We first heard the rumor of a Miami MLS team between Claure & Beckham a few years back. But, not many took notice until a small mention on May 1, 2013 on the Washington Post by Steven Goff:
*Getting word a David Beckham-backed effort to bring MLS to Miami is about to pick up a steam and could go public in about a month. The league has prioritized a second club in New York for the 20th team and is intrigued by Orlando’s aggressive expansion campaign, but with Miami featuring Beckham and Dolphins management, Miami has quietly re-emerged. South Florida had an MLS team from 1998 to 2001, the Miami Fusion, which played at Lockhart Stadium in north Fort Lauderdale (30 miles from downtown Miami) but lacked the investment muscle and public will to survive. Commissioner Don Garber has said repeatedly MLS needs to expand into the South; currently, there are no teams south of Washington on the East Coast.You can read the rest of the piece HERE.
Fast Forward to Tuesday May 28 when Simon Evans breaks out the news that Beckham is indeed on his way to Miami to meet with Marcelo Claure at a Heat game no less!
Simon Evans wrote:
Former England captain David Beckham will visit Miami this week as he steps up his interest in owning a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team.Read the rest of the article HERE.
Beckham, who played for L.A. Galaxy in the MLS, has an option to create a new franchise in the North American league.
While the exact location is still to be decided, he will be in the Florida city to explore possibilities, according to former Miami mayor Manny Diaz.
"Yes, he is coming. My understanding is that it's very exploratory at this stage," said Diaz, who took part in the last time a Miami-based MLS team was under discussion in 2009.
A few days later on Thursday May 30th, anyone that watched the Miami Heat game could see Simon Evans was on the money about the meeting.
Having had a couple of days to work with, a few fans decided to have a Beckham rally to show support. Michelle Kaufman from the Miami Herald covered it HERE.
Beckham ended up staying almost a week touring stadiums and taking in everything Miami had to offer. South Florida was a buzz with Beckham sightings across town. A couple of local news sites were able to get an exclusive interview with him.
“I think bringing an MLS team here to South Florida would be exciting,” Beckham told Miami's CBS4 News. “I think Miami fans are very passionate about the sport and about winning and of course, it would have to be success but it’s definitely exciting.”
A month later and as talk of Orlando's stadium project began to get attention. Brightstar CEO Marcelo Claure tweets a picture of David Beckham holding a Club Bolivar jersey (Bolivian Champions also owned by Claure) which indicates talks are still on going and mentioning Beckham as Claure's MLS partner on his Twitter account.
Want to be part of the South Florida MLS movement?
Join MLS Miami Bid:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLSMiamiBid
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Email: info@mlsmiamibid.com
6 comments:
Crossing my fingers this happens! So ready for an MLS team. I can only imagine the Star players this team would have. Beckham's team will be what the Miami Heat is for the NBA!
I can imagine the kind of star players the team would have - 2 or 3 (MAX) over the hill guys who are names people remember from past Euro/South American glory. MLS salary cap rules prohibit anything more, unless they are willing to play for peanuts.
Don't expect anything close to what you see on Saturday mornings.
The Miami Heat are the best basketball team in the WORLD, with the best players in the WORLD. MLS won't be anything close to the soccer equivalent, if ever, for a very long time.
But if moderately decent domestic soccer at a college football stadium is enough to satisfy the star-hungry fútbol aficionados in Miami, perhaps it could be successful.
A plan would be implemented to create a new SSS so the stadium at FIU would be temporary. It was built as multi purpose and is FIFA approved - as they are known for their soccer championships as well.
It took the Heat 20 yrs to be the World's best team - the Fusion acheived that as the Supporter's Shield Winners in only four years - it takes time to build a franchise to that caliber.
The MLS has changed the rules and now has 3 DP signings that only count a fraction against the cap - the rest being paid from salary and marketing contracts can be $6 to $10 million a year - this attracts top name players - someone like Valderrama Etcheverry El Matador, etc. Were not over the hill they were dynamic and exciting to watch. We helped pioneer the league and can now contribute to be a new level of glamour and playing style for MLS once again!!!
I love you Beckham , I love you Miami.Thank you for everything . indeed I found a lot of things to read on this blog . Thank you . you do a great work here to post a nice blog . Really i like your blog . I will follow your blog.on blog. Thanks a lot for useful , information and blog . That's very nice.
Ed your source sucks!! Same as your city. If you love sport don't move to Miami.wwww
Nice post thanks for sharing !
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