Even though Miami’s major league soccer team won’t kick off for at least another year, those interested in the league can join with Inter Miami CF supporters in Miami on Saturday night to watch the MLS Cup Final.
After months of speculation and years of waiting, Miami finally has an official name to identify its new Major League Soccer franchise: Inter Miami CF.
A fire broke out Tuesday night at Melreese Country Club, the proposed site of Fútbol Miami MLS’ stadium development, Miami Freedom Park and Soccer Village.
As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, City of Miami police were unable to confirm the cause of the fire. City of Miami fire rescue officials were still on the scene.
According to the Miami Herald, approximately 40 golf carts were on fire Tuesday evening.
A large fireball was visible from NW. 37th Ave. Flames reached 30 to 40 feet in the sky.
The most significant damage was to the golf course’s carts and the structure used to house the carts. No damage was reported to the main clubhouse building.
It is unknown how this may impact the golf course’s operation on Wednesday. It is unlikely that this will have any long-term impact on the golf course or on the proposed soccer-related development.
According to Paul Tenorio of The Athletic, Fútbol Miami MLS appears to have a favored candidate for its general manager position, and it’s a name that will be familiar to those interested in Major League Soccer expansion clubs: Paul McDonough, Vice President of Soccer Operations for Atlanta United.
Earlier this month, co-owner Jorge Mas told local media that he anticipated a hire for the general manager position by the end of August. That would mean the franchise is already in the late stages of the search process. Tenorio’s report indicates Fútbol Miami MLS wants an expansion specialist. If that’s the case, McDonough may be the perfect hire.
Before joining Atlanta in January 2016, McDonough was hired by Orlando City of then-USL. McDonough and Adrian Heath (manager) were brought in to shepard the team into the highest ranks of American professional soccer. While the results on the field have not been perfect, the growth of the Orlando project (specifically the growth of fan support within the city and ticket sales) became a model for teams around the country.
One year later, McDonough jumped ship to soon-to-be rivals Atlanta United, in a hire announced in December 2015.
Youth movement
McDonough has received specific credit for the development of Atlanta United’s youth academy, which is now widely considered one of, if not the best, youth soccer academy in the United States. Fútbol Miami MLS has previously insisted that the club will be based around a strong youth program. The team wants to tap into the talent available in South Florida.
Prior to joining the front office of clubs, Paul McDonough spent two years with Wasserman (previously known as the Wasserman Media Group, or WMG) as Director of Global Soccer. In that role, he represented professional soccer players in MLS and abroad. Prior to that, he spent three years at Santio Sport + Entertainment as director of recruiting. His soccer career began on the field, where he worked as an assistant coach at Wake Forest University (1999-2001), the University of South Carolina (2001-2002) and the University of Connecticut (2003-2009).
Just hours before the start of the City of Miami commission meeting that could potentially decide the deal’s fate, the Term Sheet that establishes the proposal between the ownership group and the city regarding Miami Freedom Park and Soccer Village was made public.
First shared by local columnist Grant Stern, the three-page term sheet covers a number of issues, some dealing in terms already established and some touching on concerns that commissioners shared last week.
On Monday, in advance of Fútbol Miami MLS appearing in front of the City of Miami’s commission for the second time in a week on Wednesday, co-owner Jorge Mas and Mayor Francis Suarez were grilled by the Miami Herald’s editorial board for an hour, facing a series of questions about the proposed development at Melreese Country Club.
For some people at the City of Miami’s commission chambers Wednesday, it was nearly an 18-hour day. For supporters and opponents of Fútbol Miami MLS’ ballot initiative, they came and had their say. However, at nearly 11 p.m., the city’s commissioners voted to delay discussion on the proposed stadium and park for nearly a week.
Han pasado ya cuatro años desde que David Beckham anunció su intención de fichar un nuevo equipo de la MLS en Miami, opción que se le había otorgado en 2007 cuando llegó a la liga estadounidense.
Desde entonces han salido rumores, falsos comienzos, consideraciones de varios sitios para un nuevo estadio y, hasta ahora, poca información sólida. Esto es lo que sabemos.
When Jorge Mas said that we would hear news about the Miami MLS project soon, we were all hoping for it to be in the coming weeks after the announcement. We’re close to being four months away from the date that MLS declared Miami was officially getting a franchise and we’re starting to get some early clues as to how the franchise will honor the Magic City. While it’s nothing from the horse’s mouth, the connections are too big to ignore. Miami Freedom appears to be in the lead position.
Soccer fans in South Florida have an interesting event to look forward to next week. The SPORTELSummit Miami Beach will bring a number of important figures in the sports world together to discuss the issues of the day. However, there are some notable absences that leave participants and followers asking: What happened?