The Debut of Becks
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by JMoffat
Thursday night marked the debut of a soccer phenomenon in the United States....
The MLS debut of David Beckham.
Will David Beckham change how the game is played by MLS players?
Absolutely. His passing, leadership, and ability to do what is needed when needed is gonna help him change MLS. Just look at Thursday night's game in D.C. DB comes in the game in the 72nd minute, starts arguing for calls, hits two splendid free kicks, one of which is spoiled by the Galaxy, and plays a remarkable ball up the pitch to Donovan, who is stopped by an incredibly athletic keeper in Troy Perkins. Many argue that Beckham is on a downward spiral because he is "too old".
Huh? I understand that Beckham's age, 32, many soccer players begin to "deteriorate" in terms of talent and fitness. Quick question though....
Did anybody see Beckham in the SuperLiga for Real Madrid the past year?? He definitely wasn't too old to help lead Madrid to the Spanish League title. Did anyone see the Brazil-England friendly at New Wembley in June? He definitely wasn't too old to assist in England's only goal. His right foot on those free kicks and passes is still one of the most dangerous and deceptive feet in the game of football.
Now, a tougher question is posed. Will Beckham change how the game is viewed by fans? There are two different ways to look at this.
Yes, he will, but only in the way that more people will be more apt to watch a game just to get a glimpse of Beckham. No, he won't, in the fact that it will still be soccer, and if you didn't like soccer before, you probably still won't like it. If you loved it before, you will still love it. David Beckham isn't going to come to America and completely change the way soccer is played in this country. He may change the Galaxy's fate, and he may change ticket sales and jersey sales, but in opinion, that should be the biggest impact of David Beckham.
