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Well - Miami gets a 2nd chance to show they can support a MLS team.
They better not disappoint this time.

In the end, the only thing that will matter is how the MLS is able to construct their wage structure...If they don't allow for each club to sign a player above the current wage structure in MLS, it'll never truly take off...Even with Barca & LaPorta at the helm of a Miami club, they'll only succeed if they can bring in not only the style of Barca play but at least 1 or 2 world class players...Can you imagine playing football in that humidity each week??...Crazy

Got to agree with Zizou. I have no problems with Miami getting another chance but they got to do better then they did back in the Fusion days.

i swear this article was on here recently, but i couldnt find it.....

FCBarca- they will have to obey the rules as governed... the MLS will not pull the cap nor should they.... if barca want a team in the MLS they should be forced to oblige by the same rules as every other team (bar LA).... now i could see Barca using the miami team as a reserves team... we may see some recently signed up'n'comers or perhaps some academy players.....the only way they'll get "world class players" is one of 2 ways.... they use their 1 DP slot, or they compensate else where.... ie. a house perhaps??

Miami lucked out by being one of the last REALLY attractive American cities left without a MLS team, it is as simple as that. Where else was Barca going to plant their flag that had some level of glitz and glamour? Maybe the second NYC team? I don't really see any other city that doesn't have a team being something they would invest in.

Something about a pro team from another league, not unique to Barca, owning an MLS team screams "farm league" to me.... I just don't like the idea at all on paper... but I guess if you boil it down, Colorado has that Arsenal deal, Real Salt Lake has that Real Madrid deal.... maybe I'm overreacting.

Yeah this is as good as done, no way do you deny a bid backed by a powerhouse futbol team. If ManUtd wanted to make a ManUtd of Hickory then you might as well buy some real estate in North Carolina right now. I do hope that the MLS rules allow for the flow of some Barca talent (from Barcelona B maybe?) back and forth across the Atlantic without the whole league-ownership-of-the-contract complications.

i hope they can make it work. MLS needs another southern team for them to play, MIA is on the tip of florida, and it doesn't hit the heart of the southeast. does this mean that Miami and RSL will now be de facto rivals b/c the barca-real thing? I don't really see that being very successful. No offense to RSL, but a city rivalry between Salt Lake City- Miami just doesn't appeal. there is no philly-dc / philly-NY animosity that will be there in 2010.
you could say the same for seattle, and that adding portland or vancouver to the league would solve that problem. but then you leave miami all by itself in in florida without a regional rival. i just don't think MLS can do that to a team backed by one of the biggest clubs in the world who is willing to make such a large investment in this league.

Ummm, didn't Montreal pull the plug on their expansion bid a couple weeks back? Bloomberg not have fact-checkers on staff?!?

Miami in MLS? Umm, how about slim and none? Seriously, why is MLS seriously considering this? Doesn't South Florida have enough teams that they don't support?

MLS is considering this because the somewhat popular club from Spain - Barcelona has come in and said they will pay the franchise fee. BUT they want the club in Miami. MLS says OK.

Barcelona also has some fairly good players...one would think that could be a MLS All-Star game or other "friendly" during the MLS season.

If anyone can show me that Miami can support any teams not named the Dolphins or the Hurricanes, I would love to be proven wrong. Seriously, the Marlins have won TWO World Series titles, and they couldn't draw a starving mob to an all-you-can-eat buffett, let alone 25,000 to regular season games. The Heat drew well when they won the Finals, but how are their numbers in down seasons? Apparently, there is an NHL team in the Miami area as well. How is their attendance?

I get the Barca connection. I get the franchise fee that Barca is willing to pay. $40 million is nothing to sneeze at. I even get the idea, as far-fetched as it may be, to hold out hope that eventually a player like Lionel Messi might one day ply his trade in the States for a Miami club. But for anyone to think Miami is a must-have market in MLS, I think your head needs to be checked. Miami had their chance. Their team got taken away from them because there was no fan support. There is no evidence to suggest that anything has changed since then.

With the way MLS is setup you cant really have a "farm team". Remember contracts are signed by the league and the players are allocated. So you cant simply bring over players from the Barcelona U17, U19 and reserves.

Miami would be a great road trip destination though ;)

tLVG - agreed, you make valid points. This rumor is a bit recycled too. The points you made have been discussed before.

I am not defending Miami as a choice BUT - give them the benefit of the doubt...the ownership of the old Miami Fusion were a bit naive - they were not soccer people. That could be why IF there is a 2nd chance for Miami, it could be different. I, like yourself, am skeptical BUT given proper marketing - there might be a chance at success.

The Marlins are the victim of playing in a park which is not conducive to watching baseball in. As a soccer fan, we should kinda know the pain of this right? I don't know one fan who enjoys turf or yard markers on the pitch.

For the price Barca is paying, they could buy a player. I mean Robinho costed more than this franchise, so why not take the plunge and put your weight on a relatively small investment? They should do well. I tell you what I would do... I would put RedBull in Florida, and move that premier name into the biggest market in the League. Talk about a great opportunity to really let the league take off.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 12:18 PM ET  12.02 by CUtigerssoccer

i hope they can make it work. MLS needs another southern team for them to play, MIA is on the tip of florida, and it doesn't hit the heart of the southeast. does this mean that Miami and RSL will now be de facto rivals b/c the barca-real thing? I don't really see that being very successful. No offense to RSL, but a city rivalry between Salt Lake City- Miami just doesn't appeal. there is no philly-dc / philly-NY animosity that will be there in 2010. you could say the same for seattle, and that adding portland or vancouver to the league would solve that problem. but then you leave miami all by itself in in florida without a regional rival. i just don't think MLS can do that to a team backed by one of the biggest clubs in the world who is willing to make such a large investment in this league.

While Real Salt Lake is linked to Real Madrid, I don't think fans associate the two in any way shape or form. I think FCBMiami and the real FCB will have a much deeper connection.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 01:31 PM ET  12.02 by Buck Feckham

I tell you what I would do... I would put RedBull in Florida, and move that premier name into the biggest market in the League. Talk about a great opportunity to really let the league take off.

You dont need to move the MetroBulls since their exclusive contract with the region will expire soon thats why there was an option for a NYC team when they picked the cities.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 01:31 PM ET  12.02 by Buck Feckham

The Marlins are the victim of playing in a park which is not conducive to watching baseball in

true, but more importantly they are a victim of very shrewd owners. That franchise actually makes about a 25-30 million dollar profit before they even play a single game, what with revenue sharing, profits from mlb.com and other sponsor deals. and that takes into account paying player salaries. those guys are content with fielding a cheap team and making a huge profit. if they win a bunch of games, great, then they can turn around and sell the players. they don't do anything for fans because if they don't want to risk making up the costs from ticket sales (which only happens if the team is good). lets just hope future owners in MLS aren't the same, which means let teams spend GARBER!!

Fair points on the Marlins. Their ownership breeds apathy, which sucks for the 48 die-hard Marlin fans. And fair points on the Fusion ownership. I never thought of them as being down for the cause.

The regional rivalry argument is an interesting one. I think this point can't be overstated. If MLS was truly interested in establishing rivalries, then St Louis and Portland or Vancouver are the play. KC gets the Mizzou Derby, and Sounders gets one of the Cascadia Cup teams (though, if I were the MLS Czar, I would go to Portland and Vancouver. What can I say, I'm nothing if not a biased supporter of the Pacific Northwest).

Regardless, MLS will give Miami some consideration because if would allow the league to be affiliated with another top-flight European club. I just hope that isn't the only thing Garber is considering for the next round of expansion.

I don't see this working. There isn't a lot of support for soccer here. Miami is latin, but its mainly baseball latin (cuban, dominican, puerto rican). The Miami FC Blues are poorly supported. I've rarely seen more than 200 people at a match. Maybe the Barca name will bring some interest, but Miami really is a horrible sports town, and it will be difficult for a team to succeed. Better to give a team to Portland or St Louis where people will actually care.