MLS commissioner to tour Inter Miami’s proposed stadium site
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber was a guest speaker Thursday at the SoccerEx conference at Marlins Park; and he is taking advantage of his time in Miami to tour the proposed stadium site for David Beckham’s new MLS team, Inter Miami.
Garber is meeting with Beckham’s co-owner Jorge Mas on Friday morning and taking a tour of the Melreese Golf Course stadium site, he told the Herald.
The team is scheduled to begin play in 2020, but the stadium and Freedom Park they plan to build on the Melreese site won’t be ready until 2021 at the earliest, so they need a short-term home. Options include Marlins Park, Hard Rock Stadium, FIU Stadium and FAU Stadium.
“Our goal is to launch in 2020, that hasn’t really changed,” Garber said. “We have a lot of work to do to finalize a temporary venue.
“The most important thing is from a technical standpoint is the field needs to be perfect, or as perfect as it can be in a temporary environment. It needs to have the proper support systems for players both from a locker room perspective and other elements that ensure our players will be safe and healthy. We need to ensure that we have the right schedule, and when you’re playing as a tenant in a stadium, scheduling gets very complicated.”
Broadcast capabilities and fan experience are also critical, he said.
Garber called the Miami deal “the hardest we’ve ever done,” and said the inclusion of the Mas brothers last winter made the difference.
“What Jorge Mas achieved is almost unthinkable,” he said. “He was able to deliver on a site in a market that has been enormously challenging for us for 10 years. It’s a credit to him and his connection in the community, his focus, his business acumen. He delivered everything he said he’d do. Hats off to him. I hope the people in this community understand how focused and committed he is to Major League Soccer here in Miami. Without Jorge, I’m not sure we’d be where we are.”
Cordeiro on U.S. coach search: U.S. Soccer president and Miami Beach resident Carlos Cordeiro has not been home much since he was elected to the post early this year.
He spent the first three months traveling to meet with 175 federations in advance of the vote for the 2026 World Cup site. After the United States, Mexico and Canada won the joint bid, he turned his focus to other federation issues such as changing the culture and structure of the organization, supporting the U.S. women’s team heading into the 2019 Women’s World Cup, hiring Earnie Stewart as the first-ever general manager for the men’s team (a search is underway for a women’s GM), and starting a Youth Task Force to unite the various grass-roots organizations.
“Being the U.S. Soccer president is 24/7,” he said. “The responsibility of president you don’t really fully appreciate until you’re in the seat.”
One of his most pressing issues is hiring a men’s national team coach. Bruce Arena stepped down Oct. 13, 2017, and Dave Sarachan is the interim coach. Cordeiro said he expects an announcement “no later than the end of this year.” Candidates include Columbus Crew coach Gregg Berhalter, Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney, Kansas City coach Peter Vermes, U.S. Under-20 coach Tab Ramos and former Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch.
This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 5:42 PM.