By FRANCO PANIZO
A week filled with expansion news received a little more on Wednesday night.
According to a report from Sports Illustrated, NBA star LeBron James spoke out again about his MLS Miami expansion discussions with fellow global icon David Beckham following the Miami Heat’s win in Orlando on Wednesday night. James said he and Beckham are continuing their dialogue over owning a potential team in South Florida, but that there is still plenty to do in order to make it happen.
”I wish it was easy,” said James, who is a minority owner of Premiership club Liverpool. ”We’re working on it. We’ll see what happens.”
”I think the passion is the No. 1 thing,” James later added when asked why he finds soccer appealing. ”The passion that the fans have about the game of soccer, it’s pretty intense. It’s pretty awesome. I had an opportunity to go to a game in England and it was an unbelievable experience. It’s a world-renown sport.”
James’ latest comments came a day after MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed that the league had an interest in a possible return to Miami. Garber, while talking to media following the official expansion announcement of Orlando City, said having another team in the southeast part of the United States was important and that he was convinced a club in Miami could succeed if it had the right ownership group and a downtown stadium.
MLS formerly had the Miami Fusion, but removed the club as well as the Tampa Bay Mutiny back in 2001.
Beckham has been in Miami in recent months to explore stadium sites for a potential team. The former midfielder can buy an MLS expansion franchise at a discounted rate of $25 million and is expected to do so in the near future.
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What do you think of James’ latest comments? Fully expecting Beckham and James to bring an MLS club back to Miami? Still do no think a Miami team is a good idea?
Share your thoughts below.