The man that would know, Steven Goff of the Washington Post, is reporting that there may be a new player in the DC United stadium saga. United has already struck out in Prince George's County, and both Montgomery County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia have been mentioned as possible locations; because of all of those exes dotting the DC metropolitan area map (colloquially known as the "DMV" these days), Goff speculates that perhaps the new suitor is Fairfax County, Virginia.

If that's true, and there's nothing in Goff's post to back it up, it's just his best guess, then I would be completely and utterly stunned.

Back when I did my United stadium location round up, I discounted Fairfax County as a potential home for the club. I based this on several factors, not the least of which is a county government most view as ill-suited to the passage of a major stadium construction bill.

But if Goff is right, and if Fairfax County is indeed interested in becoming the permanent home of DC United, then we can look at the development in a few different ways. Part of the good/bad designation of this news is dependent on where in Fairfax County the stadium would be located. For those unfamiliar with the geography of the area, the DC metro is broken down most simply by the designations "inside the beltway" and "outside the beltway". Anything inside the beltway is going to be closer to the city proper, but much more accessible by public transportation, and more than likely be characterized by an urban setting. Any location outside the beltway tends to be more suburban and less easily accessible to those not driving, though this rule is far from hard and fast.

Fairfax County straddles the beltway, and spans the spectrum of "urban" and "suburban". If the DC United stadium was to be located inside or directly adjacent to the beltway, than it would be an incredible boon to the club. But if Fairfax County is eying land farther west on which to build, the same issues that plague potential sits in Loudoun and Montgomery counties may come to bear.

Again, it's only speculation on the part of Goff, and nothing has been officially announced by the team or the county. Even if the site is located in the western part of Fairfax, it's probably preferable to the other possibilities mentioned to this point; DC's subway system, the Metro, is planning massive expansion farther west, and that eventually benefit the team in their new facility.

Fairfax County is an odd mix of the well-off and the not-so-rich, with a broad range of ethnic groups inhabiting the area. The county has a significant Latino population, from which the club already draws a substantial portion of their fan base; add to that the "soccer mom" crowd that infects the more affluent areas of the county, and it makes sense for United to be located there.

I am just a little concerned about what part of the county might be targeted, but until we find out whether or not Goff's supposition is correct, it remains a moot point.

Just as an aside, it was interesting to see in Goff's post that the city remains in play, as the Poplar Point project remains on the table.