DC United is putting even more of a push into expanding its reach into Baltimore. Today, at a joint press conference at Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore, DC United co-owner Jason Levien announced that the club was pursuing several initiatives in Baltimore, including a proposal to build a 12,000-seat soccer stadium and academy at the site of Carroll Park Golf Course.

The plan to build the new stadium has been endorsed by Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott, who also spoke at the press conference. In advance of DC United’s match against Inter Miami, which will take place at M&T Bank Stadium on March 7th, Mayor Scott declared March 7th to be “BMore United Day” in Baltimore to highlight the growing partnership between the club and the city.

The stadium is receiving investment from NBA Hall of Famer and Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony. The venue would be home to a MLS Next Pro team affiliated with DC United and would also be home to a women’s team that could play in the USL’s Gainbridge Super League. DC United already has a team in the Gainbridge Super League, DC Power FC, but Anthony’s investment would be for a new team separate from that.

“What we’re looking at with Carmelo [Anthony] is someone who loves soccer. He owned a soccer team in Puerto Rico. He’s from Baltimore,” Jason Levien said after the press conference. “He wants to be involved in ownership of a separate professional women’s team in Baltimore. He’s going to lead that effort [not just] on the development, but also with the professional women’s team.”

Two pieces of legislation have already been introduced in the Maryland state legislature to allocate over $216 million to help finance the project in a public-private partnership. However, DC United fans know all too well how difficult passing legislation on stadium funding can be, so the club still has some work to do to get it approved. Levien indicated that the total project cost would be around $300 million, with DC United contributing $100 million towards that effort.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott expressed support for DC United’s proposal to build a 12,000-seat soccer stadium and academy at the site of the city-owned Carroll Park Golf Course on Thursday morning. The venue would be home to an MLS Next Pro team affiliated with DC United, as well as a potential USL Super League women’s team, and could potentially anchor a mixed-use development on the 80-acre site.

Scott’s endorsement follows legislation introduced Tuesday by State Delegate Mark Edelson that would authorize the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue up to $216.6M in bonds to finance the project’s acquisition and construction, with debt service paid from state sports wagering revenue. DC United co-owner Jason Levien told SBJ the total project cost, including launching the academy and pro teams, would exceed $300M and that the club’s contribution would be approximately $100M.

With the initiatives that DC United is undertaking in Baltimore, it’s a further commitment by the club to make inroads in Charm City. While Levien was excited by the opportunity the March 7th match against Inter Miami presents, he said DC United is hoping to do more to engage with soccer fans in Baltimore.

“We’d like to do something every year in Baltimore,” Levien said. “This is a big part of our territory in MLS, and it’s a meaningful one. And one of the things that’s unique about where we’re situated is we’ve got two major cities, and they’re very different cities, but they’re both in our territory. And if you know a lot about the sport of soccer. You know about the rivalries that exist and the derbies and the excitement.”

“We want to build the professional soccer foundation in Baltimore. That’s going to lead to growth in the future.”