Beckham’s club may be Miami Freedom
What is the first thing you think of when you hear, “Miami.” Is it famed South Beach? A diverse population with heavy Cuban influences? A top business and cultural hub? Fashion? Tourism? Art Deco? Nightclubs? Pit Bull? Glitz and glamour?
One thing you probably didn’t think of is “freedom” — until now.
Miami Freedom FC or some variation of it could be the name of David Beckham’s long-awaited Major League Soccer franchise, according to a Miami Herald report.
MLS fans and analysts quickly took to social media to offer opinions — mostly critical — of the name, which was found by the Herald during an online search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“A company calling itself Miami Freedom LLC applied on May 17, 2018 to trademark the following four names: Miami Freedom Football Club, Miami Freedom United, Miami Freedom FC and Miami Freedom,” the Herald reported.
Some think the name sounds like an MLS club of old (see: Tampa Bay Mutiny, Dallas Burn and Kansas City Wiz). Others said it does not sound like a professional majorleague name, like the Uniteds, Citys, FCs and SCs of the world.
Some praised it for that same reason.
And still others just don’t see a strong connection between Miami and freedom.
Then there are those who don’t care what the name is and just want the future club to get its stadium situation together and start playing.
FC Cincinnati is finally poised to join Major League Soccer, according to a Sports Illustrated report.
It took Cincinnati ownership time to secure a downtown stadium, but with the venue locked in, MLS is ready to welcome its 26th team Tuesday. The the third-year USL club will begin play at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium in 2019, SI.com reported.
The 40,000-seat venue will host games while a new 21,000-seat stadium in the city’s West End neighborhood is constructed. It will likely open 2021.
FC Cincinnati will be the 24th MLS team to take the field, but Nashville SC and Beckham’s Miami club were already awarded expansion invitations. They are not expected to start play until 2020.