Plus, team still doesn’t have RFK lease for this year
D.C. United certainly noticed that the D.C. government is looking at a $240 million budget surplus, but it doesn’t get the team any closer to having a plan in place for a new stadium.
“They didn’t call us and offer us the surplus,” United president and CEO Kevin Payne said. “It certainly doesn’t hurt to the extent that the District is in better shape financially. That helps the conversation.”
| Notes |
| » D.C. United announced it signed MLS veteran Marcelo Saragosa. The 30-year-old defensive midfielder is expected to provide cover for Perry Kitchen, who likely will be a part of the U.S under-23 national team this spring and summer if it qualifies for the Olympics. |
| » United waived second-year forward Blake Brettschneider after the addition of designated player Hamdi Salihi gave the team four forwards. |
| » D.C. United begins its second preseason camp this week in Arizona. General manager Dave Kasper said two as-yet-unidentified Brazilian trialists will join United, with the idea of the team securing them for the season on loan. |
While the team held a press event Monday at RFK Stadium to discuss its recent player acquisitions and preparations for the 2012 season, it has yet to announce officially that its home for the past 16 seasons will be the same for the its 17th year. The team continues to negotiate with Events DC on a new lease agreement, and Payne said talks have been “in good faith.”
“We obviously, awkwardly, have not made a formal announcement about [a new lease] yet,” he said. “But given the timing, I think it’s safe to assume we’ll be playing at RFK. We do expect an announcement shortly of a new relationship with Events DC.”
D.C. United has had a game-by-game lease for the past four seasons. The terms were a product of the team expecting to have its own stadium built, but they were not advantageous over a longer period. A new deal could lock the team in longer, but D.C. United is reluctant to do so.
Talks of funding studies that would continue to look at the feasibility of a soccer stadium in Baltimore remain in process in Maryland, but Payne said there weren’t any new substantial developments in United’s pursuit of a stadium.
“We had a meeting last week with the chairman of the [D.C.] Council to talk about process,” he said. “We’re confident that the District of Columbia and its leadership wants us to remain here and wants to find a way to work with us to accomplish that. We continue to work on parallel tracks.”
