With MLS owners having agreed on the name, backers of a Miami MLS expansion team are closer to revealing the club’s branding.
The Miami MLS expansion franchise is backed by a group that is headlined by David Beckham, and also features prominent local businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, American Idol founder Simon Fuller, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. Planning for the club continues to take shape, including details on its branding.
There have been signs over the last few months that the group was zeroing in on the club’s identity, and it now appears to be closer to an announcement. According to Jorge Mas, MLS owners have given their okay to the club’s branding. An official announcement is expected soon, with the group planning to reveal the name in a unique fashion. More from the Miami Herald:
“Just wait ‘til you see how we’re going to reveal the name, it’s really cool,” Mas said. It will not be at a traditional press conference, he said. It may not even be revealed in Miami, although Mas would not offer any clues. Atletico Miami and Inter Miami are the two top choices, according to sources….
Mas said the MLS owners have agreed on the name, the shield and colors are almost done, and it will be announced when the city hall issues are not dominating the headlines.
“I think the name will be well-received, frankly, the fans have picked it because we focus grouped and the fans picked the name. This is the fans’ team. It’s a great name and the way we’re going to unveil the name is very different from any unveiling of a name. It’s not going to be at a site somewhere with us at a podium unveiling a name. That is not who we’re going to do it, and I’ll leave it at that.”
In recent weeks, the headlines surrounding the Miami MLS expansion club have been dominated by its proposed stadium and surrounding development at the site of Melreese Country Club (rendering shown above). Miami City commissioners were expected to vote last week on whether to send the proposal to the November voter ballot, but instead held off on a decision to continue negotiations.
The proposal is under a deadline of sorts, as the county election department will finalize the fall ballot language on August 7, so discussions over the stadium plan will be watched closely until the commissioners issue their decision. It does seem, however, that the Miami MLS branding announcement could generate some buzz for the club once it takes place.
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