Investigating David Beckham’s Proposed MLS Franchise in Miami

It's official: David Beckham wants to open up a Major League Soccer Franchise in the city of Miami, Florida. It will force MLS to expand should the former England captain land the requisite planning permission for a stadium, and "Miami Beckham United" will have a series of mini hurdles to clear after that. Here, we take a look at his proposed side and analyse the plan in place, how it might work and how it may look as it comes to fruition.Begin Slideshow

David Beckham Announces Miami MLS Franchise

World football legend David Beckham has announced the development of a new Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, per MailOnline Sport on Twitter: Beckham, who exercised an option to purchase an expansion franchise, spoke about his latest venture and answered questions during an hour-long press conference held in Miami on Wednesday, Feb. 5. MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez were also on hand for the event.  Both men spoke briefly but praised Beckham and his intentions, per CBS4 Miami on Twitter: There's currently no timetable on when the Miami-based franchise, which will become MLS's 20th club, will officially join the league, per football writer Dan Dickinson: But as Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl points out, there are still some significant obstacles Beckham will have to overcome before the new club becomes a reality:  When asked about the plans for a new stadium, Beckham confirmed that the franchise would not request public assistance, per Philly.com's Jonathan Tannenwald: Beckham also hinted at the possibility of constructing the new stadium downtown, per Fox Soccer's Inside MLS on Twitter: ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman addressed one of the major issues Beckham and his partners will have to overcome in regards to getting a new stadium built exactly where ...

NYCFC Ask Fans to Design Badge for MLS Team, Doesn’t Go Well

New York City Football Club, the new MLS franchise co-owned by the New York Yankees and Manchester City, had a simple idea: ask fans on Twitter to design their new club badge. But as anyone who saw the #AskCarrick event Monday on Twitter can tell, social media doesn't always play nicely. Accordingly, some of the proposed designs were not exactly likely to find their way onto the club's shirt in the future. Here, we round up some of the best efforts.Begin Slideshow

Can D.C. United Go from Worst to First in 2014 MLS Season?

By almost any measure, D.C. United’s 2013 Major League Soccer season was a bust. Yes, they did win the U.S. Open Cup, but they also finished dead last in league points (16), scored the least amount of league goals (22), gave up the second most number of goals (59) and, of course, missed the playoffs. In fact, their 2013 campaign was so bad, they finished with 10 less points than Chivas USA—who suffered through one of the most embarrassing seasons in MLS history—and 13 points behind Toronto FC—who were downright awful. Considering how bad the Black and Red were in 2013, it might seem like a fantasy to think they could win the league in 2014. But considering their coach, their talent level and their off-season moves, that’s exactly what could be in the cards.   Ben Olsen The 2013 MLS season was a season for young coaches. Mike Petke took the New York Red Bulls to the Supporters’ Shield and Caleb Porter engineered a remarkable turnaround in Portland that turned the Timbers into one of the most feared teams in the league. But in 2012, the hot, young coach in MLS was Ben Olsen. Although Olsen had some rough patches as the interim coach for ...

How Will MLS Transfers Affect USMNT World Cup Hopefuls?

This Major League Soccer offseason, three U.S. internationals have made moves into or within MLS. Eddie Johnson, after a long, public spat with the Seattle Sounders over his pay, left for D.C. United. Maurice Edu and Michael Parkhurst, both healthy, but receiving zero playing time with their clubs abroad, came home. Now the question is, how will these moves affect those players' chances of making the United States men’s national team roster for the 2014 World Cup?   Eddie Johnson Eddie Johnson was the highest-profile USMNT World Cup hopeful to make an MLS transfer this offseason (Michael Bradley is a lock for the U.S. squad and, therefore, cannot be considered a “hopeful”). After months of grumbling on Twitter about his relatively low pay (his 2013 compensation was $156,000 compared to Clint Dempsey’s $5 million), Eddie Johnson celebrated a goal in early September against the Columbus Crew with a “pay me” gesture to the crowd. With the Sounders’ stable of forwards already more than adequate with Dempsey, Obafemi Martins and Lamar Neagle and Seattle unwilling to pay Johnson designated-player money, he was traded to D.C. United in December for allocation money. With several strong performances in World Cup qualifying and this summer’s Gold Cup, many pundits would project ...