By Garrett Dvorkin | Baltimore Business Journal
Soccer returned to M&T Bank Stadium for the first time in seven years last year, but there hasn’t been and won’t be a repeat performance this summer.
English Premier League teams and London rivals Chelsea FC and Fulham FC had originally wanted to play a friendly game at M&T Bank Stadium this year, but the game instead took place at FedEx Field in Prince George’s County due to scheduling conflicts with Orioles games. Shared parking between Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, among other logistical factors, makes it difficult to host two large events at the same time.
Terry Hasseltine, executive director of the Maryland Sports Commission, said the conflict is more bad timing for Baltimore, as the city is looking to build soccer momentum with a possible minor league team.
“Because of the relationship we have within the football community, an English Premier League coordinator asked if there was interest in hosting a match in Maryland this summer and full disclosure, they asked about both FedEx and M&T,” Hasseltine said. “Unfortunately, there was a conflict with Orioles games. So, this summer, when it comes to European soccer happening in Baltimore, there is nada.”
Washington, D.C., was instead the hub of European soccer this summer. Chelsea’s match against Fulham became part of a doubleheader that also brought Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Brentford to FedEx Field on July 30. There was also some American talent in the mix, as All-Stars from Major League Soccer took on the Premier League’s Arsenal at Audi Field on July 19.
The Premier League organizers wanted to spread out the events and host the doubleheader in Baltimore, according to Hasseltine, who said the league’s officials have told him that Baltimore has earned a reputation as being a good place to host a game throughout the years. He also said part of the attraction to Baltimore is M&T Bank Stadium and its location. When organizers look at bringing a game to a city, they want to be able to host fan events near the stadium to help create a big-event atmosphere.
“M&T sits within an urban city center and allows us to do activations at more sites than just the stadium complex,” Hasseltine said. “FedEx Field is more isolated. The EPL was really looking at M&T because of the ancillary facilities surrounding the complex.”
Hasseltine was hoping that this summer would help continue Baltimore’s legacy of being a hotspot for European soccer. The tradition of bringing international teams started in 2009 when Chelsea took on Italian powerhouse A.C. Milan in front of more than 71,000 fans. Baltimore hosted two more friendlies in 2010 and 2012, before getting the nod to host the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a tournament between national teams from North America and Central America.
It then took seven years for soccer to return to M&T Bank Stadium. Arsenal beat Everton last summer in front of 40,000 fans. Hasseltine said stadium construction and the COVID-19 pandemic were the main reasons for the long break between soccer games and that he was hoping to get a game in Baltimore this summer to continue the momentum. Hasseltine said Premier League officials are now in talks to bring teams to Baltimore next year.
Hasseltine said ultimately he would like to see a soccer team call Baltimore home permanently and give the city’s soccer fans a team to cheer for more regularly. Even after a bid to get a USL team and stadium in the city failed last year, Baltimore could still get a minor league MLS team. The Maryland Stadium Authority is currently wrapping up a feasibility and economic study on bringing a DC United MLS NEXT Pro League team to Baltimore, and Hasseltine said the study could be finished soon.
“We think soccer is important to Baltimore’s landscape,” he said. “The study will give us a good roadmap for the future of a soccer team one day calling Baltimore home.”
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox