Steven Goff at the Washington Post has posted an exclusive interview with The Don regarding United's stadium situation, and it's not good.

I hate to say I told you so...

To be fair, Garber is only speaking the truth, though it has to be unnerving to United fans to even hear him hint that United will be forced to relocate. Garber spins a little, as we would expect, mentioning the other local governments that have reached out to the club (I'll believe it when something concrete is announced).

More after the jump.

I actually appreciate the straight talk from Garber. A lot of it could be bluster, of course, a shot across the bow of the city and the metro area, an effort to make it clear that moving the team is a distinct possibility.

I have two problems with those who might think it is just bluster:

1. The local governments around DC are not communicative enough that a "threat" would have any real effect; essentially, if the counties (and states) are sure that someone else will step up, they won't act until it's too late.

2. We are talking about soccer, a sport that exists on the fringes in any city, so the idea that any county executive, state legislator or other official would "care" that United might relocate is a bit of a leap of faith.

I truly hope one of the other counties being mentioned as a possibility is serious enough to make a stadium happen for United. As I said before, it would be an utter shame to see the team have to move. But as Garber said, RFK cannot sustain the team as a viable soccer club; the financial burden the stadium places on McFarland and Chang means that they will continue to operate at a loss.

Generally, I'm a positive person, and I tend to believe that the best can happen. I'm on the other side of things with United's dilemma though, simply because I know enough about DC area politics to know that it will take a miracle to actually get a stadium built. Some of the options being presented (Frederick and Greenbelt, MD) are not really options at all; they would remove the team from their core fan base in a such a way as to make them no better than RFK in the long run.

All those options do is present the club with a choice: 20,000 at RFK where the lease is crippling, or 10,000 (or less) as a soccer specific stadium in the far reaches of the suburbs. Ouch.

I'll be on the lookout for more info on this topic, though Goff is certainly the first place you should check if you want to follow the saga. I will be here, however, to comment on any developments.

To close: Chris, you may have chosen a team that will soon be moving. Hope that doesn't offend your English sensibilities. Haha.