Miami, the perfect place to penetrate

November 8, 11:05 PMSoccer ExaminerBrian Louie

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Soccer Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Barcelona & Miami: Mes que un playa

Surprisingly not the sentiments of an NBA player, but of Barcelona president Joan Laporta, at least when it comes to supporting a new MLS franchise for the good folks in South Beach:

''We want to penetrate the Americas, and Miami is the perfect place for us to do that,'' Laporta said. ``We have all the ingredients here to have success.''

One of seven cities bidding to be the next club to join the cash-poor but improving MLS, Miami presents an intriguing choice.  Cosmopolitan, ethnically diverse and an obvious vacation spot, it seems a no-brainer for any continental club to try and plant a flag in sand in a spending mecca like Miami. 

While MLB's Marlins needed a World Series to make beisbol relevant in the area, an MLS squad shouldn't have any problems filing a 20,000 seat stadium, especially with Rafa Marquez and Theirry Henry closing out their careers in the Florida sun.

FC Barcelona not your ordinary club  [Miami Herald]