The long-rumored David Beckham-Miami marriage could be close to coming to fruition, according to a report in The MiamiHerald.
The newspaper reported Monday that Beckham had exercised his expansion option as he pursues a team in Miami, a deal that hinges on securing a privately-funded stadium plan. Beckham will be in Miami this week for a variety of public and private events, including a press conference on Wednesday morning with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez at the Perez Art Museum in downtown Miami.
When reached for comment by MLSsoccer.com, MLS vice president for communications Dan Courtemanche declined to comment on the status of Beckham's expansion option or the contents of the press conference, which will include a "significant announcement impacting the Miami community," but confirmed Garber would be in attendance. The press conference will be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com at 10 am ET.
Gimenez met with Beckham’s group last week to discuss up to 30 potential sites for a soccer-specific stadium in Miami, and the two sides set a timeline to complete any negotiations by the end of the summer, according to the mayor. The favorite site for Beckham’s group remains county-owned land at the PortMiami site in Biscayne Bay.
Miami has been without an MLS team since the league removed the Fusion in 2001. MLS recently returned to Florida with the expansion announcement of Orlando City, who will begin playing in 2015.
