Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham is the newest owner in Major League Soccer. The retired football superstar was award the latest MLS expansion side as the league pushes toward 25 teams. Beckham will now head a team currently dubbed as Miami-Beckham United; although an official name will be announced soon. The Miami MLS expansion team has been a long time coming, and at one time, many fans didn’t believe this day would come.
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Despite taking several years to take shape, Beckham and his co-owners have been awarded the 25th franchise in MLS. It is expected the club will play its first league game in 2020. The club will be started from scratch and Beckham’s team is in the process of getting approval for a self-funded stadium in the city. The Miami MLS expansion team hopes to have a 25,000-seat stadium when it is finished.
Beckham played for Los Angeles Galaxy from 2007 to 2012, and he is credited with turning around the fortunes of the North American league. Prior to Beckham’s arrival in MLS, the league featured just 13 teams. In 2018, MLS will welcome its 23rd team, Los Angeles Football Club.
In Beckham’s original MLS deal, the football player was given the option of owning a franchise following his retirement. The incentive was one of the sweeteners put into the contract that lured the former England international to the States.
