Will Beckham save Major League Soccer?
David Beckham will play for the Galaxy in late July. The pressure of saving U.S. soccer may be too big to handle alone
Oscar Areliz
Issue date: 5/17/07 Section: Sports
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David Beckham is just months away from playing on the pitch of the Home Depot Center alongside Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones. Who would have ever thought that? Beckham wearing a Los Angeles Galaxy jersey is still difficult to believe, a thing that only the most hardcore Galaxy fans would dream about.
The cost for that dream to become a reality just cost $250 million in salary and incentives. An extremely high price to pay, but it is worth it for the Galaxy.
Beckham is no way near being the best player in the world, but makes more money than any other. He is the most marketable athlete in the world. He brings money to whatever team he plays for. His jersey is always among the best sellers and he still has enough talent to compete. There is no doubt people will come and watch the English star.
Los Angeles will all of a sudden become a soccer town, just like it became a hockey town when Wayne Gretzky came to the Los Angeles Kings.
Beckhamania will sweep Los Angeles, but it cannot last forever. People will eventually move on and look for someone else. Beckham will help Major Leage Soccer, but he alone cannot save it.
The league must go after the talented players with names every soccer fan would recognize. There was a rumor of a team speaking to Zinedine Zidane, former French all star, to come out of retirement. Figo, Portuguese midfielder, was also rumored to be in contact with an MLS team. Having more European players will definitely improve the league, and give it respect as well.
But the league is also looking elsewhere for talent. Some teams have wisely attempted to contact players from Latin America.
Teams such as Chivas USA, Galaxy and Chicago Fire have a large amount of Latino followers, and having well-known and talented Latino players will only make that fan base grow.
Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel is now a player of the New York Red Bulls. Legendary striker Guillermo Barros Schelotto left Boca Juniors of Argentina to play for the Columbus Crew. Mexican striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco will also be migrating to the U.S. to play for the Chicago Fire.
The cost for that dream to become a reality just cost $250 million in salary and incentives. An extremely high price to pay, but it is worth it for the Galaxy.
Beckham is no way near being the best player in the world, but makes more money than any other. He is the most marketable athlete in the world. He brings money to whatever team he plays for. His jersey is always among the best sellers and he still has enough talent to compete. There is no doubt people will come and watch the English star.
Los Angeles will all of a sudden become a soccer town, just like it became a hockey town when Wayne Gretzky came to the Los Angeles Kings.
Beckhamania will sweep Los Angeles, but it cannot last forever. People will eventually move on and look for someone else. Beckham will help Major Leage Soccer, but he alone cannot save it.
The league must go after the talented players with names every soccer fan would recognize. There was a rumor of a team speaking to Zinedine Zidane, former French all star, to come out of retirement. Figo, Portuguese midfielder, was also rumored to be in contact with an MLS team. Having more European players will definitely improve the league, and give it respect as well.
But the league is also looking elsewhere for talent. Some teams have wisely attempted to contact players from Latin America.
Teams such as Chivas USA, Galaxy and Chicago Fire have a large amount of Latino followers, and having well-known and talented Latino players will only make that fan base grow.
Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel is now a player of the New York Red Bulls. Legendary striker Guillermo Barros Schelotto left Boca Juniors of Argentina to play for the Columbus Crew. Mexican striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco will also be migrating to the U.S. to play for the Chicago Fire.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
ivan
posted 5/17/07 @ 7:25 AM PST
MLS needs no saving. The league is onto a path to steady growth. It is only 12 years young, but it is on the right track. MLS will become the second most popular league in the country within the next 50 years. (Continued…)
Some Young Guy
posted 5/18/07 @ 1:09 AM PST
in 50 years you'll be dead, Beckham will be dead and MLS will still suck.
Soccer Fan
posted 9/18/07 @ 4:24 PM PST
MLS has tried to bring in talent before, its to bad they come in in there later years. It would be nice to see soccer grow more in the US, unfortunately it has not caught on yet>
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