Miami Beckham United acquires last piece of land for MLS stadium

David Beckham's four-year hunt for enough land to house a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami looks to be finally over.

The Miami-Dade Commission voted 9-4 in favor of the group acquiring nearly three acres of commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson's District 3 on Tuesday, an area which covers the Overtown neighborhood. The land, which will cost just over $9 million, is a county truck depot at the corner of Northwest Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue, according to the Guardian, and is attached to the other six acres already purchased and earmarked for a 25,000-seater venue close to the Miami River.

(Photo courtesy: Miami Herald)

"Yes, it has taken a while to get to this point," said commissioner Xavier L. Suarez, who covers District 7, as reported by the Miami Herald's Douglas Hanks. "But the community needs it."

Beckham and a group of investors including media entrepreneur Simon Fuller and Todd Boehly, a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, won approval from the local government by pledging to spend at least $175 million on a soccer stadium which would employ 50 or more people on a full-time basis. The franchise's home would be privately owned and pay property taxes.

The next potential stumbling block for Beckham's partnership is to try and beat opposition from the adjoining Spring Garden neighborhood, with residents concerned about the disruption that having a professional sports team nearby would cause.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and LA Galaxy right midfielder made it clear in 2013 that he was looking to exercise a clause written into his 2007 MLS contract which allowed him to purchase a league franchise for a cut-price $25-million fee. The current going rate is around $150 million.

He later revealed a desire to field his side in the Magic City, despite former MLS team the Miami Fusion folding in 2001. It's worth noting that the Fusion were based 30 miles up the road in Fort Lauderdale.

Beckham's keenness in deploying an outfit in southern Florida was evident when - after three fruitless attempts at purchasing land - one of the poorer neighborhoods in Miami, Overtown, was identified as the final spot for the 24th MLS franchise.

Some locals are particularly excited about professional soccer potentially returning to the area.

"Don't underestimate this soccer community. It is amazing," Eric Corey, a fan who was once so distraught at the United States conceding a late goal to Portugal in 2014 that he fell out of a window, told commissioners. "You have the ability to put Miami on the international soccer map."