From Manchester to Madrid, to Los Angeles, to Paris, and finally, Miami. David Beckham and the rest of his ownership team have finally secured their long-awaited bid for an expansion franchise in Major League Soccer following the official announcement at a press conference on Monday.
In 2007, David Beckham made the transition from Real Madrid to the Los Angeles Galaxy, one of the highest-profile moves in MLS history. As a part of the former England captain’s initial deal, Beckham was offered an opportunity from the league to buy a franchise for 25 million dollars at the end of his playing career. After 4 years and plenty of bumps in the road, this venture is finally being pieced together.
As the melting pot of Latin America, Miami presents a very favorable market full of promising demographics. Miami-Fort Lauderdale is the 16th-largest television market in the US and consistently ranks among the top markets for FIFA World Cup viewership. There has already been plenty of hype surrounding this team, from supporters groups pledging their allegiance to superstars like Tom Brady, Alex Morgan, Neymar Jr, Will Smith, and Usain Bolt (plus many more) showing their excitement. Apart from attracting top-tier players, the club will hope to attract A-list supporters who will help generate excitement.
The team is slated to start play in 2020 after securing all of the necessary pieces for their stadium package. Next up are the important branding steps of choosing colors, name, and badge. That will be rolling out in the coming months.
“We are a global city, we feel, even me as an Englishman, that this is what this city deserves and this is what the people of Miami deserve. That’s our strategy, that’s where we want to take the team, and we believe that we will be different from other teams and not just ones in the MLS.” – David Beckham
It took longer than anyone anticipated, but Miami is officially a part of MLS. With Atlanta United and LAFC entering the league with big splashes, it will be interesting to see if Miami can build something special for themselves.
Categories: Major League Soccer