The University of Miami and a group attempting to bring an MLS team to south Florida are meeting today to discuss partnership to build a football-soccer stadium.
School president Donna Shalala and David Beckham, the British soccer star heading the MLS consortium, were scheduled to join the league's commissioner Don Garber in the initial discussions.
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Building a joint-use facility would meet the needs of both parties. The Hurricanes currently play football games at Sun Life Stadium and university officials feel the 75,000-seat facility is too big for the ACC school, according to Shalala.
The school has 17 years remaining on its lease with the Dolphins, who own and operate Sun Life Stadium. The university would have to reach an agreement with the NFL team for an early exit to develop a new stadium that could seat about 45,000 for football.
For the past year, Beckham has tried unsuccessfully to get a deal done to build a soccer-specific venue built in Miami.
A statement from the Beckham group said: "David, (and partners) Marcelo [Claure] and Simon (Fuller) are making progress toward bringing an MLS club to Miami-Dade County. We’re in the process of identifying viable sites and are entertaining a number of options. We look forward to sharing positive news with our fans soon.”
Meanwhile, Beckham's former AC Milan teammate Paulo Maldini announced his plan to bring a North American Soccer League team to Miami. Local reports say the new club has committed to play its games at Florida International University.