The Miami Herald broke the news this afternoon that, yes, Miami will have a Major League Soccer team owned by David Beckham. A news conference at 12:00 PM EST featuring the ownership which includes Beckham, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, confirmed the news.
The ownership group led by Beckham, look to fulfill the passion in the city for a thriving team
Many will know of David Beckham and his efforts to bring a team to Miami. Throughout the intervening years since he first made it his intentions official, the ownership group of the team has witnessed a few changes. Now, there seems to be a settled group of individuals who are ready to put in the work required for the team. That group consists of Beckham, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, MasTec Chairman, co-founders and CEO Jorge and Jose R. Mas, an entertainment entrepreneur and creator of American Idol Simon Fuller and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son who is a part-owner of the team.
Beckham spoke about the journey over the last few years to get to this day and stated that it had shown him that, "sometimes you go through certain moments where it’s difficult" and that there had been a "reason why it's taken this long" to get this team awarded to Miami. Beckham felt that they had the right people within the ownership group who "understand the city, the sport, business, tech world" and that would amplify the skill set he would bring to the team as a former player abroad and within the MLS. Beckham went on to state that his idea was to combine big names and academy players that come through the team's academy. He has hopes that "future players and fans" will come from the city and help cement the ties between the team and the community as a whole.
Jorge Mas also addressed the audience on hand at the press conference, acknowledging that the "passion" for this team was already in place. He went on to say that Miami had a "community of Colombians, Brazilians, Venezuelans, Argentines, Cubans, Mexicans" who all have a "passion for soccer". Mas felt that to really be the team they all want Miami to have, they wanted to "create an atmosphere that feeds off that passion" and that with the fervor those communities mentioned before can bring, not only would the team be able to fill out the stadium but they could have the "best atmosphere in the whole league".
Representatives from the team's supporters group were also on hand to give their views. Julio Caballero, president and co-founder of the fan club, felt "so charged, so hyped" to finally have a team in Miami and Max Ramos, another member of the group added that now he can "support an actual team" and that this has been the day they have all been waiting for.
A team four years in the making will finally make its debut in 2020
Since 2014, when we first heard of a potential team in Miami, there has been much talk about how, when and where the team would eventually feature at. Now, the news has arrived that when the 2020 MLS season begins, Miami will have a team to root for and by hopefully 2021, that same team will have a permanent home. With so much still to be decided, no team colors, name or logo were unveiled today but the ownership group has time to make decisions on all of that and announce it in due course.
The new Miami team will play at a temporary stadium in its inaugural season but a 25,000-seat privately-funded stadium is set to be built by 2021 in Overtown, Miami. The stadium is being designed by Populous, an architectural firm that has overseen the designs for Major League Baseball parks, National Football League, National Basketball Association and soccer stadiums all over the globe. Jorge Mas stated that there are plans to have a fan plaza outside of the stadium and a 'March to the Match' along the Miami River, along with the lines of what Seattle Sounders FC fans do before games in Seattle.
Quotes via MiamiHerald.com