D.C. United Wants Public Money to Expand Audi Field. It’s Not an Easy Goal.
by u/TheWashingtonSun in washingtondc

Ultimately, the path to a deal for D.C. United and Audi Field may have to pass through the Spirit, which has played at the stadium since 2023 and is in the process of renegotiating its lease.

Though team CEO Kim Stone told lawmakers that the Spirit are “neutral” on the bill, in recent weeks they made clear that they want to use any possible legislation as leverage to negotiate better terms, including distinct signage, their own locker room, and certainty that the women’s team won’t get short-shrifted during what would likely be a two-year construction period that could displace home games.

“We believe in the value of Audi Field, but the details need to be refined in order to make sure we have enforceable protections that are good for everyone,” Stone said.

The Spirit’s quiet lobbying seems to have paid dividends. “It’s very hard for us to be supportive if you’re not able to bring the Spirit on-side,” Ward 3 council member Matt Frumin told D.C. United officials at the hearing. “I am in principle supportive of this, but that is going to be a prerequisite.”

What happens next — and when — remains up in the air. D.C. United CEO Jason Levien said that with the MLS schedule change set to take effect in January 2028 and negotiations ongoing with the Spirit, he’d like lawmakers to move as quickly as possible to give some certainty after what he says was years of lobbying for the project.

“I’m really worried that if we don’t have it done by December, I wouldn’t say all hope is lost, because I don’t like to lose hope, but I think I worry about how we keep the Spirit, how we keep the other tenants happy, and how we prepare Audi Field for the change in the calendar,” he said.

In a statement to The Sun, the Spirit said while a new lease is a “top priority,” the team is “committed” to staying in D.C.