The arrival of a Savior? (Welcome to America, Becks...)
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by Smittylite
As big of a soccer fan as I am, I just couldn’t go any longer without writing on the arrival of David Beckham to the US, and to MLS with the LA Galaxy. Following the love fest that was his official welcoming party at the Home Depot Center on Friday, July 13 th, Beckham spent the weekend getting to know his new teammates and adjusting to life on the other side of the pond.
While his wife seems to be doing ok, with a reality show that debuted last night (no, I did not watch it. Something about blatant and inherent self-promotion carried all the way to this point makes me not want anything to do with it), it remains to be seen how David will react and assimilate himself to not just the US culture, but also to the MLS. After all, this is not the Spanish La Liga he has been playing in with Real Madrid in Spain the last few years. As much as the soccer in the MLS has improved in just the last few years, it is still far behind the best leagues in the world.
And the absolute best league in the world is where Beckham just finished up, having helped Real to a late surge and League title. While much has been made of his loss of pace the last two years, or his ability to sustain himself for entire games, Beckham is still instantly one of the top five players in our league, if not top three. His ability to bend the ball on free kicks, as well as his pin-point accuracy on crosses and balls through the air, are breathtaking and unparalleled.
It is this feature which should gain Beckham a following within the US among casual soccer fans, as he can play ‘the beautiful game’ as well as anyone in the world, making it spectacular and fun to watch. I can already picture him making 50 yard through balls to an on-rushing Landon Donovan, perfectly placing the ball at his feet as Donovan breaks away from the defense and slots one in the corner.
Then again, you have the other side of Beckham’s arrival, the variable. Will he be able to make soccer in the US relevant? Will he be able to elevate the play in the MLS, making it a viable league and possibly attract more big name players to come play here? This seems to be the pressure put on Beckham, the expectation. Beckham wasn’t brought here to play in the MLS. He was brought here to save it, and to save soccer in the US.
Then again, I’m not sure I buy the idea that the MLS needs to be saved. The league is in probably the best position of its history. It has major sponsorship and TV deals in place to last many years, and its popularity is at an all-time high, albeit partly because of Beckham’s impending arrival on the scene. The US team is showing signs it could become a powerhouse, with a lot of the young talent trading their wares in MLS. All in all, the league is in a good position.
But it can be better. The MLS’s ultimate goal is to barge its way onto the national scene in the same way the Big Four have done, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and the NHL. It is seeking to become number 5, alongside those other professional leagues. Though the way I see it, they have a chance to flat-out replace hockey on the Big Four list, as Gary Bettman is doing everything in his power to make hockey completely irrelevant. This leaves a large, gaping hole in American sports, one the MLS is attempting to fill.
Personally, I think they have a great chance. With David Beckham comes increased national exposure, and while this exposure is not necessarily geared towards the game but Beckham himself, eventually the soccer story will be told by Beckham. He is a fantastic ambassador for the game, one the likes of which this country has not seen. And he has stated many times, and I believe him, that one of his goals for playing in the US is to increase the awareness of soccer in the US.
It has been said many times, at various points throughout the last 30 years, that soccer in the US was at the brink of becoming a national pastime. I truly believe we are at that brink in the US, and all it will take to overcome that is a few years and some lucky breaks. With another three years until the next World Cup, I believe when we reach South Africa in 2010 soccer will have taken a great hold on the US.
Beckham is one of those lucky breaks we need, coming to America at just the right time to jumpstart the sport here. Combine that with what could be the best 1-2 punch in American soccer history coming up through the youth ranks, Jozy Altidore (who has just started getting national attention) and Freddy Adu (who we have all heard about for several years), and you could really be garnering the attention and coverage needed to push American soccer into the mind’s of Americans once and for all.
As for Beckham, I will be watching intently how he handles the MLS, and also how he handles elevating the awareness of soccer in the US, and the awareness of US soccer to the world. It’s an exciting time to be a US soccer fan, and I can’t wait to see what the next three years bring.
As originally posted - http://valleysports.blogspot.com
