Garber still confident of MLS future in Miami

This is new and different:

Finding a local owner to join Beckham's group was also crucial, Garber said.

"We've been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that it will come together," he said. "I continue to say that we want Miami in the league.

As the internet meme goes: "wat"?

Isn't Marcelo Claure a local investor? They need more local investors for some reason, which they didn't need six months ago? 

I thought the addition of Todd Boehly earlier this year solved all of Miami Beckham United's investor problems?

Now all of a sudden they need more, and local, investors?

Something here doesn't add up, but the reporters seem to be too clueless to ask obvious follow up questions about this.

Also, Garber indicates that some of the new  expansion teams could jump ahead of Miami as Miami is obviously not going to be ready for 2019 or even 2020. No surprise there. 

I really wish MLS would give up on Miami for now and choose the Tampa Bay Rowdies, instead, obviously; I hope they (and Beckham, too!) come to this realization soon and don't drag this Miami situation out for another two or three years. 

(Follow link for full article.)

https://sports.yahoo.com/garber-still-confident-mls-future-182942601.html

Garber still confident of MLS future in Miami

It’s been months since we’ve heard anything concrete regarding Major League Soccer’s return to Miami, but MLS commissioner Don Garber believes that David Beckham’s ownership group is closer to its goal of a soccer-specific stadium, paving the way for an expansion franchise.

In an interview with ESPN, Garber said that he was confident “something is coming together” regarding Miami’s MLS future and that the major issues over the proposed stadium and ownership group have been resolved.

“I’ve been saying all along we need a number of things to go forward with David Beckham and his option: a solid ownership group — one that hopefully could be very connected locally — and a finalized stadium plan,” Garber told ESPN. For many years now, we’ve not been able to close the loop on those two issues. I believe we are getting closer, and I believe we’ll have a team in Miami. Actually, I believe something is coming together rather soon.

“We had a meeting last August in which we presented an opportunity to the MLS Board of Governors, which they approved us pursuing, and we’re still trying to finalize the details of that.”

Just last week, Beckham’s ownership partner Tim Lieweke expressed doubts that the stadium come to fruition, with complaints from residents in the stadium neighborhood and a pending lawsuit from a local resident in the Miami area over a three-acre block of land that Miami-Dade County is selling to Beckham.

And with every month that passes, momentum for the ownership group and the potential franchise wanes, especially as folks still have hard feelings over how the former Miami Marlins ownership fleeced the city for their new stadium, only to put a poor product on the field.

So it remains to be seen how much longer Beckham, and MLS, is willing to wait for a stadium deal to formalize, before the league moves on to other cities who are vying for expansion franchises.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://sports.yahoo.com/mls-confident-over-miami-team-garber-224241309--sow.html

MLS confident over Miami team: Garber

David Beckham heads a consortium hoping to launch a Miami Major League Soccer team, and has been battling to secure a site for a stadium despite local opposition (AFP Photo/Alexia Fodere)

Los Angeles (AFP) - Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said Friday the league remained determined to launch a team in Miami but acknowledged the task had been the toughest challenge of his 18-year reign.

Garber told reporters on the eve of Saturday's MLS Cup final in Toronto that he was confident the long-awaited arrival of an MLS team in the Florida metropolis would happen eventually.

English football icon David Beckham heads a consortium hoping to launch a Miami team, and has been battling to secure a site for a stadium despite local opposition.

The group inched towards its goal earlier this year after securing a land deal for a proposed stadium project.

"It is the most complicated situation in any market that we've experienced at least in my 18 years," Garber told reporters, citing Miami's fast-changing real-estate environment and local political structure.

Finding a local owner to join Beckham's group was also crucial, Garber said.

"We've been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that it will come together," he said. "I continue to say that we want Miami in the league.

"It's a large market, it's a gateway city, there are a lot of values to having a team down there. I remain confident we will get something done."

Miami is currently slated to be the 24th MLS team following the launch in 2018 of Los Angeles Football Club, the 23rd team.

MLS chiefs will announce the 25th and 26th expansion teams before the end of the year from a shortlist of four candidates -- Detroit, Cincinnati, Nashville and Sacramento.

However Garber admitted it was possible that one of the two new expansion franchises chosen this month could be bumped up the pecking order and take Miami's place as the 24th team.

"It's conceivable. It's conceivable that could happen," Garber said.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/columbus-future-front-and-centre-in-commissioners-state-of-the-league-address

Columbus future front and centre in commissioner's state of the league address

Los Angeles FC will become the league’s 23rd team next season. Miami is also guaranteed a spot with the league currently entertaining applications from Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville and Sacramento for the next two teams. An upcoming league board meeting will decide the matter.

Garber said Miami may fall down the pecking order of new clubs entering the league because of issues with a stadium site and the search for local ownership to join David Beckham in the venture.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-usa-garber/soccer-garber-quizzed-on-plodding-progress-of-beckham-franchise-idUSKBN1E22VB

Soccer: Garber quizzed on plodding progress of Beckham franchise

The original timeline has long had Miami penciled in as the league’s 24th club but Garber conceded on Friday that one of the two franchises from Detroit, Cincinnati, Sacramento and Nashville being looked at for expansion could step to the front of the line.

”It’s conceivable that could happen,“ said Garber, ahead of Saturday’s MLS Cup final between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders. ”This is the most complicated situation in any market we have experienced at least in my 18 years.

”Part of it has been complicated by the Miami market, generally it is a difficult sports market. The second part of that is that it is one of the fastest growing value markets as leads to their real estate.

“Third it is their political structure, there is a variety of different mayors all for the same space.”

The major stumbling block for Miami Beckham United, the team’s working title, has been finding financing and land for a stadium.

After failed attempts to secure land in the downtown waterfront area the Beckham group settled on the Overtown neighborhood of Miami as the site for a 25,000-seat soccer specific stadium.

In June the Beckham group acquired a parcel of land needed for their project and Garber said on Friday that the proposed franchise had cleared another hurdle when an appeal that could have blocked progress was turned down.

Dec 8, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; MLS commissioner Don Garber speaks during a state of the league address at Westin Harbour Castle. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

“We’ve needed to get a finalization of the land, the lawsuit on that land was just settled when the appeal was turned down last week and we have been working hard to try to find a local owner for David Beckham,” said Garber.

According to Forbes the average price of a MLS franchise is currently set at $225 million.

Beckham, however, is getting a major discount.

As part of the blockbuster deal that lured Beckham from Europe to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 the league gave the option to purchase a franchise for $25 million.

“I feel confident that it will come together,” said Garber. “I continue to say we want Miami in the league, it is a large market, a gateway city there is a lot of value to us having a team down there and I am confident we will get something done.”

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/mls-state-of-the-league-don-garber-offers-updates-on/ta0t0lm4oe701ph7oo346lh31

MLS State of the League: Garber on Columbus relocation talks, Beckham's Miami bid and more

Garber 'confident' in Beckham's Miami team

Garber also discussed David Beckham's long-gestating expansion bid in Miami, expressing confidence that the proposed club will find an additional local owner and clear a path to building a soccer-specific stadium.

MLS tentatively announced Miami as an expansion side in 2014, with the franchise to be confirmed upon finalizing stadium plans. Although Garber offered hope in August that a formal confirmation would come "perhaps by the end of the summer," the process was delayed by a lawsuit accusing Miami-Dade County of improperly selling land to Beckham's group. That lawsuit was dismissed in October, however, and Garber said Friday that the appeal was denied last week.

The commissioner did acknowledge that Miami — currently envisioned as the 24th MLS club, following Los Angeles FC's introduction as team No. 23 next year — could be pushed down the line. (MLS is set to announce two expansion teams later this month from finalists Sacramento, Nashville, Cincinnati and Detroit.)

But Garber believes the introduction of a South Florida-based owner should pave the road to finally getting Beckham's Miami side on the field.

"It is the most complicated in any market that we've experienced, at least in my 18 years," Garber said. "We've been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that that will come together, so I continue to say that we want Miami in the league. 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'll get something done."

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/12/08/mls-commissioner-don-garber-columbus-relocation-austin-expansion-tam

Garber Clarifies MLS Position on Columbus, Says Expansion Bids Could Leap Miami

Miami—As the MLS board of governors is scheduled to meet Dec. 14 to discuss which two cities from among Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville and Sacramento to add as expansion markets, David Beckham’s project in Miami has dragged deep into its fourth year.

Garber confirmed Friday that it was “conceivable” that one or more of the new entrants—long identified as teams Nos. 25-26 (to be named in December and begin play in 2020) and Nos. 27-28 (to be named next year or after) could jump ahead of Miami, which has been considered team No. 24.

“It is the most complicated situation in any market that we’ve experienced,” Garber said, citing real estate prices, politics and other issues. He also mentioned the need for a “local owner." Beckham and his partners, Marcelo Claure and Tim Leiweke, finally recruited majority investor Todd Boehly in the spring. He’s based in Los Angeles.

“We’ve seen that at least in the success of some Miami teams, having a local owner has been one of the factors,” Garber said. “We’ve been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that that will come together. I continue to say that we want Miami in the league … there are a lot of values to us having a team down there, and I remain confident that we’ll get something done.”

It’s still expected that MLS will name only two expansion teams this month.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/garber-quizzed-on-plodding-progress-of-beckham-franchise

Garber quizzed on plodding progress of Beckham franchise

TORONTO (Reuters) - Ever since David Beckham ended his playing career in 2013 it has become a Major League Soccer tradition that commissioner Don Garber is asked during his annual state of the league address about the former-England captain's effort to bring a franchise to Miami.

With the league pushing ahead with expansion plans and set to decide on two new franchises at meetings in New York next week, Garber was again quizzed on Friday about the status of a team, which seems no closer to taking the pitch than it was nearly four years ago when he began the pursuit.

This season Atlanta and Minnesota joined MLS and next year LAFC will become the league's 23rd franchise.

The original timeline has long had Miami pencilled in as the league's 24th club but Garber conceded on Friday that one of the two franchises from Detroit, Cincinnati, Sacramento and Nashville being looked at for expansion could step to the front of the line.

"It's conceivable that could happen," said Garber, ahead of Saturday's MLS Cup final between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders. "This is the most complicated situation in any market we have experienced at least in my 18 years.

"Part of it has been complicated by the Miami market, generally it is a difficult sports market. The second part of that is that it is one of the fastest growing value markets as leads to their real estate.

"Third it is their political structure, there is a variety of different mayors all for the same space."

The major stumbling block for Miami Beckham United, the team’s working title, has been finding financing and land for a stadium.

After failed attempts to secure land in the downtown waterfront area the Beckham group settled on the Overtown neighbourhood of Miami as the site for a 25,000-seat soccer specific stadium.

In June the Beckham group acquired a parcel of land needed for their project and Garber said on Friday that the proposed franchise had cleared another hurdle when an appeal that could have blocked progress was turned down.

"We've needed to get a finalisation of the land, the lawsuit on that land was just settled when the appeal was turned down last week and we have been working hard to try to find a local owner for David Beckham," said Garber.

According to Forbes the average price of a MLS franchise is currently set at $225 million.

Beckham, however, is getting a major discount.

As part of the blockbuster deal that lured Beckham from Europe to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 the league gave the option to purchase a franchise for $25 million.

"I feel confident that it will come together," said Garber. "I continue to say we want Miami in the league, it is a large market, a gateway city there is a lot of value to us having a team down there and I am confident we will get something done."

(Follow link for full article.)

http://gulftoday.ae/portal/edf7c22d-f8be-4710-836f-b5314a628fa5.aspx

MLS confident over Miami team, says Garber

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/mls/article188868954.html

Garber talks MLS expansion, relocation in annual address

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.themaneland.com/2017/12/9/16754844/lion-links-12-9-17

Lion Links: 12/9/17

Garber’s State of the League address, Coxy and H find new teams, Hope Solo for president, and more.

About Miami, Garber said:

"We've been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that that will come together, so I continue to say that we want Miami in the league.”

This is an interesting new twist in what Garber has said about Miami in the past. It did not go unnoticed.

MLS issues in Miami have always been focused on securing land for stadium, land free and clear of lawsuits. Now, Don Garber says issue is finding local owner.

— Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) December 8, 2017

So in a matter of hours Don Garber has gone from telling me that moving Miami out of spot No. 24 is "not being contemplated" to being "conceivable" at his State of the League address. Okay then.

— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) December 8, 2017

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3302176/garber-beckhams-miami-franchise-coming-together-rather-soon

Garber: Beckham's Miami franchise 'coming together rather soon'

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.euronews.com/2017/12/09/garber-quizzed-on-plodding-progress-of-beckham-franchise

Garber quizzed on plodding progress of Beckham franchise

(Follow link for full article.)

https://worldsoccertalk.com/2017/12/08/mls-confident-over-miami-team-garber/

MLS confident over Miami team: Garber

(Follow link for full article.)

https://soundcloud.com/meninblazers/men-in-blazers-120717-don-garber-pod-special

Men in Blazers 12/07/17: MLS Pod Special With Don Garber

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/12/08/mls-commissioner-don-garber-joins-men-blazers-podcast-special

MLS Commissioner Don Garber joins Men in Blazers for podcast special

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article188885759.html

Don’t give up hope, Miami. MLS commissioner “confident” Beckham deal will get done

Hey, South Florida soccer fans: Don’t give up hope just yet on David Beckham’s seemingly-endless quest to bring Major League Soccer to Miami.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in his State of the League address on Friday that he remains “confident” they will work out a deal and he believes a yet-to-be-named local owner would help resolve the challenges the group has faced since Beckham first proposed the team in February 2104.

“It is the most complicated situation in any market that we’ve experienced, at least in my 18 years,” Garber began. “Part of it has been complicated by the Miami market generally. It’s a difficult sports market. The second part of that is that it’s one of the fastest-growing value markets as it relates to their real estate. Third is the political structure. There’s a variety of different mayors all for the same space.

“And, part of it is we ‘ve needed a local owner because we’ve seen that in at least in the success of some of those Miami teams, having a local owner has been one of the factors. So, we’ve needed to get finalization of the land. The lawsuit on that land, the appeal was turned down last week. We’ve been working hard to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel comfortable that will come together.”

Garber concluded by affirming that MLS has not given up on the idea of a Miami team.

“I continue to say we want Miami in the league,” Garber said. “It’s a large market. It’s a gateway city. There are a lot of values to us having a team down there and I remain confident we’ll get something done.”

Last week, Beckham’s partner and chief negotiator Tim Leiweke sounded pessimistic about the deal in an interview with the Toronto Sun. He said: “I have my fears as to whether it’s going to get done, because things like this drag on this long that’s always tough on a process. But for David I hope he lands somewhere.”

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.geekwire.com/2017/nhl-seattle-microsofts-new-cricket-grounds-mls-cup-predictions-week-sports-tech/

NHL to Seattle; Microsoft’s new cricket grounds; MLS Cup predictions; and more from the week in sports tech

Leading the Key Arena development is Oak View Group, a Los Angeles-based organization headed up by Tim Leiweke, a sports industry veteran who has experience building new arenas across the globe.

Leiweke spoke at the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit this summer in Seattle and talked about his vision for the redeveloped Key Arena, in particular for how technology will play a role. He addressed various topics ranging from transportation; security, esports; Amazon; and Seattle’s technology industry boom.

I’m especially interested to see how OVG and Leiweke work with Amazon, particularly with Key Arena as a music concert destination. Back in March, I sat down with Leiweke and he raved about Amazon’s new cashier-less grocery shopping concept, noting how it could be implemented in Key Arena.

And here’s this from longtime Seattle sports columnist Art Thiel this week, who noted that Leiweke “has been quite public in his ardor for Amazon”:

Amazon abruptly has become a global leader in consumer entertainment. Leiweke aspires to have OVG supplant his hated former boss, Philip Anschutz of Anschutz Entertainment Group, as one of the world’s largest entertainment presenters. So it becomes easier to understand why Leiweke is willing, in a building he will not own, to gamble hundreds of millions of dollars, including covering all cost overruns on the Key renovation, to create a concerts-first venue: It’s a neighbor to the world headquarters of the retail/entertainment colossus.

Along with his equity partner in the Key remodel, concert promoter Live Nation, Leiweke’s OVG needs to win Seattle, the next big marketplace opportunity, to win the bigger turf war with rival AEG.

This marks the latest chapter in a decade-long saga that started after the Sonics departed to Oklahoma City nearly a decade ago. Numerous high-powered groups and individuals have been involved in the process of building a potential new stadium in Seattle, including former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who was part of a ownership group that nearly brought the NBA back to Seattle in 2013.

Highlights from the week in sports tech

Microsoft is building a cricket field on its redeveloped campus in Redmond, Wash.

The Seattle Sounders are in Toronto for an MLS Cup rematch at 1 p.m. PT Saturday on ESPN. I caught up with former Sounders star Roger Levesque, who predicts a 2-0 win for Seattle. EA Sports’ FIFA simulation disagrees.

2018 is shaping up to be quite the year for sports streaming rights. A new report predicts that Amazon will be a live sports powerhouse as soon as next year. Sports Business Journal reported this week that Facebook is looking for a top-level executive to negotiate sports rights. That person would have a budget of “a few billion dollars.”

Hulu has partnered with NBA teams to let fans watching on the company’s streaming platform show up on the big screen at games.

What to watch this weekend: As noted above, the MLS Cup is at 1 p.m. on ESPN this Saturday … Army at Navy at noon Saturday is the only college football action … Seahawks at Jaguars or Eagles at Rams, both at 1:25 p.m.on FOX, are the best NFL matchups.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-s-forgotten-soccer-champions-remembering-metros-croatia-on-the-eve-of-mls-final-1.4438551

Toronto's forgotten soccer champions? Remembering Metros-Croatia on the eve of MLS final

Robert Iarusci and Carmen Marcantonio remember their triumph as Metros-Croatia rookies 41 years ago

In fact, even when they had a lead in their NASL semi-final match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, none of the 35,000 people in Tampa's stadium thought Toronto would make it to the title game.

"They had a promotion going on over the loudspeaker during the game," Iarusci remembered, "that was going to enable three or four spectators to go to Seattle, where the final was going to be played ... because they assumed Tampa was going to beat Toronto Metros-Croatia."

When Toronto went up 2-0, stadium staff kept playing the advertisement, even with 10 minutes to go. Finally, Iarusci said, one Toronto player went to a member of the staff to tell them to stop playing the ad.

"By the way, do you realize that perhaps you're not going to win this game?" Iarusci remembers the player saying. "Stop giving people false hope."

The Metros-Croatia would shock the North American soccer world, as well as the city of Toronto with their 3-0 victory over Minnesota in the final. In fact, they shocked even themselves by beating the Rowdies and making it to the Soccer Bowl in Seattle in the first place.

"And so we went to Seattle, Iarusci remembered. "We never even thought we were going to go. We didn't have a change of clothes ...  And then we won handily, 3-0, with Eusebio scoring a magnificent goal."