DC United Changes Stadium Focus After MacFarlane Sells Stake

DC United Owner Will Chang Now In Favor Of Scaled-Down Stadium Project

MOVING ON: Chang said MacFarlane over the last couple months "approached me and said, ‘I need to focus more of my time on my core business.’" Chang: "As you may have read in the paper, he has spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get a stadium project approved, and when things didn’t fall the way we wanted to, he felt he needed to spend more time on his core business" ("Washington Post Live," CSN Mid-Atlantic, 5/21). Chang added, "It was not spur of the moment." When asked about seeking new investors, Chang said, "I'll keep myself open. I won't close myself to any discussions, but I'm not actively looking." Chang: "Nothing's going to change. It's the same coaches, the same front office and I am still going to be the same guy having fun with the fans in Lot 8 at RFK" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/21). DC United VP/Communications Doug Hicks said it will be "business as usual" for the club, despite MacFarlane's departure (WASHINGTON TIMES, 5/22).

MOVE COULD BE BENEFICIAL LONG-TERM: GOAL.com's Kyle McCarthy "gives this move a tentative thumbs up." It is "difficult to see an investor pull money out of any organization because there is no certainty that additional investment can be found." But if an investor is "going to pull out, it might as well be one who has personal business interests that may conflict with the club's short-, medium- and long-term interests (a new stadium)." It is clear that "any stadium project passed in the metro DC area will have to suit the municipality involved perfectly." With MacFarlane "out of the picture, the club now has the flexibility to narrowly tailor its proposals -- with or without mixed use development options -- to best benefit the club and the community which may host the team" (GOAL.com, 5/22).

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