Report: David Beckham close to bringing MLS team to Miami

MIAMI, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Retired soccer player and Super Bowl commercial star David Beckham has exercised an option he holds to buy a Major League Soccer franchise, and he will likely be bringing the team to Miami.

According the Miami Herald, the deal is almost done except that an agreement about a privately-funded stadium needs to be reached. A clause in Beckham’s contract when he joined MLS in 2007 granted him the right to purchase a team for $25 million.

Beckham and his investment group will be in Miami this week to meet with MLS commissioner Don Garber and attempt to garner the backing of community leaders and youth soccer clubs.

A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday, and it is believed that Garber will announce that Beckham has been awarded MLS’ 22nd franchise at that time. The team is not expected to begin play until at least 2016.

The former MLS player is reportedly still in talks with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez about leasing county-owned land for a 25,000-seat stadium. If an agreement about a new stadium can’t be reached, it’s possible that the new team could play in the Miami Dolphins’ stadium or at Florida International University.

[Miami Herald] [New York Times]