David Beckham is one step closer to bringing an MLS team to Miami after Miami-Dade County commissioners granted permission to the former Manchester United star and his ownership group - Miami Beckham United - to secure three acres of county-owned land for a new soccer stadium.
It took four years for the group to secure the last bit of land. Many residents went before the commission to urge against the stadium being built in the city's Overtown neighbourhood. However, Beckham's group won with a 9-4 vote.
So far, Beckham has nine acres for a 25,000-seat stadium. On top of the $19 million he and his group paid for the first six acres, they will now need to pony up another $9 million for the last three acres.
The next step in Beckham's plan is to actually build the facility, which will be privately financed. Even so, he needs the city of Miami's approval for the project.
Beckham's group also needs final approval from the league to secure a Miami expansion franchise, something he reportedly hopes to have done by the end of June. MLS had conditionally approved the addition in its last round of expansion, pending a stadium deal.
"Now is the time for MLS to move forward in helping us deliver the soccer club that Miami has been waiting for," the group said in a statement.
"Miami is the eighth largest metro area in the U.S., the country's number one soccer market, and a critical gateway to Latin America and Europe. MLS will only reach its full potential once it fields a team here."
