Garber hints at moving DC United: bluster or storm clouds?

In an interview with the one and only Steve Goff, who it must be said has more inside access to MLS than any other reporter that I'm aware of, MLS Commissioner Don "The Don" Garber said, well, ouch. If you really feel like reading the whole thing, you're more than welcome, but the gist of it is that DC United may move if a replacement for RFK stadium is not found.

Truthfully, I'm better off just linking to Ed Morgans' post, as he writes much of what I was going to. I say that DC United will move, and probably within about five years, unless someone makes a move, which at the moment doesn't seem likely. As Goff's commenters point out, the real owner of DC United is the same as the real owner of any other MLS team you care to name: Major League Soccer.

And if there's one thing we've learned about the Don in the last few years, it's that he is a shrewd financial mind who prizes the league's financial stability above all else, for which we all owe him a debt of gratitude. But we have got to know, as DC United fans, that this same legendary frugality makes the millions United loses in RFK rent each year stick out like a big flashing red light on Garber's desk that never turns off.

If I take my Screaming Eagles hat -- er, scarf -- off, and think like an MLS fan, I think United should find a new place to live if the next couple rounds of DC Council elections don't remove the blood clot stopping their fiscal heart. It's a tragedy, because it's one of the best fan bases in MLS, of which I am a proud member, that is already paying the price for the pigheadedness of polticians in DC who clearly see it as a guarantee that a United deal would go as bad as the Nationals Stadium deal did, despite them being two totally different situations.

Prince George's County: frankly, with the scarf off, I though this was not the greatest deal for them either, but refusing unanimously to even study it, after the bill was held up just to make sure the language contained absolutely no financial committment -- what can we even say to that?

If this untenable situation persists for a few more years, the league can just throw open the bidding process to anyone that thinks they can land a deal, and that may be enough to seal the deal. The sponsorships cover the roster salary already, drop them in a SSS in a city that wanted an expansion team, and they'll be on their way to eventual profitability.

I don't think this is bluster. I think it could be the future.

Go Northwest, Young Man!

It is officially victory week for those of us who love both Major League Soccer and that glorious region of our nation(s) known as the Pacific Northwest. I spent two of the happiest years of my life among the Oregon evergreens, and from experience can say that Portland is one of the most beautiful cities in the nation, with the most wonderful people you will meet anywhere.

And this special region will now boast three professional teams to battle each other for years to come in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Even the NBA couldn't manage to hold onto that awesome triumvirate, as only Portland could hang onto their team.

So why is the Pac Northwest suddenly the soccer capital of the nation? Not St. Louis, or Montreal, or Miami? Because the laid-back, festive, open-minded, liberal, passionate Northwest is the region most tempermentally suited to soccer. It's no coincidence. A stroll across the Hawthorne bridge past Pioneer Courthouse Square towards PGE park is all it should take to convince a visitor that Portland was the natural choice for expansion. Downtown Seattle has positively screamed for a soccer team since before any of the sports fanatics living there even considered the possibility. The Vancouver waterfront (another sight you simply must see) is the most natural space possible for the roar of an outdoor crowd in a pure celebration of sport.

I want the best and the most for this league, but as long as the game doesn't have the popularity of football, baseball or basketball, the upside for its fans is that we don't have to deal with the massive egos, fans who go to get drunk and start fights, eight-million-dollar salaries who sit on the bench rather than play out of position, clubhouse wars being waged through the media, unlicensed weapon charges or homophobic amateur rap lyrics.

This is why using the Northwest to springboard this league is exactly the right move. Everything I just listed is anathema to the ethic of the evergreens. The Blazers' popularity cratered when the criminal convictions piled up. The fans ran the team's best player (Rasheed Wallace) out of town when his ego and temper proved an embarrassment to the city. The athletes of the Northwest are expected to engage with the fans and to recognize that the fans' passion is the only reason they get to play sports for a living.

I applaud the Don and the league for going Northwest. 2011 can't come soon enough for me.

DC United's march on Annapolis

This was a great event for all of us who showed. First of all, any excuse to spend an afternoon in downtown Annapolis, MD is a good one. Up that to great if you'll be clad in black and red, scarf hoist aloft, chanting and singing with 80 or 90 like-minded United fans for the cause of a new stadium.

For my money, the two highlights of the trip were on the walk over. One, a surprising number of cameras, both video and still and microphones following us and even waiting for us around corners and perched on hills above us waiting for us to pass. I was even interviewed by WTOP, but without checking I know I didn't say anything worth hearing on radio. I'm sure one of my cohorts made the airwaves, though.

Second big highlight was the mass of store-people who came out of their shops in the gloomy semi-rain to watch the parade. Definitely not something any of them were used to. Smiles all around. They loved our spirit and passion, and were okay with not fully understanding them.

So how did we do? We certainly made a point with our presence. It's not every day (or any day, I'm bettin') that so many similarly-dressed people drop into the House of Delegates Office Building and camp outside the Appropriations Committee hearing room. Team president Kevin Payne and majority owner Victor MacFarland were there and thanked us for showing up, and we thanked them for showing up, and photos were taken and scarves hoist aloft again.

Of course, the legislative process being what it is, we won't know the result of this for quite some time. The bus headed back, but I drifted over to the Senate side to catch a hearing and see a State Senator who's also a professor of mine in action. Fascinating debate to be found there, but not exactly MLS-related.

Sooner or later this team needs a stadium. Baaaaaad.