Beckham's plan to bring MLS to Miami founders

David Beckham's business team swooped into Miami a year ago, full of irresistible excitement and lofty ideas, and got politicians to agree to negotiate a location for a new Major League Soccer stadium.

An enthusiastic Miami-Dade County Commission voted unanimously on Dec. 17, 2013, to authorize Mayor Carlos Gimenez to sit down with Beckham's representatives and try to find a home for a professional soccer franchise to be owned by the retired English footballer, one of the world's most famous celebrities.

Twelve months after that vote, there is still no stadium site. Beckham's group has stayed largely silent since June, regrouping — and, some supporters fear, reconsidering — after feeling burned by politicians who eagerly proposed potential sites on public land only to quickly back away.

The county and city commissions nixed stadium proposals at PortMiami and on a boat slip north of AmericanAirlines Arena, stinging Beckham's team and forcing them to question whether they really wanted to come to Miami.

The Miami Beckham United organization, which at first said it would take three months to weigh its remaining options, has said it's still hunting for a stadium location, though quietly this time, with private property owners. After being denied twice, the group appears reluctant to openly discuss a new one until a deal — assuming one can be reached — is firmly in place.

"We have made very meaningful strides in the last couple of months," said John Alschuler, Beckham's real estate adviser. "While nothing in this complex equation can be taken for granted, I am optimistic that there will be several positive announcements in the first quarter of the next year."

Meantime, County Commissioner Juan C. Zapata, a Beckham supporter, said he plans to propose legislation in the new year asking Beckham to consider temporarily locating his team at Florida International University's main campus in West Miami-Dade, which is in Zapata's district. Once there's a team for fans to cheer, negotiating a stadium might not be as difficult, Zapata said.

Beckham and MLS want to launch a Miami franchise with a new stadium and not a short-term location. But the league has been inconsistent, allowing the expansion New York City FC to play temporarily at Yankee Stadium.

"I think it's obvious that the MLS isn't going to get what they want," Zapata said.

Earlier this year, Beckham exercised an option in his player contract to purchase a franchise for a deeply discounted $25 million after his retirement. However, it's unclear how long he has to come up with financial and stadium plans. MLS has required new franchises to build soccer-specific facilities — preferably in urban, downtown locations — to replicate the business model that has worked in cities such as Seattle and Portland.

Beckham and the league had indicated there was a short time frame for a stadium deal to come together. But the passing months have shown there was no hard deadline, at least not for 2014. League Commissioner Don Garber told Reuters earlier this month that Beckham's search "can't go on forever."

Worried fans have held their breath every time another city — Minneapolis is among cities making such pitches, as are Las Vegas and Sacramento — has said it wants a professional soccer team. When MLS shut down its ailing Chivas USA franchise in Los Angeles, the city where Beckham used to play for the LA Galaxy, a rumor posited that Beckham would pack his bags and head back west.