Nearly a year to the day that David Beckham announced his plans to head up an MLS expansion bid in Miami, city officials have proposed a potential plan for a temporary venue.
On Tuesday, Miami county commissioners voted unanimously to have Mayor Carlos Gimenez formally "propose using Florida International University's stadium as a temporary home for the franchise," according to a Miami Herald report. In recent years, FIU Stadium has hosted CONCACAF Gold Cup matches and international friendlies involving club sides and national teams.
But Miami Beckham United, the name of the prospective MLS ownership group led by the former LA Galaxy star, is focused on a permanent home, with a spokesman telling Reuters "the Miami Beckham United team is actively looking at four or five sites."
"Things are progressing in Miami, and we are very much on track in our plans," spokesman Tadd Schwartz wrote in an email to MLSsoccer.com. "David Beckham is very positive about the future of the club, and he continues to enjoy incredible support from the people in Miami.
"Right now, our focus is on identifying the location for a purpose-built stadium that will be the team's permanent home. Careful consideration will be given to FIU when we address the opportunities for a temporary facility."
In the year since Beckham's announcement, his prospective MLS ownership group has proposed stadium projects on waterfront locations at PortMiami and Museum Park that both fell through. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has made it clear that a downtown stadium in Miami is a requirement for any expansion bid.
But in a recent interview with EOnline, Beckham sounded optimistic that a solution is near.
“We’re pretty close to announcing certain things and then the stadium will come after that,” Beckham told EOnline. “You can’t build a stadium overnight, so finding the right site, finding the right place in Miami is important for that.”
