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Anschutz takes over D.C. Billionaire assumes control of fourth MLS team
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Phil Anschutz became operator of D.C. United on Thursday, giving the billionaire soccer fan control of four of Major League Soccer's 12 teams. The deal, which comes with an option for the Anschutz Entertainment Group to purchase the team, ends more than two years of ownership limbo for the three-time MLS champions and opens the door for negotiations for a new practice facility and soccer-specific stadium. "We're very excited that this day has come. It's obviously been a difficult path the last couple of years," United president and general manager Kevin Payne said. "One of the frustrations that we've experienced was that we were not able to make long-term commitments. You'll see a lot of things improve in regard to our organization." Payne, who will keep his title, said he hopes United can play in a new stadium by 2003. The team now plays at 50,000-seat RFK Stadium, which can dwarf a decent MLS crowd of 20,000. Anschutz already owns the operating rights to the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy and plans to complete purchase of United's rights in about a year. His company also owns the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and interests in the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, the Staples Center in Los Angeles and several hockey teams in Europe. Anschutz is listed by Forbes magazine as the world's 11th richest person, with a value of $15.5 billion. He is the chairman of fiber-optics carrier Qwest Communications. MLS took over United's operations two months ago when its former owners, Washington Soccer L.P., were unable to find a buyer despite keeping the team on the market more than two years. The money-losing league, which has had trouble finding investors in recent years, turned to Anschutz after other deals fell through. "We certainly would have preferred a [new] investor assume the role that AEG has assumed," commissioner Don Garber said. "We have not been able to expand the group the last year and half to buy into that vision. Fortunately those in that group have not wavered." All 12 teams are owned by the league under MLS' single-entity structure, and there is no rule against a group or individual owning rights to more than one team. Garber said there have been no conflict of interest problems to date. "We have had not had one single conflict," Garber said. "They operate as separate entities that happen to be owned by the same individual." Despite its status as one of the premier teams in the league, United has endured a tumultuous 12 months. The team's practice facility, the old Redskin Park, was recently sold to a church as part of the sale of the estate of the late Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke. The team has been training at RFK this week, but Thursday's deal should speed up construction or purchase of a new facility. On the field, United failed to make the playoffs for the first time last season. This month, the team traded many of its veteran stars to help get under the league's salary cap. During the first five seasons, United played all of their home games at RFK Stadium. While the club will continue to play at the facility in 2001, United and D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission officials are reviewing the possibility of constructing a soccer-specific stadium within the next few years. "Our single biggest issue is the development of a stadium plan, " Payne stated. "We've had a number of meetings with Bobby Goldwater from RFK Stadium, and we expect more in the very near future. We're very excited about the prospect for a joint long-term stadium development plan sometime within the next six to eight months. Bobby and I both have discussed our hope that D.C. United could be playing in a new soccer-specific stadium for the 2003 Major League Soccer season." Goldwater concurred. "There is a mutual spirit of partnership and enthusiasm between D.C. United and the D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission regarding the future and we are looking forward to firming up our plans very shortly," said Bobby Goldwater, president and executive director of the Commission. "We both desire a long-term relationship and a soccer-specific stadium is a major component we've been discussing. Our vision is for the District to continue to be the home of the premier club in MLS for many years to come and to have the team and our region's soccer fans enjoy the finest venue in the country."
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