By RYAN TOLMICH
If David Beckham is to get his wish of building a Major League Soccer Stadium in PortMiami, his ownership group is going to have to come up with some extra cash.
The publicly owned waterfront location, which has been eyed by Beckham and co. since the announcement of MLS’ Miami expansion, will cost the group an additional $50 million. The bill for the overall construction of the stadium is expected to reach $250 million.
According to the Miami Herald, the stadium would need to be elevated, as the area around the proposed construction site is considered a flood zone.
However, the group isn’t discouraged and still plans to move forward with the PortMiami plan.
“Miami’s greatness is about the interaction of a vibrant culture and the water,” said John Alschuler, an advisor for the group. “We will earn that $50 million back in increased revenue from the stadium.”
Here are some more news items from around MLS:
DEFOE TO MISS THIRD STRAIGHT GAME WITH HAMSTRING INJURY
Toronto FC enter the weekend with hopes of bouncing back from last week’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Rapids. However, if TFC are to get a result from their trip to Texas Saturday, they will have to do it without their star striker.
Jermain Defoe, who has missed the past two contests with a nagging hamstring injury, is also set to miss this weekend’s trip to FC Dallas. The Englishman, who leads the team with three goals, is expected to return the field on May 3 following a TFC bye week.
However, TFC will be boosted by the return of Jonathan Osorio, who has missed the past three contests with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, midfielder Michael Bradley is still listed as questionable after missing last week’s match with groin and quadriceps strains.
GONCALVES TO MISS MATCHUP WITH CHICAGO FIRE
The New England Revolution may have picked up three points last week when they knocked off the Houston Dynamo, but they may have lost something nearly as important.
The Revs will have to head to Chicago without their captain and defensive leader, Jose Goncalves, who came out of last week’s contest with a strained right quad. Goncalves will miss time for the first time in a Revs uniform, having played in all 34 games last season.
However, head coach Jay Heaps has faith in his team’s ability to cope without its captain, as the third-year coach has confidence in his backline, despite the absence of the hulking Portuguese defender.
“You build a team that has depth,” Jay Heaps told MLSsoccer.com prior to Friday morning’s training session. “I think we have good depth and we challenge each other.”
DYNAMO LAUNCH U-23 TEAM
Heading into May, seven of MLS’ 19 teams boasted U-23 sides to bridge the gap between the reserves and the first team. However, the Houston Dynamo are set to make that eight.
The Dynamo announced this week that the club would launch a U-23 side to compete starting in May. The team will be made up of former and current Dynamo Academy players as well as trialists.
“This is another step forward for our player development system,” said James Clarkson, Dynamo director of youth development. “It will be great to work with the college players again and hopefully we find some outstanding talent at the trials. I’m very confident of putting together a very competitive group this summer.”
The Dynamo join the Chicago Fire, D.C. United, Montreal Impact, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC as MLS sides with U-23 teams.
Six former Dynamo academy products have been named to the roster (Bryan Celis, Christian Diaz, Juan Lopez, Alex Ochoa, Fernando Pina and Miguel Zapata), while the rest of the squad will be announced at a later date.
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Do you like the Miami stadium plans? How will TFC and New England respond without Defoe and Goncalves? Should more MLS teams form U-23 sides?
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