MLS' flirtation with Miami "appears to be back on, after a string of well-publicized social outings by David Beckham and some closed-door meetings by partner Marcelo Claure," according to Douglas Hanks of the MIAMI HERALD. Beckham and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine on Monday "chatted about soccer, and Levine said Beckham gave a tacit thumbs-up to the idea of building a professional soccer stadium next to Marlins Park." Levine: "He mentioned it. I think he has a sense of openness and willingness to anything." Claure, Beckham’s soccer partner and newly appointed Sprint CEO, "had dinner with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez last week and a private meeting with Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado." Regalado said that Claure "talked of two potential stadium sites: land next to Marlins Park, and property in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood at a location that Regalado couldn’t identify." Levine added that Beckham "also mentioned a potential Overtown stadium site." Hanks reports the Marlins Park option "has been a favorite for political leaders since last year’s botched efforts to bring Major League Soccer to PortMiami or downtown Miami’s waterfront." The city already owns parking garages "that serve the baseball park built where the Orange Bowl used to stand," as well as "parcels surrounding the stadium that could be part of an assemblage for soccer." Marlins Park "also would bring the potential for Beckham’s team to sign the University of Miami as a partner, with the soccer stadium doubling as a football field for the private school." The Beckham team’s "embrace of Marlins Park marks a significant messaging change," as Beckham's partner and XIX Entertainment Founder Simon Fuller last year "famously called Marlins Park 'spiritually tainted.'" MLS Commissioner Don Garber said that he "plans another trip to Miami in pursuit of a stadium deal" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/25).
MATTER OF SIGNIFICANCE? In Miami, Michelle Kaufman cites a source as saying that Beckham "hopes to have 'significant' news to share 'before summer’" regarding a finalized ownership group, a name for the team and its debut season, but he "does not plan to make any announcements during his visit to Miami this week." The source: "The reason this is taking so long is that they decided to take a step back from the stadium site issue and focus on what kind of football club we can be, how deep are our pockets, how much money can we spend?" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/25).
