Beckham to the MLS

[aboz56]

Who.Cares

[SoxFan1]

I'd personally rather see the league try to catch a few young stars on their way up. I don't follow soccer enough to come up with some names (one of my major complaints, can't see a whole lot of games in the US unless I pony up like $40 per league), but guys like Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robinho a few years ago would be the general idea.

 

I can understand the marketing appeal with Beckham though, financially that was probably the best signing.

C. Ronaldo and Lio Messi are 2 of the biggests stars in Europe right now, no way they would leave Manchester or Barca.

 

This is a dumb move by the MLS IMHO. Beckham is not a great player anymore, and playing with the low level quality of the MLS is only going to make his decline faster. Real football fans in the US will be dissapointed with his play, expecting him to dominate in such a weak league. It's not going to happen.

 

Ticket sales will boost for a while, jersey sales will boost for a while, but don't get your hopes up for football in the US. The smartest thing the MLS could have done was raise the level of play before bringing in a huge superstar for a ridiculously hilarious amount of money. Start off with same aging stars like Luis Figo, Miroslav Klose, or Jay Jay Okocha. Until today, Khodadad Azizi was the biggest international signing for the MLS...that says a lot.

Edited January 12, 2007 by SoxFan1

[ChiSox_Sonix]

I'd personally rather see the league try to catch a few young stars on their way up. I don't follow soccer enough to come up with some names (one of my major complaints, can't see a whole lot of games in the US unless I pony up like $40 per league), but guys like Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robinho a few years ago would be the general idea.

 

I can understand the marketing appeal with Beckham though, financially that was probably the best signing.

 

Those types of players would never come here, at least now. Up and coming world stars are going to play in europe. For now, players like Beckham (who is still a world-class player, just not at that elite level anymore) are our best shot at bringing over here. It would not be a bad idea to try and bring over big names late in their careers, like an Edgar Davids, or players on the outs with their teams/nationals, like an El-Hadji Diouf. But, even that would be hard to make happen. The Beckham situation is unique, but I'm glad he's over here. It does add to the credibility of the league a bit and may entice other known players to cross the Atlantic eventually, even if it isnt in the primeof their careers.

[SoxFan1]

I'm hearing Edgard Davids is close to joining "FC" Dallas or might stay in the EPL and go to Everton.

[danman31]

This is a dumb move by the MLS IMHO. Beckham is not a great player anymore, and playing with the low level quality of the MLS is only going to make his decline faster. Real football fans in the US will be dissapointed with his play, expecting him to dominate in such a weak league. It's not going to happen.

 

Ticket sales will boost for a while, jersey sales will boost for a while, but don't get your hopes up for football in the US. The smartest thing the MLS could have done was raise the level of play before bringing in a huge superstar for a ridiculously hilarious amount of money. Start off with same aging stars like Luis Figo, Miroslav Klose, or Jay Jay Okocha. Until today, Khodadad Azizi was the biggest international signing for the MLS...that says a lot.

1. Stop being a soccer snob. Beckham had a good World Cup and is the best player in MLS right now.

2. Klose is 28, don't throw him in with that group.

3. Hristo Stoichkov came to MLS with the Fire and was a European Golden Boot winner. He was the biggest international signing for MLS.

 

Other than that I'd agree that they need to raise the talent level, but can't. If they are going to try the NASL experiment they have a better base than the NASL did. MLS is far beyond the quality of the NASL so they have that going for them. They continue to improve the facilities which is important, though they aren't quite top tier yet, especially in size (I have yet to go to Toyota Park, but it sounds nice). I think MLS needs one name on each team to make it big. Beckham is big for LA and other fans will come to see him when LA comes to town, but each team needs a draw. It's asking for a lot, but they need 12 more (one per team) aging stars like Beckham to add star power and quality to each team.

[SoxFan1]

1. Stop being a soccer snob. Beckham had a good World Cup and is the best player in MLS right now.

2. Klose is 28, don't throw him in with that group.

3. Hristo Stoichkov came to MLS with the Fire and was a European Golden Boot winner. He was the biggest international signing for MLS.

 

Other than that I'd agree that they need to raise the talent level, but can't. If they are going to try the NASL experiment they have a better base than the NASL did. MLS is far beyond the quality of the NASL so they have that going for them. They continue to improve the facilities which is important, though they aren't quite top tier yet, especially in size (I have yet to go to Toyota Park, but it sounds nice). I think MLS needs one name on each team to make it big. Beckham is big for LA and other fans will come to see him when LA comes to town, but each team needs a draw. It's asking for a lot, but they need 12 more (one per team) aging stars like Beckham to add star power and quality to each team.

Yes, he is the best player in the MLS, I never said he wasn't, but that says a lot about the quality of play, which is poor compared to the rest of the world. And I wouldn't say he had a good World Cup. The first goal he accounted for was because on of the Paraguayan defender's headed it into his own net and his only credited goal came on a free kick I believe.

 

You're right about #3 though, completely forgot about Stoichkov, who I loved when he was with the Fire. As far as #2, I added Klose into that group is because he's not happy at Werder Bemen right now and has been talking about being transferred, and also because he's been part of 2 world cups already.

 

And what's with the soccer snob comment?

[danman31]

Yes, he is the best player in the MLS, I never said he wasn't, but that says a lot about the quality of play, which is poor compared to the rest of the world. And I wouldn't say he had a good World Cup. The first goal he accounted for was because on of the Paraguayan defender's headed it into his own net and his only credited goal came on a free kick I believe.

 

You're right about #3 though, completely forgot about Stoichkov, who I loved when he was with the Fire. As far as #2, I added Klose into that group is because he's not happy at Werder Bemen right now and has been talking about being transferred, and also because he's been part of 2 world cups already.

 

And what's with the soccer snob comment?

If you think Beckham is the best player in MLS then why is it a bad move? The best player would dominate. In his case all he has to do is wave to the cameras and hit free kicks in the back of the net for SportsCenter. He'll draw attention (he's already done a lot of that) and make $$. That's all the move is supposed to do.

 

There's a big difference between Klose at 28 and Beckham at 31. 28 means he has 3-4 years of top flight football as opposed to Beckham having another year or two at most.

[SoxFan1]

If you think Beckham is the best player in MLS then why is it a bad move? The best player would dominate. In his case all he has to do is wave to the cameras and hit free kicks in the back of the net for SportsCenter. He'll draw attention (he's already done a lot of that) and make $$. That's all the move is supposed to do.

 

There's a big difference between Klose at 28 and Beckham at 31. 28 means he has 3-4 years of top flight football as opposed to Beckham having another year or two at most.

The best player doesn't always dominate...especially with Beckham being a midfielder. There is no doubt he'll score a few goals, but he won't be the superstar everyone thinks he will. He's already showing signs of slowing (much of the English media called him out for it too) and 50 millions dollars isn't really motivation to work harder.

[southsideirish71]

The best player doesn't always dominate...especially with Beckham being a midfielder. There is no doubt he'll score a few goals, but he won't be the superstar everyone thinks he will. He's already showing signs of slowing (much of the English media called him out for it too) and 50 millions dollars isn't really motivation to work harder.

 

On the outside, he will have an impact due to name recognition. On the pitch he can have an impact, but it depends on his fitness level and his work ethic.

 

The MLS game is not a technical game right now. Its an athletic game. Lots of running balls out. Its the one comment that is said when the premiership players have had to deal with the MLS, its that the fitness of the US players is first class. However the technical side is where we lack.

 

He will have an impact on the MLS due to how that club is setup and how the league plays. Most of the midfielders play lob and run with their forwards. Beckham unless he changes, will deliver a crisp pass on the run to Donovan who hopefully will be able to strike with that kind of pass. We develop speed on the outside, we develop defense and goalkeepers. However we dont develop midfielders well in the US. The US game needs to catch up with the world game and start to feed passes on the ground in a quick crisp strike, to catch the runner in motion. Right now I see midfielders lobbing the ball, which is hard to catch on the run and create with. Mainly strikes happen due to defensive blunders more than from creativity. Its the biggest deficiency in the US program.

 

The way for US soccer to establish a hotbed of talent is to get inner city youth involved in soccer. Its always been the game of the common man, because all you need is a ball and that is it. Hence why its huge in every country. You get a kid who might not be talented enough to play first string baseball, basketball or football...but he still might be more athletic or talented than the bevy of midgets we have been featuring on the US team. The minute we get a better pool of athletes, and identify them, and get them in the right programs the better US soccer will be in the long run. And if Becks gets people involved who wouldnt be, then its worth it.

Edited January 12, 2007 by southsideirish71

[knightni]

Anybody honestly think that?

 

Not for one second.

 

[shipps]

I absolutely love The World Cup and watch all of it and iam always dissappointed when it is over because that is the only soccer season to me.I have never been able to watch the MLS because I know it is a few levels below professional talent.But if this signing can have a snowball effect and maybe bring in some other talent from Europe that would be great.There is definetly room for soccer in my sports world,but iam not watching the Fire as of yet and they have won some championships.

[EvilJester99]

All I know is I should have learned to play soccer instead of football....sheesh. 50 Million a year....

[ZoomSlowik]

C. Ronaldo and Lio Messi are 2 of the biggests stars in Europe right now, no way they would leave Manchester or Barca.

 

I understand that, I was talking about a few years ago when they weren't bigger names and were up-and-coming stars still playing in Portugal and Argentina respectively. Granted we'd still probably lose out on those guys because they'd rather go to one of the bigger clubs, but if we threw enough money at them when they were younger who knows. If they'd come you could probably sign 3 of them for what they are spending on Beckham easily.

 

 

Those types of players would never come here, at least now. Up and coming world stars are going to play in europe. For now, players like Beckham (who is still a world-class player, just not at that elite level anymore) are our best shot at bringing over here. It would not be a bad idea to try and bring over big names late in their careers, like an Edgar Davids, or players on the outs with their teams/nationals, like an El-Hadji Diouf. But, even that would be hard to make happen. The Beckham situation is unique, but I'm glad he's over here. It does add to the credibility of the league a bit and may entice other known players to cross the Atlantic eventually, even if it isnt in the primeof their careers.

 

Yeah, that's definitely an issue. I understand that there's no way we're going to get guys like Christiano Ronaldo or Ronaldinho in their prime, and we'll probably have more success with the older guys. I'd like to see them at least try to get at least one of these guys before they make it big though, maybe if you throw like a $20 mil transfer fee at one like the year before the bigger clubs are after them you get lucky.

[nitetrain8601]

This is a good move for MLS, but I think to raise the overall level, we have to sign a few up and coming players, and probably overpay for them. It'll take a hit in the pockets in the short run, but if you do it and the plan works, MLS would be a huge attraction.

[Mplssoxfan]

The way for US soccer to establish a hotbed of talent is to get inner city youth involved in soccer. Its always been the game of the common man, because all you need is a ball and that is it. Hence why its huge in every country. You get a kid who might not be talented enough to play first string baseball, basketball or football...but he still might be more athletic or talented than the bevy of midgets we have been featuring on the US team. The minute we get a better pool of athletes, and identify them, and get them in the right programs the better US soccer will be in the long run. And if Becks gets people involved who wouldnt be, then its worth it.

Agree 100%. The problem is that in the inner city, basketball is the game of choice for much the same reason that soccer in the rest of the world -- you only need a ball (well, a hoop, too, but that's not usually an issue) If you could have an inner city inititave in soccer though -- man, the US would be dealing with a fantastic talent base.

[WilliamTell]

The first few games will get excellent ratings, then it'll be almost back to normal. Before soccer can become an elite sport in America it might need to over pass hockey to crack the big 5 here.

[DBAHO]

On Beckham, he's certainly not what he once was, but he's still a pretty good player.

 

If LA sell out most out of their games, and it raises the interest of soccer in America then it's a job well done.

 

Until they start developing a better talent base though, the only way they can get better players to the league will be by overpaying them, because all of the good players will just stay in Europe.

 

If say the top American team could somehow play in the Champions League (.01% chance of happening I know), then this would certainly hope the cause.

[jackie hayes]

We will never be competitive with Europe, ever. If MLS could evolve into a decent feeder league, that would be a massive improvement. Anything else is a fantasy.

[3 BeWareTheNewSox 5]

I heard that Ronaldo may go to NY soon.

 

When Beckham came a few years ago, didn't over 60,000 show for an exhibition? I know it was a mad house around there. The league isn't as bad to watch as some make it out to be, I saw the Fire live a few times and they play a good game. The league just needed this name recognition. Also, now ESPN is going to do the MLS games in HD. It appears things are starting to look good, we'll see

 

The best player doesn't always dominate...especially with Beckham being a midfielder. There is no doubt he'll score a few goals, but he won't be the superstar everyone thinks he will. He's already showing signs of slowing (much of the English media called him out for it too) and 50 millions dollars isn't really motivation to work harder.

 

his contract is full of incentives, he'll have plenty of motivation

[Gregory Pratt]

I read somewhere that Beckham won't be paid 200 million by the Galaxy but that that figures contains all his endorsement deals and stuff and that his money will be about 400,000 a year from LA Galaxy. Sounded crazy. Is it true, though? Which is it?

[MSHAWKS]

Wow. This could be the move that mainstreams soccer in the US.

 

 

Soccer will never, ever, ever be mainstreamed in the U.S.

[SoxFan1]

I read somewhere that Beckham won't be paid 200 million by the Galaxy but that that figures contains all his endorsement deals and stuff and that his money will be about 400,000 a year from LA Galaxy. Sounded crazy. Is it true, though? Which is it?

His actual salary for playing is actually "only" about 10 million a season. "It was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that David Beckham will be leaving Real Madrid and will be joining MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy on a 5 year deal that will see Beckham earn up to $10 million a year in direct salary, but with endorsements and profit-sharing, Beckham could earn up to $50 million a year" Link

 

Also, I suggest everyone reads this.

[CWSGuy406]

Also, I suggest everyone reads this.

 

SF1, who wrote that article...?

[SoxFan1]

SF1, who wrote that article...?

James Lawton. He's a British journalist who has covered Beckham a lot.

[GoodAsGould]

Does anyone here actually watch oversea's soccer besides the worldcup? Because Beckham is prob one of the better players in the league, and is easily the biggest star.... but he isnt even the best player on his team anymore. Donovan is better at this stage of their careers.