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Few individuals have shaped MLS quite like David Beckham, and his legacy reached a new milestone on Saturday when he officially opened Nu Stadium as co-owner of Inter Miami.
For one of his fellow celebrity MLS co-owners, the new venue is more than just okay. Or, more precisely, "alright, alright, alright."
Hollywood actor and Austin FC co-owner Matthew McConaughey penned an open letter to Beckham ahead of his club's match against the Herons at the league's newest soccer-specific stadium.
"As Austin heads to Miami today for a little celebration on your new pitch, I want to first offer a genuine 'thank you'—you didn't invent soccer over here in the U.S., but you d--- sure put it into overdrive," he wrote, reflecting on Beckham's influence in the United States since joining the LA Galaxy and helping spark the Designated Player (DP) rule back in 2007.
"When you arrived at the Galaxy, you gave MLS a new sense of credibility, you transformed matches into spectacles, and you essentially shifted MLS from a stepping stone into a top-tier destination."
With the creation of the DP rule, Beckham's landmark transfer opened the door for every MLS superstar that followed, including Miami's World Cup-winning stars: Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul. Meanwhile, MLS enticed Beckham to the Galaxy with the promise of a discounted future expansion franchise, which ultimately led to the founding of Inter Miami in 2020.
"Now, you're down in Miami, on a similar mission but from a different angle—I'll tip my hat to that," the Oscar winner continued.
"I'm writing to you today because my Austin FC squad and a whole bus of verde and black supporters are rolling into your sea of pink looking to crash your opening party, so I'm going to need you and your pal Leo [Messi] to make a little space for us this weekend."
World Cup Lookahead
sent. @AustinFC @MLS pic.twitter.com/hLK3U98Zvz
While neither Inter Miami's Nu Stadium nor Austin FC's modern Q2 Stadium will host 2026 World Cup matches this summer, both stand at the cutting edge of the evolving soccer infrastructure across the U.S. top flight.
With the debut of Miami's new ground, 22 of the 30 MLS clubs now play in soccer-specific stadiums, driving the sport's growth across the country as it anticipates a major surge in popularity following the World Cup, co-hosted across 16 cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
"With the world's gaze fixed on us as this summer approaches," McConaughey added, "We here in the capital of Texas look forward to coming by to help lay down yet another cornerstone of American soccer for the world to see."