Beckham's Wager

Major League Soccer Is Finally Coming To Miami Thanks To Superstar David Beckham

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"Goal!"

That triumphant bellow, so familiar to soccer fans the world over, perfectly embodies the spirit of the Jan. 29 announcement that Miami has been granted a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise.

After years of bargaining and struggles, the Miami Beckham United group, headed by English soccer legend David Beckham, kicked a huge goal, indeed, and plans to begin playing in 2020 as a brand new expansion team.

This much is known, as of press time: The team will be the 25th MLS team on a roster that will eventually include 28 teams. Beckham paid the cut-rate price of just $25 million for the franchise, exercising an option he received for joining the league in 2007 and becoming the first former player to own a team. He is joined by a group of fellow investors with impressive wealth and commitment.

Beyond that, the rest is a mystery. What will be the new team's name? Which players will be on it? What colors will they wear? Where will they play temporarily until construction of their new stadium is complete, and where will that stadium be?

And the biggest mystery of all: Since the last Miami team, the Miami Fusion, lasted only four seasons, from 1998 to 2001, before folding due to a lack of fan interest, what are the new team's chances for success?

All these imponderables have not lessened Miami soccer fans' wild excitement about having their very own MLS team. But will unbridled enthusiasm be enough?

At the official announcement ceremonies at Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center, Beckham said: "Our mission to bring an MLS club to Miami is now complete, and we are deeply satisfied, grateful and excited."

Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez added: "Miami is one of North America's largest markets, and we are a community that is diverse and passionate about soccer. This is an historic moment for our city."

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez talked about the significance of the achievement.

"Miami celebrates the culmination of years of hard work that have resulted today in the birth of a club in North America's top-flight soccer league for our vibrant and diverse community. Miami has always been united in our love for soccer, so it is with great enthusiasm that we welcome a new Major League Soccer club to our community."

Several plans for the location of the new stadium have been floated. Initially, the group looked at a site on Dodge Island by the Port of Miami, but that plan collapsed, followed by interest in a site at Museum Park in downtown Miami, scuttled by resident opposition. Sites at Marlins Park, at Florida International University and near Miami International Airport likewise did not pan out. Next, a nine-acre site in Overtown was considered and partly purchased, but it lacks sufficient space and parking and has encountered resident resistance.

Now, a much grander plan has been envisioned turning the 180-acre city-owned Melreese golf course into not only a soccer stadium but a huge development comprising walking trails, a youth soccer academy, dining and shopping facilities, and a tech village.

"It will be much more than a stadium," says Eugene Ramirez, director of communications for the City of Miami. "It will be Miami's version of Central Park."

The golf course currently breaks even for Miami, but, should the new stadium be located there, it is expected to become a money-maker. The idea is that new shops and walking trails would draw residents to the area, while the tech village could lure technology companies to locate operations there.

The financial power is in place to make it work. Beckham has a personal fortune of $450 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, and is accompanied in the deal by major financial figures such as brothers Jorge and Jose Mas of MasTec; Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of Softbank; Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint and founder of the largest Hispanic-owned company in the United States, Brightstar; and Simon Fuller, the British entrepreneur, creator and producer of shows such as American Idol.

"Soccer is more than a game. It is a way of life," says Chris Allan, spokesman for the Southern Legion, a fan group that hopes to become the official supporter organization of the new team. "I have absolutely no doubt that this will be successful. When the team comes, they will sell out the stadium."

There is ample evidence that this could be Miami's era to emerge as a professional soccer capital. Gallup polls recently revealed that soccer has grown in popularity threefold in the last 10 years and lagged behind baseball by only 2 percent as the sport picked as a favorite by those polled. In a decade, its popularity leapt from 2 percent to 7 percent still small but growing.

"Soccer is one of few sports that is gaining momentum right now and gaining viewership," Ramirez says.

Television viewership of the sport also is small but growing. ESPN soccer matches drew an average of 272,000 viewers in 2017. However, the NFL's average viewership was 14.9 million, according to a Gallup poll.

When it comes to television, Allan says: "No one watches more soccer than Miami."

Latinxs, who grew up with soccer as part of their culture, make up the majority of Miami's population, and Ramirez notes that diversity is a major part of why Miami's soccer boosters believe the MLS team will succeed.

"The time is right for Miami to become a great Major League Soccer city," Don Garber, MLS commissioner, told NBC Sports. "This ownership is committed to bringing Miami the elite-level soccer team, stadium and fan experience it richly deserves."

Beckham, who crafted a legendary soccer career with Manchester United and Real Madrid, told NBC Sports: "Our pledge to our fans in Miami and around the world is simple: your team will always strive to make you proud on the pitch, our stadium will be a place that you cherish visiting and our impact in the community and on South Florida's youth will run deep."

Still, many questions remain unanswered. Jorge Mas indicated that several sites for the planned 25,000-seat, $200 million stadium are under consideration in addition to the Overtown and Melreese sites, including a location by the Hialeah Park and Casino; a 20-acre site near Jackson Memorial Hospital; a 24-acre site, the Pepsi distribution center, in Doral; and others.

Wherever the stadium is located, it will be designed by the global firm Populous, which has created major soccer stadiums in Orlando, Jacksonville and around the world.

However, the city seems to favor the Melreese site.

"This is a prime site because it's right near Miami International Airport and is connected to the Miami Intermodal Center, which is what connects our airport to our mass transit, so people in different parts of Miami will be able to access this, whether for a game, because they want to go to the park or because they're working at the proposed tech village," Ramirez says.

Still, the Beckham group has yet to provide the City of Miami with the expected artist renderings and financials on the Melreese site, and Miami is considering whether a voter referendum on renting the site to the Beckham group is necessary. In other words, it's far from a done deal.

MLS itself is on a growth spurt, beginning in 1996 with only 10 teams. Today, there are 23 active teams, with new ones in Miami and Nashville. A 26th team is to be named soon, with Detroit, Sacramento and Cincinnati in the running as host city. Two more teams will be named in the future, for a total of 28.

With a star player of Beckham's stature fronting the team, Miami is very likely to attract top-quality players from around the world. In fact, Beckham says several have already contacted him to say, "I'm in," according to The Guardian.

"Beckham is one of the most respected athletes in the game, and what he brings to Miami is priceless," says Allan, a fan of Arsenal in his native England. "He has every contact in football and the pulling power to get top players to come to Miami."

Ramirez adds: "We have the star appeal of David Beckham and the partnership of the Mas family. These aren't outsiders these are homegrown people who want to see this work."

Beckham told the Miami Herald that it's equally important for him to establish a youth soccer academy because "we feel there is a hotbed of talent in young kids throughout the city, and that's what we want to go for. We want to create a soccer community, not just an MLS team."

Recent concerns over serious concussion injuries in football have caused many parents to prefer that their kids play soccer instead, which might increase the popularity of soccer in the United States, Ramirez speculates.

Already, soccer is the No. 2 youth sport in the country, behind basketball but ahead of football and baseball, according to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which reported in 2007 that 24.5 million American kids play soccer.

"Kids in Miami will grow up with this club as their home team, Allan enthuses." O