David Beckham

When mega soccer star David Beckham agreed to cross the pond, traveling to America to join the Los Angeles Galaxy, life in the MLS changed as we know it.
The chance to glimpse a magical Beckham strike was still months away, yet, following his formal announcement on January 11th, the Galaxy sold 5,000 new season tickets in just two days. This is the kind of impact the most popular footballer in the world can deliver with one swell boot.
The simple fact is David Beckham draws a major crowd wherever he goes. He might not be as recognizable a face in the US yet, but he will take the MLS, and America, by storm when he laces up his cleats to make his debut this season.
Approaching 32 years-old, David Beckham may not be quite the elite player he used to be, but he continues to reign as an elite celebrity – and the most watched footballer in the world. So, before acknowledging David Beckham’s amazing achievements on the soccer pitch, we need to recognize his power as one of the elite global advertising brands in the sports world.
Think of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan or Peyton Manning – that’s the allure and branding power that this soccer phenom will inject into Major League Soccer. In much of the world, David Beckham is a fashion trendsetter; whether it’s a faux-Mohawk, buzz-cut or corn rows, legions of soccer fans imitate his style.
When paired with his attractive wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, the couple is universally known as "Posh and Becks". It won’t take long before Posh Spice becomes known for lavish shopping sprees and a fixture on Rodeo Drive. David Beckham’s own new line of fragrances, called Instinct, will soon be flying off the shelves of boutiques across America.
On the soccer field, David Beckham’s illustrious career ranks him as the fifth most capped English player of all time, though his longstanding tenure as captain of the English side, from 2000 to 2006 seems to have come to an end when new coach Steve McClaren decided to go in a different direction, incorporating more youth in the British ranks.
Beckham is the only English player to score in three different World Cups, and is also only the ninth player in World Cup history to score twice from direct free kicks. He has twice been the runner up in the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, in 1999 and 2001.
As Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas sees it, "He's 31 years old and I think he has some of his best soccer ahead of him.
And he's facing a new challenge. What could be a fresher start for him than to come to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy?"
There is no question that the addition of David Beckham will help strengthen the midfield, where he will play alongside 36-year-old Cobi Jones, who is excited about the prospect of playing with a player of such skill and credentials, "I know if I'm running around the field with a David Beckham, I want to impress him," Jones said. "I want him to go, 'Hey, this guy is good.' I think it's going to give us credibility and a perspective.”
Beckham will also target leading scorer Landon Donovan with some of his famed crosses into the box. There’s no question that the Galaxy’s chances are now far better for winning back the championship that the Houston Dynamo claimed last season.
The MLS has come a long way since its inception in 1993, but Beckham’s move is an unprecedented coup, unlike any thus far.
His career has seen him perennially play for some of the strongest soccer powerhouses in the world such Manchester United and, currently, Real Madrid, where he is playing out his contract until August.
If the competition isn’t quite on par in the MLS, Beckham’s salary will be: a five-year deal that will earn him 10 million a year in direct salary, and with endorsements and profit-sharing, Beckham could earn up to $50 million a year (or 90 dollars every second he’s on the field!).
President and CEO Tim Leiweke of AEG, the sports and entertainment company that runs the Galaxy, believes Beckham can make a huge difference, "Certainly, he will bring an audience, a fan base and intensity to our sport that we've never had."
The MLS salary format sees owners share the cost for all player salaries except for a new designated-player rule where owners only have to contribute $400,000 for 13 selected players – David Beckham is the first player to be designated in this way. So it doesn’t hurt that the Galaxy’s owner Phil Anschutz has deep pockets with a net worth estimated at somewhere around $7.8 billion, according to Forbes.
Whether more high profile players migrate to the MLS is yet to be seen.
The addition of David Beckham to the MLS ranks is another positive sign that the popularity of soccer continues to grow in North America. The league’s aim to expand continues with the addition of three more teams targeted for before 2010. A high profile talent like David Beckham is a strong set play for the MLS, and he will elevate the game to new celebrated heights on and off the pitch.
American Soccer BettingThinking about having a wager on David Beckham playing his soccer in the USA next year? Since the MLS soccer season just finished, the league's general managers are already busy planning next year's squads and many are likely going on international scouting trips. That is now possible after the MLS instituted a new designated player rule which gives teams the financial capacity to take a gamble on big name players from abroad.
Most of them would be well-served to turn around and fly back home again.
The new law (known as the "Beckham Rule") lets teams avoid the salary cap for one selected player, and has led to a torrent of rumours about hordes of overseas players moving to play in the USA, just like with the NASL in the 1970s.
At that time, the policy didn't work. Now the MLS is in a much stronger position and should be capable of supporting a bunch of highly paid, if aging, stars.
But that doesn't mean it should.
Acquiring David Beckham, the probability of which is much higher than acknowledged, would doubtless be a massive coup for the MLS. (William Hill Bookmakers have listed his chances of playing in the MLS at 4/1 bet odds) As a worldwide figure, Beckham would bring immediate star power that could be exploited in both New York and Los Angeles .
Apparently not part of Fabio Capello's strategy at Madrid, and unwilling to return to the English Premiership (where he is only willing to play for Manchester United), Beckham could see the USA as his only option to increase his marketing value as his playing career winds down.
But the conditions that could bring Beckham, 31, to the United States are unique to him, and only one MLS team can afford him. The other 12 need to determine another way of using their designated player spot. Don't bet on them finding anyone worthwhile.
As soon as Beckham signs, there will only be scraps left for other clubs. Few players want to move across the pond, apart from those nearing retirement and too old to be worth much to their new teams.
Clubs would be much better off working on the talent they have, and trying to discourage their own players from departing to Europe. A dozen Landon Donovans would be far more beneficial to the MLS than a dozen Luis Figos.
Donovan declined the opportunity of playing in Germany because he missed California's weather, but his come back did wonders for the soccer league.
Regardless of his reasons, many people believed Donovan was just as useful in MLS as in the Bundesliga.
But he's proven to be the exception instead of the rule, with the surge of American players moving to Europe unstoppable as teenagers such as Michael Bradley and Lee Nyugen relocated to Holland's Eredivisie last year. The odds are good that will continue, with another bunch set to sail across the Atlantic, starting with New England midfielder Clint Dempsey.
The 23-year-old Dempsey has the requisite skill to succeed in Europe, but he is improbable to be much more than a ordinary team member at an English Premiership club – just like Carlos Bocanegra at Fulham -- rather than a big star.
What MLS teams need to do is make it financially attractive enough for American players to stay at home, because those are the very players that fans will support most.
Until the MLS can convince US internationals they are best off at home rather than in Europe, the soccer league will never earn the credibility it so desperately wants.
The new rule is certainly an opportunity to build up the league, but they should do it by protecting what they have, instead of bringing in short-term solutions from overseas. Betting on Beckham would be the wrong choice for US soccer.

• US Soccer Betting – Odds Against David Beckham in MLS. Bookmakers have made David Beckham the betting outsider. having a wager on David Beckham playing his soccer. Don't bet on them finding anyone worthwhile.
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• The lowdown on David Beckham's move to America and the MLS. David Beckham fans can still bet on the remainder.
  

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