The Miami FC shocked fans and soccer observers Wednesday afternoon by announcing that they would be joining USL Championship for the 2020 season.
Inter Miami CF made five picks in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft on Tuesday evening, completing another step along the journey to the team’s February 2020 debut. And fans were ready to party.
Major League Soccer has some terms that can be a bit intimidating to new fans as it relates to player aquisition. GAM (General Allocation Money), TAM (Targeted Allocation Money), DP (Designated Player). But one of the first terms every fan of a new team needs to learn is “Expansion Draft.” The 2019 MLS Expansion Draft will take place this evening. What is it? How does it work? And what does this mean for Inter Miami CF?
NBC Sports Soccer provided some additional clarity Wednesday as its website appears to indicate the dates and locations of events around its Premier League Mornings Live Miami event.
According to the site for the event, which was pulled moments after information was shared on Twitter, the event is scheduled for Dec. 14 and 15 at Ocean Drive and 11th Street in Miami Beach.
According to a test website on NBC Sports Soccer, which was also pulled, the event will take place at the Clevelander South Beach Hotel and Bar (1020 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139).
An RSVP site for Premier League Mornings Live is still available. Day 1 can be RSVP’d here, while Day 2 can be RSVP’d here.
NBC Sports announced Sunday afternoon that the next Premier League Mornings Live fan festival will be in Miami. Miami-based sports media outlet Lemon City Live is reporting the event will take place on Dec. 14 and 15.
Rebecca Lowe, host of NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage, shared the news from Scholz Garten in Austin, Texas. Austin is the fourth city to host a Premier League Mornings Live, behind Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
The event in Austin featured two days of live television, as well as partnering events with Men in Blazers and other activities from Premier League clubs. Miami-based Mike Ryan Ruiz, executive producer of ESPN’s The Dan Lebatard Show and Chelsea club ambassador, traveled to the event to host interviews and club events.
Some post-match #ChelseaChatter thoughts with a special guest.. @TheRealAC3!!! @ChelseaFCinUSA 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4trai2YFmJ
— Mike Ryan Ruiz (@MichaelRyanRuiz) October 26, 2019
The specific time and location of the event in Miami has not yet been announced. Stay with Magic City Soccer for more information.
Fresh off claiming “The Best FIFA Women’s Player” award in Milan, the University of Miami announced Tuesday that women’s soccer star and social activist Megan Rapinoe will address the student body on Oct. 10.
As part of the “What Matters to U” series, hosted by UM student government’s Student Engagement Planning Agency, Megan Rapinoe will likely speak about her activities on the pitch (two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner) and off (social activism, business investment and philanthropy).
This is the third “What Matters to U” speech. Science communicator Bill Nye and actor/comedian Ken Jeong spoke in Feburary and April 2019, respectively.
As a student event, tickets are only available for undergraduate, graduate, medical and law students of the University of Miami. More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page.
Inter Miami CF released its season ticket price tiers Tuesday, with prices ranging from approximately $425 for supporters section tickets to nearly $3,000 for premium sideline seats.
FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi will not fly to the Miami with his team to contest two friendlies with S.S.C. Napoli after sustaining a right calf strain.
The Miami FC claimed its second National Premier Soccer League National Championship on Saturday night, defeating host New York Cosmos 3-1.
Miami FC, which has announced it has plans to leave NPSL for the National Independent Soccer Association, became the first team in NPSL history to win a second title.
After both teams alternated chances in the first 10 minutes, a high press from Miami FC and Ariel Martinez generated a turnover from Daniel Szetela. The ball landed at the feet of captain Dylan Mares, who passed to Miguel Gonzalez, and found Mares on a one-time pass that set him up for a clear shot on goal. A low roller to the left corner beat Cosmos keeper Paul Blanchette to put Miami up 1-0.
The key second goal came just six minutes later, when another turnover from Szetela forced by Tomás Granitto led to the ball falling right at Mares’ foot. A few touches and a small move to the right found Mares open in the box with a look at the top-right corner. The captain again took his chance, and doubled his team’s advantage.
New York Cosmos would halve the advantage in the 30th minute, when an Ansi Agolli free kick sneaked through the crowd in the box and past Miami FC goalkeeper Mark Pais, who was anticipating a header that never came.
Keeping them in it
It was the one misstep from Pais, who made a number of saves to keep Miami FC in the game. Particularly in the second half, Pais made save after save to keep the one-goal advantage in place. In the 86th minute, it took a double-fingertip save from Pais to keep Miami FC on top.
The game was finally sorted in stoppage time, when defender Shawn Chin won a ball and found forward Darío Suárez on the wing. Chin then continued a run, and Suárez found him streaking down the right. With only Blanchette to beat, Chin calmly moved around the sliding keeper, continued his run, and passed the ball into the heart of the net. Chin’s shirt came off, his team ran over to join him at the opposite flag post, and the champions defended their crown.
Less than six months after the proposal was introduced, and less than two months after demolition began, the City of Fort Lauderdale’s commission Tuesday night gave final approval to the construction of a stadium at the site of Lockhart Stadium for the use of Inter Miami CF.
The vote, which was unanimous and took only a few minutes of deliberation, now guarantees that Inter Miami CF will have a home to play in when it begins its first Major League Soccer campaign.
There are still wrinkles to iron out. Most notably, the Federal Aviation Administration will have say over the construction process, due to the lot’s proximity to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. According to Chris Wittyngham, who spoke to a team official after the vote, the team is ready to start building as soon as that approval is given.
Spoke to a team official after the approval. He says they’re ready to go as soon as possible on construction.
They do have to go through a process with the FAA about the adjacent airport but otherwise it will move quickly.
— Chris Wittyngham (@ChrisWittyngham) July 9, 2019
September start?
640 the Hurricane radio host Andy Slater spoke to the team before the vote. A spokesperson stated that they believe the FAA approval could come in September.
If tonight’s @InterMiamiCF vote passes, as expected, when would stadium start to go up?
“We are targeting mid-September,” team rep says.
Mayor’s office tells me “some hurdles” remain, including getting FAA approval since site is near executive airport. https://t.co/6PLyLDHniS
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) July 9, 2019
The FAA has been a speed bump on construction at the Lockhart Stadium site before. A long-proposed water park next to the stadium was scuttled because of FAA regulations.
Ownership has routinely stated that they expect the stadium to be completed by the start of the 2020 MLS season.