Atlanta join MLS while Miami waits (Reuters)

By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - David Beckham’s three year old plans to bring a Major League Soccer team to Miami may be stalled but the South East of the U.S. will celebrate the birth of a new club when Atlanta United kick-off their first season later this week. While Beckham promised a ‘global’ club in South Florida at a news conference in February 2014, the former England and Manchester United midfielder, has yet to even secure all the land needed for a stadium in Miami and his consortium are still searching for financial backers. In contrast, Atlanta have a well-financed owner of their own in Arthur Blank, the businessman behind the Home Depot chain of stores and the owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.