Carmelo Anthony Invests in D.C. United-Backed Baltimore Soccer Stadium Plan, With State Bond Proposal Under Review

Stadium, academy and professional teams proposed for Carroll Park Golf Course site

A plan to build a new soccer stadium and training academy in Baltimore has added a high-profile investor, as elected officials in Annapolis and City Hall weigh a public-financing pathway tied to sports wagering revenue.

D.C. United’s ownership group has proposed a soccer-specific stadium with an initial capacity of 12,000 seats on the city-owned Carroll Park Golf Course property. The venue is designed to be expandable to as many as 25,000 seats, and it would anchor a broader sports-and-development concept on an approximately 80-acre site.

What the project would host

The stadium is intended to serve as the home for an MLS Next Pro club affiliated with D.C. United. Project planning has also included a possible women’s professional team in the USL Super League, a separate league structure from Major League Soccer.

Carmelo Anthony, a Baltimore native and former NBA star, has joined as an investor in the Baltimore project and is expected to play an active partnership role focused on the women’s team component. Anthony has prior soccer ownership experience through Puerto Rico FC, a club that competed in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. The proposed women’s team in Baltimore would be structured separately from D.C. United, which already holds an ownership position in a Washington, D.C.-based USL Super League franchise that plays at Audi Field.

Financing framework: proposed bonds backed by wagering revenue

The financing debate has sharpened around a bill introduced in the Maryland General Assembly that would authorize the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue up to $216.6 million in bonds to support acquisition and construction. Under the proposed framework, debt service would be paid from state sports wagering revenue.

Project leaders have put the overall initiative—stadium, academy, and team launch costs—at more than $300 million, with D.C. United’s contribution estimated at roughly $100 million.

Planning history and design team

The Baltimore proposal has been under formal study since at least March 2024, when a multi-party effort funded a detailed evaluation of potential stadium sites. That work was completed in May 2025.

Moody Nolan is serving as the project’s prime architect, with Pendulum Studio as associated architect. The project team also includes designated executive and design leadership roles tied to those firms.

Key project details at a glance

• Proposed capacity: 12,000 seats, expandable to 25,000
• Proposed location: Carroll Park Golf Course (city-owned land)
• Primary tenant concept: D.C. United-affiliated MLS Next Pro club
• Additional concept: potential USL Super League women’s team
• Public financing proposal: up to $216.6 million in state-authorized bonds
• Targeted timeline: goal to break ground in 2027

Supporters describe the initiative as a long-term play to deepen elite player development in the Baltimore region while creating a professional soccer venue designed for growth in attendance and programming.

The proposal now moves through parallel tracks: state legislative deliberations on the bond authorization and local planning decisions tied to land use, site logistics, and long-term development commitments.