Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press
MIAMI — When David Beckham, the former captain of England’s national team, announced his intention to bring a Major League Soccer team to South Florida at a rousing event in downtown Miami five years ago, the excitement was palpable.
“I remember thinking how amazing it was going to be,” said Cesar Molero, who runs a fan club named Vice City 1896.
When Beckham returned last year for a similar event, where he and many M.L.S. executives were joined by a group of deep-pocketed local investors, there were new plans, new promises and new colors on the scarves.