Club officials indicate that Miami MLS branding will be unveiled soon, as they are closer to finalizing the expansion team’s identity.
Since MLS officially awarded Miami an expansion team in January, there have been questions about the branding for the yet-to-be-named club. It had appeared earlier this year that some variation of Miami Freedom could be a leading contender for the name, but club officials are now expected to go with an identity that is more traditional by soccer standards.
According to club investor Jorge Mas, work is taking place to finalize the branding and an announcement is drawing closer. More from the Miami Herald:
According to [David] Beckham’s partner, Jorge Mas, they are “really close” to finalizing the team name, colors, and shield. “We are just going through final vetting and trademark issues, and all those announcements are imminent,” he said by phone Wednesday.
Among the names being considered are Futbol Club Internacional de Miami (Inter Miami) and Futbol Club Atletico Miami (Atletico Miami), both of which would make sense with the city’s international flair and Hispanic influence. The ownership group also registered variations of the name Miami Freedom, but it is more likely one of the traditional soccer names will be chosen.
Mas said he in the process of hiring a general manager, and he has narrowed it down to a few finalists — both with extensive MLS experience at “very successful” clubs. He hopes to have the GM in place “by the end of July.”
The group backing the team is headlined by David Beckham, along with Jorge Mas and his brother Jose, American Idol founder Simon Fuller, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure.
Aside from the branding, another key aspect to watch for the club will be its stadium site. A nine-acre site in Overtown was long the leading contender, but the club is expected to unveil plans next month for a stadium and surrounding development on the city-owned Melreese Golf Course. If submitted to Miami-Dade’s elections department by city commissioners, the measure for a stadium on the Melreese Golf Course site would be considered by voters on the November ballot.
Stadium rendering reflects plans for Overtown site.
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