Miami team finally has a (very long) name

MIAMI — At long last, Miami’s Major League Soccer team has a name.

Say hello to “Club Internacional de Futbol Miami.”

The club Wednesday unveiled its team crest, an emblem it believes “represents Miami’s international, diverse, inclusive, creative and ambitious spirit.”

“This is such a proud day for myself and for the entire team,” owner and president of operations David Beckham said in a release. “It’s an honor to announce the new name and crest to our fans — we are taking another important step in establishing our club and today marks an important moment in the history of Club Internacional de Futbol Miami.”

Managing owner Jorge Mas added: “Our city and our fans draw their strength from the dreams of a global population that calls Miami home. It is only fitting that our name pays tribute to the inclusiveness that makes us who we are.”

The crest is almost identical to designs posted to the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office last month.

The circular logo is black with pink trim. Two great white herons serve as the focal point, with their pink intertwined legs forming a letter “M.” A pink eclipse rests between the birds, with “Miami” written in pink text above them. At the bottom of the logo is the roman numeral MMXX, which translates to 2020, the year the team is scheduled to begin play.

Inter Miami CF will be the shortened version of the team name. A pair of pop-up murals featuring the crest are on display in the Brickell and Wynwood neighborhoods.

“It symbolizes the heritage of our city, the ambition of our people and the solidarity of our community,” the team wrote in a letter to fans. “Above all, it marks another step we have taken on the journey to realizing this dream, together. A journey on which we’ve come a long way. A journey which has only just begun.”

In a recorded message sent out on Inter Miami CF’s social media pages, Beckham said he wanted the crest to have a delicate balance between bringing a “South American flavor” to the team’s look and having a “modern twist” that makes it unique to Miami.

“We are a new team,” Beckham said, “but we’re a city with a lot of history, and I think that’s what we wanted to create with this crest . ... I know we’ve created something our fans are happy with. I just hope we’ve created something that everybody will be happy with.”

Now, the rest of the journey begins, and there are still many steps left for Beckham and Co. as they prepare to be ready to play by 2020.