Beckham's Miami MLS Future Could Be Decided Wednesday
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CHICAGO (CBSMiami/ESPN FC) - David Beckham's quest to bring an MLS franchise to Miami could clear a critical hurdle this week.
Beckham is in Chicago for the MLS All Star Game, and according to ESPN, a vote to grant the city of Miami an expansion franchise could take place on Wednesday.
From Jeff Carlisle of ESPN, MLS Commissioner Don Garber says the franchise is very near approval: "We're at the finish line. We're not over the finish line yet. We've been working hard for a really long time. We feel like we've got everything where we need it to be."
More from Garber on the Miami vote: "We're going to talk to our board about it," said Garber. "We're in a position to ask for a vote [on Miami], but at this point we're not sure whether we're actually going to take it at that point. We'll know a lot more on Wednesday."
But what of a different hurdle? Votes aside, Beckham also faces a challenge in the courts. Miami land owner Bruce Matheson recently filed a lawsuit to block Miami-Dade county's sale of the stadium land.
Garber told ESPN he's not overly concerned: "I don't see the lawsuit as an impediment to the process," he said. "More importantly, as you've heard from the mayor [of Miami, Tomas Regalado] there will be a process where the public can weigh in, and we support that because we want to be good community partners."
Is MLS to Miami really "at the finish line?" Wednesday's vote should provide some clarity.