The intense rivalry between Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact has Tim Leiweke “anxious” to help David Beckham bring MLS to Miami.

Along with Golden Balls, English entrepreneur Simon Fuller and businessman Marcelo Claure, the ex-MLSE CEO is heading up a group that intends to bring soccer back to south Florida by 2019.

“Commissioner Don Garber has done a great job of putting his head down and never giving up,” Leiweke updated the Toronto Sun this week. “Don’t ever count David Beckham out. Big mistake. If we are a league that’s going to make it — all of the North American leagues are in south Florida — we have to be in Miami. That’s one of the top five or 10 markets.

“If we can’t make it there, then Major League Soccer has to question its viability. It’s a market that rivals Los Angeles. We can’t fail there.”

With both Minnesota and Atlanta set to enter MLS next season, Los Angeles FC (2018) and, unofficially, Miami will be the league’s 23rd and 24th franchises.

“We’re close. It’s really, really close,” Leiweke added. “It has fallen apart a couple of times, but I’m optimistic. We may have found someone who feels equally as passionate.”

The league intends to expand to 28 teams beyond 2020. Interested markets include Austin, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio and San Diego.

The Sun understands there also are multiple unannounced groups that have expressed interest in bringing MLS to different cities.