By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (May 29, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- About a year or so ago, I wrote about the end of the Major League Soccer season and how I was glad that there were several unresolved questions lingering. The MLS equivalent of a dramatic series cliff hanger. It gave MLS fans things to ponder during the off season and built up the start of Season 14.
This year, we didn't even have to wait until the end of the season. Victor MacFarlane's decision to sell his ownership shares in DC United last week came as a surprise to many. And while it will change little with DC's on the field production, (ultimately the most important measuring stick for the success of any franchise) this has raised more questions than it has answered about the future of the League's most decorated franchise.
When the ownership deal was announced back in January, 2007, this seemed like a no lose situation for everyone involved. DC had been on the stadium hunt for awhile, and by now all MLS fans are familiar with the reasons. Control of revenue and, at least in theory, control of scheduling.
Enter DC United Holdings headed by Will Chang of the Westlake International Group and Victor MacFarlane the president of San Fransisco based MacFarlane Partners, the largest minority-owned real estate management firm in the United States. MacFarlane was bringing 30 years of experience in all aspects of real estate transactions. Considering that minority investors Brian Davis and Christian Laettner were also heavily involved in real estate in the Durham, NC through their company, Blue Devil Ventures, this clearly seemed to be the perfect ownership group that United would count on to bring about the stadium deal they needed.
MacFarlane also realized his significance as the first Black American owner/investor in MLS "I am proud not only to assume ownership of the premier professional soccer team in the United States, but to do so as an African-American," he said at the press conference. "We want to be part of the change that is now on the horizon. We would love to help soccer become the sport that African Americans and other children of color first look to for recreation and entertainment." At a time when minority ownership in professional sports is minuscule, DC United now had the first Black and Asian investor/operators in league history. In Chocolate City no less.
After DC failed to make the playoffs last season, the owners issued a joint statement saying that they would get more involved with the day-to-day running of the club. So it appeared that MacFarlane was in this for the long haul, especially as the stadium talks stretched further than anyone had anticipated.
So what happened?
His exit statement left this Grown Man scratching his head. The highlights were that he wanted "devote greater attention to MacFarlane Partners.... Though I now change my status from owner and fan to just fan, I plan to continue to champion DC United’s goals - on and off the field." Really? How? Why get out now?
Though he didn't state it, you gotta believe that the lack of progress in the securing a stadium was a major factor. Everybody else seems too. MacFarlane looked to develop a spot in Poplar Point in Ward 8 (east of the Anacostia River) that would not only include a a stadium but would develop the surrounding area to include retail. But DC Mayor Adrian Fenty never believed that the project would produce the amount of tax revenues to offset the costs. Amid an economic climate that already included overspending on a baseball stadium across the river, there wasn't enough support of the City Council either.
MacFarlane put on the happy face as he turned his attention to a spot in suburban Prince George's County, Maryland. Less two months later, that deal was dead. The PG County Council voted to not even fund a study to see if it was even feasible.
I would imagine all this is frustrating when one considers that the expansion Philadelphia Union are doing exactly the same thing in nearby Chester that MacFarlane was trying to do: secure a land deal that would create economic opportunities for the community as well as a stadium for an MLS team. But was the inability to get that done reason enough for leaving?
Enough has already been written about MacFarlane's real estate portfolio in the current market. We get that, running right along with his statement he'll be concentrating on his business and that he's been planning this move since last summer (about when the economy started its meltdown).
What about United? Their lease at RFK runs out in 2011 and it's clear they're not trying to stay. Chang has stated that he's simply looking for a stadium as opposed to a bigger land development deal as MacFarlane was trying to score. But where? Washington's NFL team ended up in an area not exactly loved by fans. Abe Pollan had to shell out his own cash to build an arena that did the city a solid by revamping Chinatown in the process.
Moreover, what belief does Chang have that he can get this done now? If the real estate guy couldn't bring this home, how is he going to do it?
It was said that MacFarlane and Fenty didn't get along because MacFarlane had cozied up to Marion Barry and another political rival during negotiations on the Poplar Point deal. Does the absence of MacFarlane all of a sudden make this easier?
Fenty had to be secretly glad that DC was heading to PG County given his track record of opposing the baseball stadium and stonewalling United's new stadium. He can't be happy that this might be falling back into his lap. Will he be as obstinate about United's new approaches, whatever they may be?
Further, United fans have to wonder what is Chang's timeline before he seriously considers moving DC United (see San Earthquakes 1.0). He stated that he is committed to keeping United in DC but as I mentioned, United's lease is up in 2011. Does he already have alternative cities in mind if he can't get this done? You know there's a certain city in Florida that's still looking for a team and with a stadium already in place. How long before we start hearing overtures from this end of I-95?
Unfortunately for the true believers, the future of DC United remains as hazy as a humid July day in Adams Morgan. Nothing that came out of last week's announcements made it any more clear. MLS' most successful club deserves better. A definitive future for United is good not just for the club but the stability of this League.
Right now? I'm not seeing it.
Andrew Dixon is a soccer writer based in Miami and a weekly columnist for USSoccerPlayers. Contact him at: golnoir@golnoir.net
