David Beckham's planned MLS team in Miami has hired Atlanta United vice president of soccer operations Paul McDonough as its first sporting director.
McDonough, who was hired by Atlanta in 2015, played a large role in identifying players who helped the expansion team reach the MLS Cup playoffs in its inaugural season.
"Paul shares our dream for making Miami the league's global team and is uniquely positioned to recruit and develop the talent on and off the field to make this a reality," co-owner Jorge Mas said in a statement on Twitter.
Atlanta said in its own statement that McDonough would leave the team on Saturday and that a process to find his replacement would begin immediately.
Beckham's group hopes the team will begin play in 2020, though it remains unclear where a stadium will be built or where it would play in the meantime.