Years Later, David Beckham Soccer Team Set To Launch
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- It's been four years but it looks like Major League Soccer is ready for a high-profile launch of David Beckham's soccer team in Miami.
A large public event is scheduled for Monday and it seems Beckham's group and the league may have finalized details needed to announce the leagues approval of a Miami franchise, according to CBS4 News partner the Miami Herald.
As 2017 came to a close, Beckham and partners had already secured a stadium in Overtown and the league had granted tentative approval of the plan. Yet, a formal deal hadn't been cut.
That may have changed and Monday's event could welcome the new team.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, whose administration helped negotiate a deal for the group to buy the 3-acre county-owned land, may be at the event.
Mike Hernandez, a spokesman for Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Gimenez, told CBS4 News the mayor has been asked to reserve a block of time for a possible major announcement on Monday.
"We hope they will finally be announcing that they have all the pieces of the puzzle together and that they're ready to launch. The community wants Major League Soccer, and we want it as soon as possible," Hernandez said.
Beckham's reps have declined to comment on the matter.
The soccer star was last in Miami in 2014, when he had hoped to lock in a stadium deal with the Port of Miami but the cruise industry blocked that effort leading their waterfront and Little Havana bids to fail.
The new site is just a few blocks from the Miami River, near NW 6th Street and 6th Avenue.
The $200 million stadium would be privately financed.
But it's not all smooth sailing on this lot.
A wealthy landowner near what would be the stadium site is suing to overturn the no-bid county deal. Other neighborhoods are also planning to block the zoning approvals needed by the City of Miami to build the 25,000-seat stadium in Overtown.
