unique stadium design and why not upgrade your crest and go back to the old school uniform.
Oh and redskins better send a thank you letter to MLS and dc united, now they got land to move back in and make their billion dollar stadium.
Vamps united, don’t let your fans down with the stadium design and hopefully revolution, nycfc and sounders get their stadium. ( I read sounders might be looking for their own stadium in years to come)
Remember, if sounders get their stadium, then the whole league will follow and get better just like them.
That can’t be said enough. Soccer stadium designs have a long way to go here. Look at what Bordeaux is getting next year, what Braga got for the Euros in Portugal, or Allianz in Munich, Lille just got one with a roof, Guadalaraja, among many others… for what good architects can do with the public’s imagination (it has nothing to do with a bigger video screen or a collapsable stage). Stadiums have to be epic, even if simple. Yale Bowl is awesome, even magical, and all it is is a big hole in the ground with seats in it.
Start making plans for that last tailgate at RFK – it’s going to be EPIC!
wow.. this is really happening!
i hope that the stadium is closer to 25k or above. RFK at 46,000 is a great venue for USMNT games and DCU has a history of strong attendance for bigger games. imo this stadium should be one of the bigger MLS SSS’s.. 25-30k would be ideal.
RFK is not a great venue for anything. Except maybe raccoon races.
wrong wrong wrong. international games (especially when el salvador is playing) with a packed house are amazing.
+1!
So Santa does deliver early presents. I’ll be damned. All these years I thought differently. Way to go Santa. You rock!!. To think I was starting to become a non-believer in you………………..
Got my email for season priority seating shortly after!
Hope it doesn’t get held up with ED lawsuits.
*gets stadium vote*
*groundbreaking ceremony*
*SHOVEL CRACKS AND BREAKS*
i’m so happy!
Read this Q&A w/ the guy behind the relegation banner at MLS Cup: http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/12/meet-man-behind-promotion-relegation.html
SPREAD THE WORD!!
the guy can promote pro/rel all he wants, but it isn’t happening and the US isn’t ready for it. so no, nothing to spread.
good stuff.. keep fighting!
+1. As the linked article states, “an open pyramid is the most efficient way to spur player and club development that can rival the global “gold standard” context.”
How so? Makes no sense to me. Seems money is what spurs player development, and pro/rel will not make money for the owners.
You honestly think Messi would be the same player without all the relegation battles Barcelona went through?
Actually I think you can argue relegation promotes ugly negative football with managers often scared to give younger players minutes.
Darn lack of a sarcasm font.
Surely that horrific 3rd place finish for Barca in ’08 shaped Messi’s distaste for losing.
It’s a good idea but soccer needs more money first. At this point in time, there just isn’t enough money in the system. Because there isn’t enough money in the system, there aren’t many teams.Gotta wait.
that is not proven. in fact, a closed system, in other sports, has proven to be just as effective. the truth is, either type of system can work so long as the money is there. that’s it. if pro/rel was everything, European basketball would be bigger than the NBA. but it isn’t because it doesn’t have the same money or passion.
You’ve made the best argument in favor of a closed system that I have heard so far. However, does NBA really develop talent or do they just buy it? There is no Chicago Bulls academy that produces Michael Jordans or LA Lakers academy that produces Magic Johnsons. NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB do not really have real competition from other leagues for talent. Given their far superior financial clout, they are able to pay much higher salaries from any other league in the word and, thus, have the pick of best talent available whether it comes through our college system or from the overseas. In contrast, soccer is truly a global sport with numerous soccer leagues that compete for talent and the fans who pay to see the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar , Aguero, Suarez, etc. Open pyramid is more efficient than the closed monopoly system in producing and developing talent, because if you are inefficient in developing homegrown talent and cant afford to buy established players that were developed elsewhere, you get relegated. Because most teams can’t afford to buy talent a la Chelsea, they have to be good in identifying and developing talent. Teams in a closed system, a la MLS, do not have the same competitive pressures.
There are major incentives for developing players in MLS. They are not trying less hard than other european academies. They just do not have the system in place yet. The development of players has nothing to do with promotion and relegation. Everyone would prefer to have players developed locally, and MLS is putting a huge effort into that even in their closed league. Hopefully it is only a matter of time before it pays off.
“However, does NBA really develop talent or do they just buy it? There is no Chicago Bulls academy that produces Michael Jordans or LA Lakers academy that produces Magic Johnsons.”
of course the NBA has their hands inside development of young basketball players. it may not be the academy system like soccer has, but elite youth basketball teams are absolutely partnered with the NBA and NBA teams to ensure development of young players. then at the high school level the NCAA and NBA are both involved. like you mentioned, another massive difference is the college system being a MAJOR part of a basketball players development. those 4 years in college, or less, bring in the top-rated teenagers (from all over the world) and thrust them into the national spotlight. it’s a rigorous environment that works for the NBA, NFL, etc. it’s not an academy, but it serves the same purpose. does it really matter if North Carolina develops a player and not Chicago? no. because that is how the system is designed. top prospects come through top NCAA programs and then are drafted. or, if you are LeBron, you just get drafted straight from high school and developed on your NBA team.
point is, pro/rel people constantly say the open pyramid system is proven to development better talent, when, in fact, there is absolutely no study that shows that. once again, if it was, the open pyramid system in European basketball would produce the best players.
the common denominator in the two systems, which are both successful and have bred the top talent for their respective sports, is money and passion for the sport.
the truth is, we will never know how effective an American type of system is with soccer development until the USA has the money and passion to match Europe. unless another country decides to go that route who is already an established soccer powerhouse.
to develop players the right way, there has to be money in the youth system…however it looks. that’s the key. everything else is just semantics.
Relegation is supposed to work because it makes every match more “vital”.
That makes sense but It seems to me in America sports leagues in general achieve something close to that by diluting the playoff system so that just about every sack of s++t team can make the playoffs, thus artificially breeding “playoff fever”.
I suspect you will see some version of that strategy in MLS before you see relegation.
I get that GW, but i think that is a different conversation from which system develops overall talent more effectively…or “better” as the pro/rel people love to say.
i think in baseball, regular season games are certainly watered down because there are so many and because of our playoff structure. in the NFL, with 16 games, every game is important. look at the current season and the race for wild card slots. obviously i have major issues with teams sub-.500 getting into the playoffs while teams in another division who are better do not, but again, that’s another discussion.
i certainly hate the idea of MLS expanding to 12 teams in the playoffs. even at 24 teams, that is too many. but i do think Liga MX is smart in making seeds the tie-breaker in playoff games that end in a tie. that makes the regular season that much more important.
The value of relegation is said to be that this obviously contributes to the pressure on the players. It is said to form the iron in their character in a crucible of pressure.
This true but American sports team have found many other ways besides relegation pressure to put unbearable pressure on players and force their true character and skill level to rise to the surface. After all do our Olympians, like Michael Phelps, face relegation?
Ask yourself if the players on the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Chicago Bears will be taking any plays off because their seasons are effectively over.
If they play poorly in their remaining games it won’t be due to a lack of incentive.
Those guys are all playing for their jobs.
And those jobs are for much bigger money and prestige than what most American MLS players are competing for.
In the NFL, no guaranteed contracts and an endless stream of equally talented younger,cheaper, talent looking to take your job insures that a process of natural selection takes place.
Relegation is not an absolute must to put the same sort of pressure on American soccer players that NFL players face.
Just make sure that there are always at least two or three, younger, equally talented or better Americans waiting to take your job 24/7/365. And make sure the financial incentive is much higher than it is at present and that the off the field social rewards and prestige are at the same level as they are for NFL players where basically, they can get away with murder (or not) just based on their celebrity.
GW, exactly. That’s my entire point. Pro/rel is not the only way to create talent and this insane idea that it’s the “one true way ” to develop talent the right way is so annoying.
Like you point out, any Olympic sport is a great example. Add on sports like skateboarding. Non of these have pro/rel and yet they still churn out talent. If the money is there, the pressure to perform will be there. And if the performance isn’t there, someone is always ready to slide right in and take over.
I’m confused as to what you are fighting for. Do you want the Carolina Railhawks and the Harrisburg Islanders in MLS even though their owners would never be able to pay even the players salaries, let alone all of the costs of an MLS team?
I don’t dislike pro/rel, but until we get three tiers of owners who are all fighting for and can all afford to back a first division team, I don’t understand why this movement exists at the moment.
To all pro/rellers out there: Go find money, then we can start a discussion.
Theoretically, money should come in the form of higher attendance in higher leagues, more sponsorship dollars and additional revenue. Owners should not have to subsidize operations of these soccer teams indefinitely.
That kinda gets to my point. The money/fan base/sponsors/owners aren’t there.
Where are these teams coming from that are going to be able to successfully move up into MLS?
If these factors (fan interest, finances, owners, etc) are not there, why is MLS expanding almost every year by adding additional NEWLY CREATED rather than already established clubs?
a club has to start somewhere.
but maybe the NASL or USL Pro team owners have no interest in selling their team or increasing their investment. how is that overlooked? not every owner of a small team actually wants to go to MLS and spend that kind of money. some are happy being a small club. MLS cannot force them to sell. new ownership groups cannot force them to sell all the rights to their team. so the next best option is to create a new club altogether.
in Minneapolis’ case, you have a NASL club who is not interested in playing in an NFL stadium if they move to MLS and so they refuse to partner with the Vikings. that leads to the Vikings creating a new ownership group that would start a new team altogether and the NASL club to partner with another set of owners.
“Smaller” leagues like the NASL and others can succeed in markets where there is no MLS team because they can provide live soccer which is a completely different experience from watching any level of soccer on TV.
And if they are a good organization that is well run and know and understand their community and their market well they can succeed.
I’m not much of an MLS fan simply because they don’t have a team near where I live that I can easily support.
If an NASL team opened up near me I’d support them in a heartbeat. Would I be getting EPL/La Liga/ Champions League level play ? No, but you don’t get that anywhere in the US or for that matter most of the world anyway and who cares?
By that standard no one would ever support their local college basketball team unless they lived in Lexington, Kentucky.
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Although this means an end to the Baltimore jokes, I’m glad for DC and the league that this is finally getting done. DCU needs a real stadium and the plans and location look great. Looking forward to watching DCU lose to RBNY in this stadium for years to come.
+1, except, you know, the last line.
+1 and +2 for you know, the last line
You may look forward to the games against DCU at their new stadium, but DCU hosted NYRB three times last year and won all three games. The fans from New Jersey will be welcome at our brand new stadium, so that they can see MLS cups in person, cause there aren’t any at their clubhouse!
That’s a cool story but you may recall DC’s “win” in the playoffs resulted in their season ending.
So while you guys brag about a playoff series you lost and MLS Cups won back when the league had ten teams, DC have made the playoffs twice in the last seven years. Maybe this new stadium will see a bit more success.
you can belittle our trophy cabinet as much as you want if it makes you feel better about how empty yours is 🙂
i mean, you guys just beat DC, for the first time ever, in a playoff series.
that said, and getting back to DC’s troubles, i too hope that the stadium will inject some life into the club.
Ok but you won’t find any meaningful trophies in there post 2007 (and no the Open Cup is not meaningful). 2013 Supporters Shield may not be much but it’s more than you guys have won lately.
right, once again you had to add a qualifier, “post 2007”, to frame your argument around.
also, who are you to determine the Open Cup is not meaningful? just because NYRB hasn’t won one?! i’m not saying it’s the most important, but it’s still a trophy from a major tournament here in the US.
and yes, the ’13 SS is more than we have won recently, but it’s also the only thing you have EVER won. so you don’t really have much room to talk. we have 4 of those.
also, looking at a minor trophy like the Atlantic Cup, which is always DC v. NY, DCU has won that 9 times; 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014.
I know MLS doesn’t care about the SS. But real fans do. But DCU still has more of those as well.
Yeah, I wouldn’t be bragging about that last win. I’ll never forget all the unhappy DC faces looking up at the 1250 of us celebrating wildly in the dying moments of that game.
you all probably had a similar feeling to what DC United fans had in 2012 when DeLeon scored at RBA to knock you all out and sending the traveling DCU support into a frenzy.
seems like the # of nyrb fans at that game keeps growing in the telling, like a vaguely pathetic ‘big fish’ tale.
it’s a (fairly) short trip down 95–have you guys really never been to an away game, that it’s that big of a deal?
Not a DC fan but this is great great and might I add, great news!
Finally!!!! This is Amazing!!