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Post by epjr on Oct 8, 2013 18:25:47 GMT -6
 Orlando moves another step closer to MLS dreamThis tends to get said a lot lately, but Monday really was a huge day for Orlando City SC and their bid to become an MLS team. The Orlando City Council unanimously approved the plans to build a new stadium in a 7-0 vote. The only hurdle still remaining for the stadium is the vote on Oct. 22, when the plan will come before the Orange County Commissioners. If everything goes according to plan, the Lions can then enter final negotiations for an MLS franchise. Meanwhile, Orlando City’s current home, the Citrus Bowl, is set to play host to international soccer. www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/10/08/kick-orlando-moves-another-step-closer-mls-dream |
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Post by epjr on Oct 15, 2013 10:23:33 GMT -6
Stephen Ross linked to MLS Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is looking to partner with former Manchester United and Real Madrid star David Beckham to bring an MLS expansion team to Miami, a source told ESPNFC.com. The link between Ross and Beckham was first reported by The Daily Mail earlier this month, but on Monday a source close to Ross indicated that RSE Ventures, the sports marketing company Ross co-founded with Matt Higgins in 2012, is looking to provide marketing services to the investment group being put together by Beckham, and possibly provide a temporary stadium solution for the proposed team. Just last month, Ross said at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit that he was seeking to acquire an MLS expansion team and place it in Miami. espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1582844/miami-dolphins-owner-stephen-ross-linked-mls-david-beckham-source?cc=5901
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Post by epjr on Oct 21, 2013 17:08:51 GMT -6
Report:
MLS will move "very quickly" on expansion process should final Orlando City vote pass Major League Soccer will move “very quickly” to begin the process to add Orlando City as an expansion franchise if Tuesday’s crucial county vote goes the club’s way, according to a Monday report in the Orlando Sentinel. The commissioners of Orange County will vote on Tuesday whether to devote $20 million in tourist taxes toward the construction of an $84 million soccer-specific stadium in downtown Orlando. The vote passed unanimously earlier this month in an Orlando city board of commissioners vote, and Tuesday’s county vote is seen as the last obstacle. The Sentinel quoted MLS president Mark Abbott, who was in Orlando on Monday to meet with the county commissioners, as saying that should the vote go in the USL PRO club’s favor, "[The league’s] next step is to finalize an expansion agreement, and I believe that we'll be able to do that.” www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/10/21/report-mls-will-move-very-quickly-expansion-process-should-final-orlando-cit
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Post by epjr on Nov 19, 2013 6:06:37 GMT -6
NBA star LeBron James says he's spoken to David Beckham over stake in potential Miami MLS team Could LeBron James be teaming up with David Beckham on an MLS team in Miami? Although the two have previously discussed soccer in Miami, the Miami Heat superstar revealed on Monday that a stake in an MLS team for James has also been broached. "There's some interest on both sides," James told media in Miami. "David has become a good friend of mine over the last few years. I think it would be great for this city to have a football club for sure. There's interest on both sides but it's preliminary talks. "The research is still being made out," he continued. "I think it could be huge. You never know. I think this is a great town for soccer. There's a lot of soccer players, there's great youth soccer players here and people love the city as well. That definitely would help." www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/11/18/miami-heat-superstar-lebron-james-reveals-preliminary-talks-regarding-owners
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Post by epjr on Nov 20, 2013 7:16:04 GMT -6
Orlando City ownership looks to bring in "very special" player as first-year DP, have spoken to KakaORLANDO, Fla. – When it comes to Designated Players, Orlando City SC certainly aren’t content to wait around. Even before the balloons dropped to celebrate the club’s official entry into MLS in 2015, majority owner Flávio Augusto da Silva let the club’s fans in on a little secret. On Wednesday, da Silva admitted he’d be headed to Europe to hold talks with a "very special" target. Da Silva could not confirm the identity of the player, of course, but he did paint a vivid picture of the player expected to be the face of the club in two year’s time. “We want a player who is literally a soccer star – worldwide, well known and very well recognized – just to represent our team in the first season,” da Silva told MLSsoccer.com. “This is our goal. I cannot say the name [of the player] that we’re prospecting right now, but we’re going to bring someone very important and very special.” www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/11/19/orlando-city-sc-ownership-looks-bring-very-special-player-first-year-dp-have
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Post by epjr on Nov 26, 2013 19:51:58 GMT -6
Soccer on the bay?
Report says David Beckham eyeing potential waterfront stadium in Miami If it materializes, it could become the most picturesque soccer stadium in the country, complete with a backdrop of cruise ships, yachts and the city skyline. A report in The Miami Herald on Tuesday claims that David Beckham and his partners, who are looking into an MLS expansion team in Miami, have identified a "top potential site for a permanent soccer stadium for a new MLS team: Port Miami." The outlet cites the Miami-Dade County's mayor's office, who confirmed the approach by Beckham's group, while making it clear that "talks with the county over the seaport site are still in their infancy." "We said yes, we'd take a look at it," deputy mayor Chip Iglesias told the paper, singling out 25 acres on Dodge Island. www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/11/26/soccer-bay-reports-says-david-beckham-and-partners-eyeing-potential-waterfro
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Post by epjr on Nov 30, 2013 17:34:45 GMT -6
Report:
USL PRO expansion side Sacramento Republic FC already eyeing eventual jump to MLSSacramento is hoping to be the next city to jump aboard the MLS expansion train, even though their newest professional team has yet to play one minute. A report in The Sacramento Bee on Thursday detailed plans by Sacramento Republic FC president Warren Smith to land a MLS franchise in 2016, saying the club has already kicked off a campaign to convince the league that Sacramento is a first-rate market for top-level professional soccer. Sacramento Republic FC will start play in USL PRO in 2014, and as detailed in the report, have yet to sign a player or complete their stadium. “I know one thing: If you don’t get up and say you’re going to do it, you’re not,” Smith told the Bee. “The best time to get a team is when a league is growing, and MLS is in a high-growth mode right now.” www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/11/29/report-usl-pro-expansion-side-sacramento-republic-fc-already-eyeing-eventual
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Post by epjr on Dec 11, 2013 21:24:39 GMT -6
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Post by epjr on Dec 31, 2013 14:43:02 GMT -6
MLS expansion update:
Miami making progress despite deadline, Minneapolis in play[/SIZE] It appears that New Year’s Eve will come and go without an MLS expansion announcement from David Beckham, but missing the league’s Dec. 31 “deadline” almost surely won’t have any tangible impact on his push for a Miami stadium deal. Securing land and funding for a new facility in time to meet the original terms of Beckham’s $25 million expansion option was always going to be a tall order for the former midfielder, who retired only seven months ago. Beckham has been working with Bolivian telecommunications mogul Marcelo Claure and continues to make progress with local authorities, sources tell SI.com. Miami and Atlanta are expected to be the league’s 22nd and 23rd clubs. Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who hopes to field an MLS team in a new retractable-roof stadium scheduled to open in 2017, has been in talks with the league for years. Falcons executive VP and chief marketing officer Jim Smith, formerly the president and GM of the Columbus Crew, attended the MLS Cup final. Also in Kansas City for the league title game was a group that might be interested in bringing MLS to Minneapolis — and it wasn’t the Vikings. While Beckham’s Miami entry appears to be a matter of “when” and not “if”, there’s an intriguing contest taking shape in the Twin Cities, where the construction of a new soccer-ready NFL stadium may have lit a fire under the owners of local NASL club Minnesota United. www.reddit.com/tb/1u2gs9
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Post by epjr on Jan 10, 2014 12:24:54 GMT -6
Orlando City make Trinidad & Tobago international Kevin Molino first MLS signing The MLS roster building in Orlando has officially begun. Orlando City announced on Friday morning that they have signed Trinidad & Tobago international Kevin Molino (above, left) to a deal that guarantees him a spot on the club's roster next year, effectively making the midfielder the Lions' first MLS player acquisition. Molino, 23, will play for Orlando City in their final USL PRO season in 2014 before moving to MLS with the club for its expansion season in 2015. “Kevin was out of contract with us and was being courted heavily in Europe and the States," Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath said in a statement. "He’s turned down deals from several MLS teams to stay with us in Orlando. That says a lot about his love for this club. He will be a great asset for us again in ’14 and moving forward into MLS.” www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/01/10/orlando-city-make-trinidad-tobago-international-kevin-molino-first-mls-signi
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Post by epjr on Jan 16, 2014 15:35:25 GMT -6
MLS Commissioner Don Garber:
Announcement on Miami expansion will come in early February PHILADELPHIA – Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber said Thursday that the league expects to make an announcement concerning David Beckham and a potential expansion franchise in Miami within the next 30 days, potentially inching the league closer to its 22nd franchise. “I was down there this past weekend, and I’ve been down there a lot, working with potential ownership and trying to finalize a stadium plan,” Garber told media at the MLS SuperDraft. ”Right now, we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ll announce something in early February.” www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/01/16/mls-commissioner-don-garber-announcement-miami-expansion-will-come-early-feb
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Post by epjr on Jan 17, 2014 13:32:19 GMT -6
Cosmos Corner:
It's Not All About The U.S. Open Cup Despite what a majority of fans may think, the New York Cosmos play in the NASL — US Soccer’s second division. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The team’s ideology and history was something that they felt was better preserved in the NASL and, in all actuality, they are probably right. The Cosmos were known as big spenders with a flashy style and tons success under that umbrella. They already have the spending and championships locked down. However, a large portion of the fanbase isn’t interested in dominating the NASL like the old days. Instead their sights are set on the US Open Cup and – potentially – the CONCACAF Champions League. Aside from the fact that team still needs to acquire a first-division level of depth to progress deep into the Open Cup. www.empireofsoccer.com/cosmos-corner-about-22313/
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Post by epjr on Jan 20, 2014 20:11:25 GMT -6
MLS stadium progress in Downtown Orlando ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Downtown Orlando is shaping up to become a sports entertainment hub with the addition of a new major league soccer stadium. It will call an area on Church Street home and fit in alongside the Amway Center and the Orlando Magic's plans for a sports entertainment district, not to mention the Orlando Citrus Bowl, which is undergoing its own makeover. Fox 35's John Brown spoke with Orlando City Soccer President Phil Rawlins to get new details about the new MLS stadium and how all of the sports venues are coming together to change the Downtown Orlando experience. Read more: www.myfoxorlando.com/story/24494376/mls-stadium-progress-in-downtown-orlando#ixzz2qzj5HyNi
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Post by epjr on Jan 22, 2014 15:44:00 GMT -6
Orlando City SC land second player for 2015 in deal for Real Salt Lake midfielder Yordany Alvarez Orlando City SC have a second player under contract ahead of their 2015 expansion season in Major League Soccer after trading for Real Salt Lake midfielder Yordany Alvarez on Wednesday. Alvarez, 28, suited up for Orlando in 2011 and helped lead the Lions to their first USL PRO Championship while winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award. To acquire Alvarez, the club traded its lowest fourth-round SuperDraft pick in 2017. In 2014, Alvarez will be on a loan from Real Salt Lake, playing for the Lions in their final season in USL PRO. “We’re obviously delighted to have Yordany back,” Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath said. “We have an MLS-caliber player returning to us. I’m really excited to have him with us again and looking forward to the future with him on the squad.“ www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/01/22/orlando-city-sc-land-second-player-2015-deal-real-salt-lake-midfielder-yorda
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Post by epjr on Feb 5, 2014 16:01:37 GMT -6
David Beckham exercises MLS expansion option
on future Miami franchise David Beckham is getting back in the game with Major League Soccer. The league announced Wednesday that the former LA Galaxy superstar has exercised his option for an MLS expansion team and will seek to build that team in Miami, a move rumored for months that now looks like a reality for soccer fans in South Florida. MLS Commissioner Don Garber made the announcement with Beckham and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez during a press conference at Perez Art Museum Miami. Beckham’s ownership group will now work with MLS and local officials to finalize a deal for a world-class soccer stadium, but a timeline for when negotiations need to be completed or when a Miami team might join the league were not revealed. The favored stadium site among Beckham’s group is reportedly Biscayne Bay’s PortMiami, but Beckham visited a number of sites last year, including SunLife Stadium, Marlins Park and the FIU stadium on the Florida International University campus. According to a report in the Herald last year, roughly 25 acres of the county-owned PortMiami site could be made available – enough for a 25,000-seat stadium with expandable seating for various events – if the site is chosen. www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/02/05/david-beckham-exercises-mls-expansion-option-future-miami-franchisewww.youtube.com/watch?v=LHw3wqZN4Tw&feature=player_embedded |
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