Go West, Beckham — Strike 2 for waterfront soccer stadium

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Commissioner Juan Zapata, however, has long floated the FIU idea. He said he’d be happy to welcome soccer to his district. But he says it would be for “purely selfish” reasons and that the boat slip Plan B option was better. He truly believes that without a waterfront site, Beckham can’t build the global, iconic team that he wanted that would put Miami on the international soccer map.

“He needed to sell the visuals of a waterfront stadium. Otherwise, why not have it in Arizona?”

And Zapata believes that Regalado and city of Miami “special interests” killed Plan B on purpose, without even taking it to a vote of the people, so they could push the Marlins site on Beckham and sort of save the sanctity of the ground there.

Oh, and maybe generate a little parking revenue. Oh, and perhaps also increase property values for any of those connected people who might have invested in the area dreaming of a future baseball stadium that drove economic development.

“Not only did they not give him a fair chance, Miami treated Beckham like shit,” Zap told Ladra late Wednesday. “They basically spit on someone who wanted to elevate the city of Miami, make it a global franchise.

“Imagine if they did this to Lebron,” Zapata said, calling Beckham the Lebron James of the world.

To be fair, Beckham treated Regalado similarly, or even worse for a politician: He ignored him for months.

Still, Zapata would obviously prefer to have Beckham stay in Miami and work out something in his district, where soccer teams have won more than a dozen state and regional titles.

“If he city of Miami wants to turn its back on Beckham, let him come over here,” Zapata told Ladra.

“Florida International University and the West End would be thrilled to welcome soccer into our community. We have facilities, acreage and potential sources of funding to support a comprehensive soccer community,” Zapata said, referring to yet a fourth site, 167 acres of designated park land on 147th Avenue and 152nd Street that also has $25 million set aside in dedicated bond funds for development.

If Beckham Group United would just drive out a few miles to where most of his sport’s fans actually live.

The only problem with those sites, other than the visuals, is that nobody can build a hotel there. Or a mall or shops or a strip of high priced restaurants. The value of the land won’t be something you can trade on.

But, let’s think of it this way: The sudden evaporation of a waterfront stadium site may open up an opportunity for you, Mr. Beckham, to prove that, even though you hired a New York land use guy rather than one of Miami’s specialty sports lobbyists — and, boy, there are quite a few to pick from –this was not really about a land grab. Prove it.

If this is really about soccer, then the location shouldn’t matter that much. Visuals can be handled in B roll. And it should still be a very lucrative business venture. Remember, Beckham got the team, normally priced at $100 million, for 25 cents on the dollar. Th And I have news for you. You will find tons of support for soccer in this community. Real soccer, not celebrity soccer. Soccer where the dirt in the cleats is more important than the cruise ship passing by outside the stadium’s VIP luxury box.

And it will happen, eventually. If not now, then soon. I know you were set on your waterfront visuals, Mr. Sexy British Accent, but this community is twice stung and doesn’t want any part of it. Soccer can still be profitable in Miami-Dade. Particularly with your sweetheart discount franchise deal.

You gotta move on again.

If you don’t, and you do take your ball to play somewhere else — a place where we are certain that your iconicness will not be matched by ours, even if you get waterfront where? St. Louis? You’re going to build a global team in St. Louis? — then we will know this was never about soccer, which will get here eventually with or without you.

Goodbye, Beckham. Hello, Messi?

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