David Beckham said he had some proposed names for his new Miami-based MLS expansion team when he met the media last week in South Florida, but it was anyone's guess at the time what that team might actually look like on the field.
On Wednesday, however, a local newspaper may have offered a glimpse into Miami's soccer future.
ThePalm Beach Postpublished images of a jersey and a logo that the paper claims is "one of the logo designs used by the Beckham group in its presentations" in recent meetings with local officials and prospective investors. The report cites sources for three of the potential team names being entertained: Miami Vice, Miami Current and an undisclosed name tied to a corporate sponsor.
The article goes out of its way to make clear that the jersey and logo were "for the presentation only and are not likely the final version."
Beckham's publicist, Simon Oliveira, debunked the rumors hours later on Twitter.
“We do have ideas for a team name,” Beckham said in a Google+ Hangout with Jimmy Conrad after the Feb. 5 announcement that he was exercising his expansion option in Miami. “I’m sure people would have liked me to stood on the stage today and say, ‘This is the name, [these] are the colors,' but I want it to be right. I know how important a name is to a city and to the fans.”
The Miami-based public relations firm working with Beckham's MLS ownership bid did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday, but Beckham's publicist, Simon Oliveira, promptly debunked the rumors on Twitter.
"Complete hogwash in Palm Beach Post on
#
Beckham
plans for Miami," Oliveira wrote. "Nothing ever surprises me and some media actually believe it..sheesh."
International superstar David Beckham has committed to bringing a Major League Soccer team to Miami in the next few years.
What will the team be called? While nothing has been announced, a few ideas have surfaced.
One of the logo designs used by the Beckham group in its presentations.
Sources involved with the Beckham group told the
Post
of three potential identities: Miami Vice, Miami Current and an undisclosed name tied to a corporate sponsor.
Those are not necessarily the only names the Beckham group is considering. However, those three names were used by the group in its recent presentations to the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County and potential investors.
The Post also obtained images that were part of those pitches, including a mock-up of a potential logo and a potential uniform for the still-unnamed club.
One of the logos used in the Beckham group’s presentations, for a team called “Miami Vice,” includes dark gray and aqua colors, with soft pink accents. The letters ‘M’ and ‘V’ form a badge, with an upward-struck soccer ball in the foreground. The kit features an aqua shirt and dark gray shorts with soft pink stripes.
The logo and uniforms were designed for the presentation only and are not likely the final version. The colors, however, are expected to be the same.
A marketing slogan for the presentation, as seen on a poster, is “Welcome Home Soccer.” That could be a nod to the fact Miami hasn’t had a top-flight professional soccer team since the MLS’ Miami Fusion folded in 2001.
Beckham revealed few concrete details during a Feb. 5 press conference to announce he will bring a team to Miami. In a video chat with fans afterward, he said a team name and colors are one of the many issues he’s working through.
“We do have ideas for a team name,” Beckham said in the video, as seen on MLSSoccer.com. “I’m sure people would have liked me to stood on the stage today and say, ‘This is the name, [these] are the colors, but I want it to be right. I know how important a name is to a city and to the fans.”
With good humor, Beckham said one of the many names proposed to him was “Golden Balls F.C.,” which a reference to an infamous nickname given to him by his wife, Victoria. A smiling Beckham said that’s “definitely not” one of the options.
Beckham said he hoped to announce a stadium site, located in downtown Miami, in the next few months.
- See more at: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/caneswatch/2014/02/12/miami-david-beckham-mls-team-name-logos-kit/#sthash.7p5oFwAm.dpuf
