David Beckham and his team may still be working on identifying a prospective stadium site in Miami, but the former LA Galaxy star vowed this week that his Miami MLS expansion bid will come to fruition sooner or later.
Speaking to Bloomberg Television’s Mark Crumpton, Beckham underlined his determination to lead MLS's successful return to South Florida despite the recent twists in the hunt for a waterfront site for a new, soccer-specific stadium.
“Miami will happen,” said Beckham, who announced in February that he was exercising his expansion option in Miami. “I said I want to bring a team here, and I will take a team to Miami. There are speed bumps along the way, and we’ve come up against those.”
So far Beckham and his partners – whose entry into MLS as an expansion club hinges on a new stadium plan – have put forward two plans for their club's future home, the first was based on a site at PortMiami and the second called for a facility adjacent to the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat.
Both were ambitious proposals that ultimately fell through after discussions with local officials. But Beckham maintains that other options are being pursued, comparing his vision for the venue to two of the most iconic stadiums in his homeland.
“I’ve been very cheeky in a way, because I’ve gone into Miami and I said, ‘OK, I want to build Old Trafford or Wembley Stadium next to Buckingham Palace,’” Beckham said. “My dream was to have our stadium on a waterfront. It’s not worked out like that, and we have alternative sites. It will happen.”
