DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC United’s owners have "finalized a stadium development deal to keep the team in DC provided that the District government secures the needed land by Sept. 30," according to Jonathan O'Connell of the WASHINGTON POST. This likely ends the team's "contemplation of a move to Virginia." After the team’s discussions with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Loudoun County officials became public last week, Bower’s office "hastened negotiations with the team." The basic deal, first negotiated by former Mayor Vincent Gray and approved by the DC Council late last year, "remains in place." DC would pay $150M to "acquire and prepare land on Buzzard Point," while DC United would "privately finance a stadium of around 20,000 seats." The project is "expected to cost" around $286.7M and is expected to open for the '18 MLS season. DC officials "asked the team to foot part of the bill for cost overruns ... and provide collateral in case DC acquired the land but United failed to build the stadium." Sources said that DC and the team in recent days "agreed to split" up to $20M in cost overruns for acquiring land through eminent domain. DC would "still be on the hook for overruns beyond that." A source said that DC officials had asked that the team put $25M "in an escrow account that the city could take in case United failed to build the stadium." But the two sides ultimately "agreed to an escrow" of $5M. Sources said that the team will "have to provide a stadium feasibility study to the city by Sept. 15, rather than by Nov. 15" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/9).
TRAINING DAY: SI.com's Brian Straus noted DC United's negotiations with McAuliffe "very well could lead the club to deciding to locate its future office, training and academy facilities in Virginia," as there "won’t be room for it at Buzzard Point." The team "currently practices" at a field located a couple blocks north of RFK Stadium, which "lacks the modern amenities that players, technical staffers and fans enjoy elsewhere in MLS" (SI.com, 6/8).
