It?s possible that in the near future, David Beckham could be roaming the same turf as Ray Lewis, or Ben Olsen could be kicking a ball from the same grass where Nick Markakis routinely fields one.
D.C. United officials were in Baltimore last week to explore the possibility of bringing their four-time Major Soccer League champion club to the city for an exhibition game at either M&T Bank Stadium or Oriole Park in the Camden Yards complex. The Daily Record first reported the news Monday.
“They?re some very preliminary talks about outdoor soccer [at the complex],” said Kevin Healey, a board member of the Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Commission and the president/general manager of the Major Indoor Soccer League?s Baltimore Blast. “Ultimately, we?d like to see international games there. In the interim, we?re working with the potential of D.C. United maybe holding an event there.”
It appears as if the window for a United game in Baltimore would need to be between July 24 and Aug. 29, during the eight-team SuperLiga tournament.
Should the United advance to the semifinals, an Aug. 14 or 15 game would conflict with the schedule of the Washington Nationals, who share RFK Stadium with the United and host the Philadelphia Phillies Aug. 14-16. The Orioles will be on the road Aug. 13-19.
Members of the Orioles front office declined comment on the matter Wednesday.
“Camden Yards is a great venue,” United spokesman Doug Hicks said. “We want to see whether it can be a viable location for the game should the team advance out of SuperLiga group play to the competition?s semifinals.”
The Ravens? M&T Bank Stadium offers a significantly greater seating capacity than Camden Yards (70,107 to 48,290), with sight lines more ideal for soccer. The feasibility of outdoor soccer at M&T Bank is “from our end, very, very good,” according to Dennis Mannion, Ravens senior vice president of business ventures. “From an operation cost standpoint, we can make it work for the team, and we?re very interested in them playing at our place.”
Mannion remains unsure of the United?s stance.
“I think we?re in a sit-and-wait mode, not just with D.C. United but with MLS, as well,” Mannion said.
Healey, who last week did a walk-through of both stadiums with United officials and members of the Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Commission, said M&T Bank would likely be able to house a field roughly 110×70 yards, which is within international soccer regulations. But United plays on a natural grass surface at RFK, and would likely prefer the natural surface at Oriole Park to the synthetic one at M&T Bank.
Within the past year, a deal was in negotiations to pit United and European power Real Madrid at one of the Baltimore stadiums. That deal fell through, and the two clubs met at Seattle?s Qwest Field on Aug. 9, playing to a 1-1 tie.
? Examiner staff writer Craig Stouffer contributed to this story.
