A major hurdle in former England football star David Beckham's plans to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to the city of Miami has been cleared with the acquisition of the remaining three acres of land that he required to build a 25,000-seat stadium.
"By purchasing the last piece of land needed for our privately-funded stadium, Miami Beckham United (MBU) is achieving another major milestone on the way to Major League Soccer formally awarding Miami a franchise," the Guardian reported citing a statement from MBU on Tuesday.
"(The group has) assembled a world-class team of partners, presented a vision for building the premier soccer club in the Americas, and assembled the land needed to build our stadium. Now is the time for MLS to move forward in helping us deliver the soccer club that Miami has been waiting for".
The Miami team is part of a MLS expansion plan that will increase the number of teams from 20 to 24 teams by 2020 and to 28 teams beyond. The other locations already granted teams are Los Angeles, Minnesota and Atlanta.
This deal represents a major breakthrough for the English football icon's plans to bring a MLS franchise to the city of Miami, the progress of which has been very slow and arduous.
"I will tell you this is probably the best site we have found, for many respects," Beckham group attorney Neisen Kasdin said, before listing reasons that include "the site's proximity to several modes of public transportation and the Miami River".
--IANS
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