Major League Soccer now has a new franchise.
On Wednesday, February 5th, recently retired English star David Beckham announced that the league's 22nd team will be based in sunny Miami.
Alongside MLS Commissioner Don Garber, the former midfielder, who last played for Ligue 1's PSG, outlined his reasons for choosing the city for his new project.
"Why Miami? I wanted to create a team that we can build from scratch," he stated during a press conference.
It is important to note that Florida has not been the best breeding ground for MLS teams as previous outfits Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny both failed to launch. Orlando City SC is set to begin playing during the 2015 MLS season.
Yet despite this, the former English international also added, "I also want to create a team that will be very personal...to make it my own. Miami is a fantastic city with lots of passion and [I think] this time around, it's ready for a soccer team."
Beckham also pointed out that he is used to "working hard through challenges" during his illustrious career, which has seen him don the jerseys of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Milan, PSG, and MLS side LA Galaxy.
Big ambitions: Global icon Beckham poses with city and soccer officials during the unveiling:
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Normally, a franchise takes upward of $100 million or more to start, but thanks to his association with LA Galaxy, the global superstar will be getting a pretty steep discount and will find that it will only cost $20 million--approximately 1/5th of the outlay required to start up teams in Portland and Montreal.
But will it succeed? Beckham does have lots of significant backers both in the worlds of business and athletics, such as NBA star LeBron James thanks to his public clout. Certainly, it looks to be an exciting time for the beautiful game in the United States!
Becks outlines his goals and aspirations for MLS's newest team:
