Major League Soccer may be in for a major disappointment. After
announcing that San Jose would be receiving an expansion team just
days before David Beckham is expected to make his MLS debut for the
Los Angeles Galaxy, you may think things have never been better for
the little league that could. Truth be told, you would be
right.
by Josh Koehn
Major League Soccer may be in for a major disappointment.
After announcing that San Jose would be receiving an expansion team just days before David Beckham is expected to make his MLS debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy, you may think things have never been better for the little league that could. Truth be told, you would be right.
Beckham is a bonafide star (see his $250 million, five-year contract). The man with the magical banana-shaped shots – he even had a movie titled “Bend it Like Beckham” named after his play – recently resuscitated his playing career with brilliant performances for Spanish club Real Madrid and in international play with England. His marketing appeal has never been in doubt and he gives instant credibility to a league in need of stars, and a team that already has the best American player, Landon Donovan. Ultimately, though, that credibility goes to one team, and one team only.
Without each MLS squad having at least one major player (and they probably all need two), the casual American sports fan will lack the initiative to sit through a 90-minute game with too few payoffs in points. Watching one scoreless draw will make most Bay Area fans reconsider whether the San Francisco Giants’ offense is that anemic after all.
Personally, I don’t like soccer. I like football, American and European.
The difference is that soccer is a slower, less skilled, less intense version of the European game. I love the free-flowing action of England’s Premier League and the top leagues in Spain and Italy. Unfortunately the skill of these leagues’ elite players is above anything MLS players can match. The best players have and will continue to play across the pond. MLS will be relegated to taking legends on their last legs.
I root for the U.S. team in every match they play. But the Americans (the majority play in MLS) are simply not the best professional soccer players, and over the long haul, I won’t put patriotism over product when it comes to sports.
I have never watched an entire MLS game on TV and I can’t say with certainty that will change after Beckham’s arrival. I only have a certain amount of time to pay attention to sports and if my girlfriend sees me trying to pick up a new one, more than Beckham’s shots will be getting bent out of shape.
Contact Josh Koehn at
jk****@sv**********.com
