Quote:
Originally Posted by Vancity
an interesting tibit from the Vancouversun
MONTREAL — The David Beckham era in Major League Soccer is officially over.
Yes, the over-hyped superstar will return to the Los Angeles Galaxy this summer, but what sort of reaction can you expect from fans in L.A. and around the league to a player who will play only half a season in a league he has already dissed as second-rate?
When the Galaxy signed Beckham two years ago, my fear was that MLS was headed down the same path that led to the demise of the North American Soccer League. The NASL was stocked with overpriced and over-the-hill superstars like Pele, Eusebio and Franz Beckenbauer. Their salaries eventually bankrupted the league and their presence slowed the development of local talent.
The problem with Beckham turned out to be that he wasn’t over the hill. His stock in England had gone down because of injuries and a questionable attitude, but he has rehabilitated himself in both areas and expects to be part of the English side for the 2010 World Cup.
To prepare for that event, Beckham said he has to play at the highest level and made it very clear that MLS doesn’t fall in that category, and that’s why he’s finishing the season with AC Milan. Nobody who knows soccer would disagree with Beckham’s evaluation of MLS. In fact, you can make an argument that MLS isn’t significantly better than the United Soccer Leagues First Division, the supposedly inferior league that includes the Montreal Impact.
But Beckham is being paid an extraordinary amount of money to provide MLS with some credibility, and the Galaxy and its partners can’t be happy with Beckham telling it like it is.
Beckham’s comments aren’t the only hit MLS has taken recently. The league is in the process of expanding, and it missed the chance to add a strong partner in Montreal when it refused to compromise on its exorbitant $40 million US franchise fee.
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This is a complete BS article...I don't think that Beckham's decision is a slight against the MLS. This has more to do with scheduling than quality of play. I will be the first to admit that the MLS is nowhere near the quality of other domestic leagues...but it is moving in the right direction.
Let's face it, Becks came to the MLS after Steve McClaren, the former England skipper, made it clear that Beckham would no longer be part of England National team. I think that Beckham, had aspirations of continuing to play on the national team but with McClaren's statement he came to the Galaxy with a clear conscience.
However, when McClaren was let go as boss and replace by Fabio Capello who was willing to give Beckham a shot things changed. Capello stated that Beckham could play as long as he was actively playing a professional level. Unfortunately, with the MLS schedule, that being off season during the winter, when European clubs are still playing, it made it very challenging for Beckham to stay match fit. This is what lead him to train with teams like Arsenal, and now have a temporary contract with AC Milan.
Clearly, Beckham wants to play for his national team and the only means of doing so is to be playing in a domestic league that plays through the winter. He doesn't have this option in the MLS. This is compounded by the fact tha tthe Galaxy are on the West Cost making the travel to Europe even more challenging when Becks would need to train and play with the national squad. You see, Euro leagues all take into account the national team schedules with set breaks and such. The MLS doesn't and this is a BIG problem.
If Beckham wants to play for England then the best place for him to be playing is in Europe. I think this has more to do with the logistics and timing than the MLS itself.
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