An announcement concerning a Miami MLS expansion franchise is reportedly coming closer, with plans expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Miami Beckham United, the ownership group that includes David Beckham, has been working for years to bring an MLS expansion franchise to Miami. There were several twists and turns during that process in 2017, but the year seemingly ended on a high note when Jorge and José Mas, Miami-based leaders of telecommunications giant MasTec, and Japanese entrepreneur and SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, reportedly one of the wealthiest men in Japan, joined the ownership group.
While the year concluded without an official announcement, it appears that MLS and Miami Beckham United are closer to revealing plans for the Miami expansion club. According to The Miami Herald, an announcement could come later this month at a team-launch news conference that will feature Beckham and MLS commissioner Don Garber:
In his first public comments since joining the Beckham ownership group in December, Jorge Mas told the Herald on Saturday night: “We had super, super productive meetings in KC. I’m very excited for what we can bring the Miami soccer fan, and we’ll have some big news to announce in Miami in the near future. Being a native, I’m a Miami guy 1,000 percent, and I want to make this a really special team with a really special fan experience.”
Mas wouldn’t say the exact date of the team-launch news conference, but indicated it would be by the end of the month. Two other sources close to negotiations said it would be at the end of January.
The team name and preliminary uniform designs would be unveiled at that event, which is expected to be attended by Beckham, his partners, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
Miami Beckham United is planning to construct a new stadium in Overtown. According to The Herald, the Miami MLS expansion club is scheduled to commence play in 2020, and could call a temporary venue home if construction of the new Overtown stadium is not completed. In addition, it reports that the ownership structure will see the Mas Brothers and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure serve as majority owners, with Beckham, Son, and Simon Fuller having minority stakes.
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