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WASHINGTON D.C - Audi Field (20,000)

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163K views 279 replies 78 participants last post by  nyrmetros 
#1 ·
DC United Releases More Renderings of New Stadium




The architecture firm Populous has released three new renderings of the soccer stadium it is designing for DC United on Buzzard Point in Southwest Washington. The images show a fuller glimpse of the area outside the stadium, which is scheduled to open in time for the 2018 Major League Soccer season.

The new stadium, which will get United out of decrepit Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, is still technically in the design phase. It is expected to have a seating capacity between 18,000 and 23,000, typical for MLS’s soccer-specific stadiums. (Populous has built several MLS stadiums, including facilities in Houston, Kansas City, and Orlando, Florida.)


DC United cites its stadium woes as why it has had to trim its payroll and other costs. “It’s no secret that we are a significantly money-losing team right now,” the team’s managing general partner, Jason Levien, recently told the Washington Post. “We are losing a lot at RFK Stadium.”

The stadium will be built on a nine-acre plot the District government acquired in a series of sometimes contentious transactions with Pepco, the development firm Akridge, the investor Mark Ein, and the SuperSalvage scrap yard. The city is covering the cost of improving the land and surrounding infrastructure, while United will pay for the structure itself. When completed, the DC United stadium could be the most expensive in MLS history, according to a 2014 report commissioned by city officials.


Pepco also recently paid $25 million for the naming rights to the streets around the stadium site, a deal whose timing has raised questions about the power utility’s merger with Exelon, which was recently approved by DC regulators.
http://www.washingtonian.com/2016/01/19/dc-united-releases-more-renderings-of-new-stadium/

Couldn't find a thread about this project so I made a new one.
 
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#154 ·
From the Washington Post:

D.C. United will move into a new stadium next season, but because of MLS’s concerns about scheduling complications and competitive advantage late in the year, the club will have to play between two and four home matches at alternative locations before Audi Field opens, The Washington Post has learned.

The 20,000-capacity venue in Southwest D.C. is slated to open on time in late June, almost four months into the season. United had hoped to play all 17 home games there by front-loading the schedule with away matches and squeezing the entire home slate into the last four months of the league calendar.
 
#155 ·
Just curious but what was United's deal with RFK? It seems to me they should have at least had a contingency plan to play a few games there if needed for this very reason. That is of course something else was up, like RFK being demolished? (also perhaps they wanted to close out RFK properly with "one last season")
 
#167 ·



WASHINGTON (January 19, 2018) — D.C. United announced today that all east and west sideline seats reserved for season ticket members are now sold out, with less than 10% of full season ticket packages remaining for the 2018 inaugural season at Audi Field. Limited full season membership options are still available in the end line and premium seating areas.
 
#176 ·
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...has-issues-to-resolve/?utm_term=.d9b4ffc8c503

The “home” opener. United management wanted to play all 17 home matches at Audi Field. The league said absolutely not. Its reasoning: Too many home dates in a tight window, scheduling complications for the rest of the league and a competitive advantage down the stretch.

So United must play two games at home before the new venue opens: March 17 and April 14. MLS is expected to approve the location on the latter date, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, for the Columbus Crew’s visit.

However, MLS has so far balked at United’s proposed site for the home opener against the Houston Dynamo at Maryland SoccerPlex, a 5,200-capacity venue in upper Montgomery County that the team has used almost annually for U.S. Open Cup matches. The league is concerned about an insufficient locker room for the referees; crowd control at a complex that will host a youth soccer tournament as well as other events that day; and the TV optics at a small facility.

Neither side will comment, but sources said there is some optimism that they’ll reach a compromise and proceed as planned at the SoccerPlex. With the match less than seven weeks away, a resolution is needed soon. Most other plausible options in the area have scheduling conflicts that day.
 
#178 ·
However, MLS has so far balked at United’s proposed site for the home opener against the Houston Dynamo at Maryland SoccerPlex, a 5,200-capacity venue in upper Montgomery County that the team has used almost annually for U.S. Open Cup matches. The league is concerned about an insufficient locker room for the referees; crowd control at a complex that will host a youth soccer tournament as well as other events that day; and the TV optics at a small facility.

Maybe DC United can get some tips from the LA Chargers on how to play in a stadium that is smaller than league average:



:lol: :lol:
 
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