Major League Soccer announced today that the city of Miami has officially been granted an MLS expansion team. Miami will be the 25th MLS club, joining Nashville as the league's newest expansion city.
The club will be owned by a local and global group of entrepreneurs: David Beckham, global soccer and cultural icon and former MLS player; Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO, SoftBank board member and long-time Miami-resident and entrepreneur; Jorge and José Mas, the Miami-based leaders of telecommunications and construction giant MasTec; Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of SoftBank; and Simon Fuller, entertainment entrepreneur and manager.
The journey to an MLS club in Miami began more than a decade ago when David Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007 following his legendary career in Europe with Manchester United and Real Madrid. During Beckham's time with the Galaxy, MLS added seven expansion teams and nine soccer stadiums. Under Beckham's contract, Beckham and Simon Fuller secured the opportunity to own an MLS club following Beckham’s playing career. Beckham is now the first former MLS player to own a team in the league.
Miami’s team will play in a privately developed, 25,000-seat stadium in Miami's urban core. The stadium will be designed by Populous, the global firm that has created D.C. United's new home Audi Field, set to open July 14, as well as MLS stadiums in Houston, Kansas City, Colorado, and Allianz Field (opening in Minnesota in 2019). Populous has also worked on numerous international soccer venues, including the new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur, opening this year, and the expansion of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in 2015.
The new Miami soccer club will join the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, NBA’s Miami Heat, MLB’s Miami Marlins and the NHL’s Florida Panthers, as well as numerous collegiate sports programs in the area.
Additional news and information on the club – including its debut season in MLS, team name, logo and staff – will be announced in the future. For more information, visit FutbolMiamiMLS.com.
With Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) beginning play this season and today’s official addition of Miami, MLS has added 15 clubs since the beginning of the 2005 season, leading to a rapid and remarkable transformation of professional soccer in North America. MLS will grow to a total of 28 teams in the next few years.
