Beckham's Inter Miami Negotiating To Play Inaugural Season At FIU's Riccardo Silva Stadium
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami's newest professional sports team may be getting closer to finding its first home.
Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer team partially owned by soccer superstar and international icon David Beckham, is planning to play its first MLS season in 2020.
The proposed stadium that Beckham and his ownership group won voter approval to build, located on the Melreese Country Club land next to Miami International Airport, wouldn't be ready until 2021 at the earliest.
That means the team is going to need a temporary home for at least its inaugural season.
Marlins Park was long considered the logical choice for Beckham's club.
This week we've learned from CBS4 News partner the Miami Herald that the Marlins have decided not to extend an invitation, leery about the MLS schedule, which runs March through October, clashing with baseball season.
The idea of Inter Miami playing at Hard Rock Stadium never gained much traction. Sure, a game or two might be played there but it couldn't be a temporary home due to schedule conflicts with the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes.
Additionally, the Miami Open will begin play in 2019 at Hard Rock Stadium's new tennis complex, and that tournament would also conflict with the MLS schedule.
Now Beckham's group has turned their gaze to the west, negotiating to play its first games at Riccardo Silva Stadium on the main campus of Florida International University.
The facility is named after the owner of Miami FC, another professional soccer team that actually played at Riccardo Silva Stadium to raucous crowds…until its league folded in 2017.
A statement released by a spokesperson for Silva stated that "We support our friends at Inter Miami but aren't in a position to comment on rumours about any discussions with FIU."