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MLS Commissioner Don Garber: Baltimore A "Viable Option" For D.C. United Relocation
MLS head honcho open to possibility of moving storied franchise.
Jan 13, 2011 3:38:00 PM
By Keith Hickey
BALTIMORE - Speaking frankly to members of the media at the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, MLS commissioner Don Garber talked about the possibility of relocating D.C. United to Baltimore, the location of the 2011 SuperDraft.
With the state of Maryland having financed a $100,000 feasibility study into building a soccer stadium, Baltimore are courting MLS and D.C. United brass. Garber sees the city as the leading alternative to the team’s current home in the nation’s capital.
“It absolutely is a viable market,” said Garber. “The team is called D.C. United and they’ve been down there, obviously, since the league’s inception, but they don’t have a stadium solution, and they need one.
“They’ve had very positive discussions here in Baltimore, and if these guys can deliver the right kind of facility, I’m sure Will Chang and Kevin Payne will look hard at a potential stadium solution, and they must have a solution, because what they have right now is not working.
“We’ve been saying that for years, and at some point, that’s going to reach the breaking point. I’m not saying that’s tomorrow, but it will happen at some point.”
Garber pulled no punches when talking about United’s precarious situation and the lure of Baltimore.
“We’ve got to work hard to find an alternative to what is now, which is no alternative down in D.C. I absolutely believe this is a viable option. I look at the success of the teams up here in this market, it’s certainly close enough to D.C., so they’re not totally displacing their fan base, and it’s a good market.”
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With the state of Maryland having financed a $100,000 feasibility study into building a soccer stadium, Baltimore are courting MLS and D.C. United brass. Garber sees the city as the leading alternative to the team’s current home in the nation’s capital.
“It absolutely is a viable market,” said Garber. “The team is called D.C. United and they’ve been down there, obviously, since the league’s inception, but they don’t have a stadium solution, and they need one.
“They’ve had very positive discussions here in Baltimore, and if these guys can deliver the right kind of facility, I’m sure Will Chang and Kevin Payne will look hard at a potential stadium solution, and they must have a solution, because what they have right now is not working.
“We’ve been saying that for years, and at some point, that’s going to reach the breaking point. I’m not saying that’s tomorrow, but it will happen at some point.”
Garber pulled no punches when talking about United’s precarious situation and the lure of Baltimore.
“We’ve got to work hard to find an alternative to what is now, which is no alternative down in D.C. I absolutely believe this is a viable option. I look at the success of the teams up here in this market, it’s certainly close enough to D.C., so they’re not totally displacing their fan base, and it’s a good market.”
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