http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3309216/beckhams-mls-expansion-group-restructured-at-11th-hour-sources?src=com
Beckham's MLS expansion bid group restructured at 11th hour - sources
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http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/major-shake-up-in-david-beckhams-mls-franchise-bid
Major shake-up in David Beckham’s MLS franchise bid
Mas brothers join consortium as Todd Boehly exits stalled project.
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https://therealdeal.com/miami/2017/12/13/mas-bros-team-up-with-beckham-in-pitch-for-miami-mls-stadium/
Mas bros. team up with Beckham in pitch for Miami MLS stadium
Jorge and Jose Mas lead engineering and construction giant MasTec
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https://www.sportbusiness.com/sport-news/beckham%E2%80%99s-mls-bid-secures-new-backers-ahead-key-meeting
Beckham’s MLS bid secures new backers ahead of key meeting
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https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2017/12/13/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Miami-MLS.aspx
David Beckham's Bidding Group Undergoes Shakeup With Todd Boehly Out, Mas Brothers In
Published December 13, 2017
The investors behind David Beckham’s bid for a Miami soccer stadium have "undergone a significant shake-up," with majority partner and Dodgers co-Owner Todd Boehly out and Miami moguls Jorge and Jose Mas "joining the venture," according to sources cited in a front-page story by Kaufm...
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http://www.espn.in/football/major-league-soccer/story/3309216/beckhams-mls-expansion-group-restructured-at-11th-hour-sources
Beckham's MLS expansion bid group restructured at 11th hour - sources
David Beckham's investor group, one still hoping to land a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, has undergone a significant restructuring just days before a critical meeting of the MLS board of governors, sources have confirmed to ESPN FC.
Todd Boehly, who was set to be the majority partner for Beckham's group -- called Miami Beckham United -- is now no longer involved and has been replaced by local businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, as well as Sprint chairman Masayoshi Son.
The news was first reported by the Miami Herald.
A Beckham spokesman declined comment, as did MLS.
Beckham's effort to acquire an MLS expansion team has been fraught with delays since it was first proposed back in February of 2014. As recently as last Friday MLS commissioner Don Garber told ESPN FC that MBU still needed "a solid ownership group -- one that hopefully could be very connected locally -- and a finalized stadium plan."
This came on the heels of comments from Tim Leiweke, who wondered aloud in a recent interview if the deal would get done.
The stadium plan appeared to be nearing completion when MBU agreed to purchase three acres from Miami-Dade County back in June. Combined with an adjoining six-acre parcel, MBU has secured the site it needed to build a stadium in Miami's Overtown neighborhood.
But local landowner Bruce Matheson filed a lawsuit alleging that the county violated the law by not opening up the sale to competitive bidding. A judge sided with the county back in October, but Matheson has appealed the ruling, resulting in a further delay. The City of Miami must also approve zoning changes for the site.
Boehly was thought to be the last piece of the puzzle for the investment group when he was brought in last April. He and Beckham presented their plan to the Board of Governors in Chicago around the time of the MLS All-Star game in August, and initially it was well received.
"We're not announcing MLS Miami today, but I am confident we'll be able to do that, perhaps by the end of the summer," said Garber at the time.
But sources have told ESPN FC that the ownership structure proposed by Boehly, one that would see him have a clear majority stake in the venture, didn't sit well with MLS. There has been pushback among MLS owners over Beckham's discounted $25 million expansion fee, and the sight of Boehly becoming the majority owner gave the impression he was getting the franchise on the cheap when MLS is currently charging new expansion teams a fee of $150 million. The league also wanted a larger local presence.
The additions of the Mas brothers as well as Son appear to fit that requirement for the investment group. Jose Mas is the CEO of MasTec Inc., an engineering and construction firm whose headquarters are in nearby Coral Gables, Florida. His brother Jorge is the Chairman of the Board. Earlier this year the Mas brothers attempted to buy the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, but were beaten out by an investment group led by Derek Jeter.
Son has been brought in by another member of Beckham's investment group, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. According to Forbes, Son's net worth is $23 billion. Son also gives MLS a bigger conduit to the Asian market than what it currently has.
What has emerged is an ownership structure -- one that still includes Beckham and his business partner Simon Fuller -- where the stakes are more evenly spread out. Sources indicated that Leiweke's role with Beckham's group going forward is to be determined.
Sources have added that Beckham's group feels it has satisfied all of the league's requirements and the ongoing litigation with Matheson is not expected to be a deal breaker.
"The litigation slowed things down, but I don't believe the litigation will prevent us from being in Miami," said Garber.
The MLS board of governors is meeting in New York on Thursday where it will discuss the next round of expansion as well as Beckham's project.
It is now up to MLS to either grant Beckham a franchise or look elsewhere.
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https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/76068/report-mas-futbol-for-miami-beckham-united.html
Report: Mas futbol for Miami Beckham United
The on-again, off-again bid by David Beckham to launch an MLS team in Miami took another turn as the Miami Herald reported that Beckham might have found a local owner the group needs for MLS to go forward with the team.
Several sources close to the talks told the Herald that majority partner Todd Boehly (who was brought in as majority owner earlier this year) is out and brothers Jorge and Jose Mas have joined Miami Beckham United.
Before the MLS All-Star Game in Chicago on Aug. 2, MLS commissioner Don Garber said the MLS board of governors was impressed with the work Boehly and Beckham had been doing to move the bid forward, finally securing a stadium site for the team that has been in a holding pattern since Beckham exercised his option on an MLS expansion team -- price tag: $25 million -- and was introduced to the Miami media in February 2014.
Garber cautioned work still needed to be done but he was confident about announcing MLS Miami was official, "perhaps by the end of the summer." A Miami circuit court judge dismissed a nuisance suit attacking Miami-Dade County's sale of a three-acre truck depot Miami Beckham United needs to complete the stadium site in Overtown as an attempt to sabotage the deal with what he termed a "sham bid."
Tim Leiweke, who brought Beckham to MLS in 2007 when he was CEO and president of AEG and was brought in to help Miami Beckham United win approval for the stadium site in Overtown after plans at several other Miami stadium sites fell through, had recently raised doubts whether the deal will ever get done.
At his state of the league address on Friday, Garber termed Beckham's pursuit of a stadium "the most complicated situation in any market that we've experienced." Garber said for the first time on Friday that that even if the stadium picture is clearer -- a 25,000-seat stadium in the Overtown neighborhood -- the Beckham group must find a local owner for the deal to go forward.
"I continue to say that we want Miami in the league," he said. "It's a large market, a gateway city. There are a lot of values to us having a team down there and I'm very confident that we will get something done."
Garber also added, though, that it was "conceivable" one of the one of the four finalists for the two expansion spots up for grabs -- Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville and Sacramento -- could move ahead of Miami in the expansion order.
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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/12/13/new-national-soccer-hall-fame-will-host-first-inductions-october-2018
New National Soccer Hall of Fame will host first inductions in October 2018
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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2017/12/13/mls-board-governors-set-thursday-meeting-expansion-discussed/944764001/
MLS Board of Governors set for Thursday meeting, expansion to be discussed
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https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/12/13/mls-commissioner-maybe-columbus-should-look-at.html
MLS commissioner: 'Maybe Columbus should look at what Detroit and Nashville and Cincinnati and Sacramento are doing'
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https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/12/12/mls-commissioner-expansion-teams-timetable-could.html
MLS commissioner: Expansion teams’ timetable could move up
As FC Cincinnati awaits a decision on its bid to become one of Major League Soccer’s two expansion clubs to begin play in 2020, MLS commissioner Don Garber said one of the teams selected could begin play a year earlier than anticipated.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL6TRt144Mw
Section Spotlight: Lower Goal Reserved
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Dec 13, 2017
For the same low price as general admission, you can sit even closer to the action! Secure your Lower Goal Reserved season tickets today!
PURCHASE: tinyurl.com/TBRSTM18
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJHUbWAQuxU
Why should Amazon come to Tampa?
CityofTampa
Published on Dec 6, 2017
We asked local residents why they think amazon should move to Tampa!
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