Baltimore asks Maryland to consider building new soccer stadium for D.C. United – The Wash. Business Journal
Baltimore mayor eyes United – The Wash. Times
Dixon eyeing soccer arena – The Sun
Baltimore, the second city of the Chesapeake Bay region, has set its sights on DC United. The MLS team, perhaps the best in the league’s history, has been trying in vain to get a new soccer-only stadium for years. They have been playing in RFK Stadium, opened in 1961, since the inaugural MLS season of 1996.
I don’t know that Mayor Shelia Dixon has enough political capital to make a soccer stadium happen, but the chance to take something that belongs to Washington might get people a little excited. Remember the Bullets (now Wizards) left Baltimore for Landover and later Washington D.C. proper.
I have been to all of one DC United game ever and I had a good time. I’m inclined to go to more and when my son is old enough, I’d like to be able to take him. If the team leaves for Baltimore, I’m not going because they won’t be a local team anymore.
Hopefully, this will wake people up and get progress back in the direction of a D.C. area venue for United. Perhaps in the interim, Dan Snyder could do something right and make FedEx Field available. I think the lower bowl could routinely be filled for DCU games and Snyder could clearly use the money. They could play there while they figure out something permanent for United.
Snyder will never let D.C. United have a full season in his stadium simply because of the amount of damage the Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles do in one game.
That's also the reason why the HFStival was only held there and up in Bhawlmuher once each. The kids who went to that trashed the place.
Now, at RFK or their own dedicated field, it wouldn't be an issue, they can trash the place all they want but at a place like Landover, no way are they going to let those fans trash the place on the regular basis.