Friday: Shared interests foster Beckham's Miami meeting

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, May 22, 2015

Friday could be a decisive day as David Beckham seeks to get the ball rolling on the stalled efforts to secure a stadium site for his proposed MLS team. The Miami Herald reported that he will meet with outgoing University of Miami president Donna Shalala and MLS commissioner Don Garber about working with the University of Miami on building a stadium.

Beckham's group and the University of Miami have shared interests. An MLS team needs a suitable venue in the vicinity of downtown Miami. The University of Miami would like a venue for its Hurricanes football team, smaller than the 76,100-seat Sun Life Stadium at which it currently plays but bigger than the stadium of about 25,000 Beckham has been seeking to build.

Shalala, the Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Clinton Administration, and Garber also have common interests. They both serve on the U.S. Soccer board of directors.

A statement from the Beckham group to the Herald said: “David, [and partners] Marcelo [Claure] and Simon [Fuller] are making progress toward bringing an MLS club to Miami-Dade County. We’re in the process of identifying viable sites and are entertaining a number of options. We look forward to sharing positive news with our fans soon.”