Miami Bound?
Once again the MLS to Miami rumors are starting to heat up. And, once again, the name tossed around is FC Barcelona. With FIU’s new stadium set to increase its capacity to 21,000 by 2011, it appears an MLS franchise in Miami could finally become a reality.
A couple of points, however.
- While FIU’s SW Miami-Dade County is ideal, not sure the idea of having an MLS franchise play in a football stadium is. First, the proven MLS business model is a Soccer-Specific Stadium. Second, the thought of watching professional soccer with the football hashmarks is bush league. Gives off the somewhat accurate perception that this is a second rate sport. So here’s hoping the long-term plans include a Soccer-Specific Stadium in South Florida.
- If FC Barcelona ends up with an MLS franchise, it will be interesting to see how the logistics play out. Will it be called Barcelona USA (ala Chivas USA)? Will the parent club own some special rights to the players on the US squad? And, will Barcelona use the MLS franchise as a farm team (i.e. focusing more on tapping into the immense US youth soccer pool and developing players for the Spanish side)? Or will the focus be simply on putting the best product on the field, i.e. strategically investing in foreign players?
Ultimately, whatever the outcome, it is encouraging that both MLS and South Florida realize soccer must return to the area.
