David Beckham‘s investment group reached a tentative agreement on Friday to build a stadium for a new MLS franchise next to Marlins Park in Miami.
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The site, which is near the downtown part of the city, had previously been rejected as a possible base for the franchise, which was announced past year.
Beckham’s team was conditionally accepted into MLS but needed to finalize a stadium deal to make the team a reality.
“MLS has been very clear: if we are going to bring soccer to Miami, it needs to be now”.
The site is the former location of the Orange Bowl, which was used by the Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami’s college football team. That stadium was demolished and is now where the Miami Marlins play home games in a new building.
The next move would be for Beckham and his partners to present a proposal to the city for construction.
The news came following a video conference between Regalado and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, a leading figure in the Beckham United ownership group, along with former LA Galaxy star David Beckham and entertainment impresario Simon Fuller.
Though a representative for Claure told reporters that 2018 was a likely start date, MLS has indicated it will not let a Miami team into the league without a firm stadium plan.
“We’re excited about sharing our plans with the city, county and community soon”, the statement added.
Claure said his architects have studied the area and decided there is no need to alter roadways near the planned stadium site.
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Regalado said he will seek approval from city commissioners to begin talks but since the civic leaders were the ones pushing the location to the Beckham team, approval is seen as only a formality.
