$70,000 study to see if DC United stadium is worth it

The prospect of bringing DC United to Prince George's County in Maryland got a $70,000 boost as the state's stadium authority has order a study to see what impact the team would have on the local economy. Although this study will look at a number of issues, a location for the stadium will not be one of them.

The final report is not expected till July. DC United has promised to repay the state the cost of the study if they decided to stay in DC.

United has stated again and again that they would prefer to stay in the district, however with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty cool on the idea, they may be forced out of town. That said, Fenty has softened his position a bit of late, including using some public monies for the project, however there are still a number of outstanding issues.

In the end, this is a smart move by United, as they need to figure out exactly what options they have. I think most soccer fans would prefer United play in DC, but if they exhaust every effort to make it work and still cannot get it, they need to look elsewhere. Without a stadium, the team doesn't make money and without more money the league does not move forward.