Eight years ago, Soriano was a top executive at FC Barcelona. It was there that he first explored idea of owning and operating a club in MLS under the Barcelona identity. In 2008, Barcelona was close to buying an MLS expansion team and putting it in Miami, but the deal fell through after Soriano resigned from the Barcelona board. Soriano returned to soccer last August, and he brought the old idea with him. His eight-year-old vision fits Citys long-term ambition. He carried it out this time with Mansours financial backing.