The Wait is Over - Becks Debuts in MLS

Well the wait is over folks. After missing four games (3 SuperLiga and 1 regular season) David Beckham has finally played his first c0mpetive match for the LA Galaxy, coming on as a sub in the 72 minute in a 1-0 loss to DC United.

While Becks couldn't stop his team from losing, he did show a lot of promise. Especially in terms of energizing the LA attack; who were forced to play most of the 2nd half down a man. The Galaxy's best chance came when Beckham laid a ball into the box for Landon Donovan who was taken down with a questionable tackle that Donovan felt deserved a penalty kick; sadly for Landon it was not to come (see what happens when you dive too much.....).

If Beckham can start starting for the Galaxy we could see them turn things around. He was particularly effective in involving Landon Donovan in the play. A pair which could prove to be a nightmare for opposing teams. Of course the Galaxy will have to survive their tough schedule I talked about a few days ago.

Either way I'm glad the wait is over.

On a separate note I wanna give props to DC supporters for coming up with the "we sing better than your wife" banner at last nights game. Classic.

MLS and US U-20 sending serious talent to the big boys

Most soccer fans in the US had to be impressed with their team at the U-20 World Cup last month as they made it all the way to the quarter finals. Some highlights included a 6-1 raping of Poland and a 2-1 victory over Brazil. As it turns out soccer fans in states weren't the only ones impressed. Its been less than a month since the US was eliminated in the tournament and already we've seen Freddy Adu off to Benfica, Sal Zizzo head to Hanover '96, and most recently Danny Szetela going to Iitalian giant AS Roma.

According to a recent SBI post U-20 star striker and FIFA08 cover player, Jozy Altidore, is interesting in leaving for Europe at the end the MLS season and could fetch a transfer fee of up to $10 million dollars. That should help cover some of New York Red Bulls losses.

So what do I think about all of this? While its obviously a loss for the league to lose such promising young talent at a time when the league is looking to aggressively expand its footprint in North America, it nonetheless shows that there is serious talent in the MLS and that Americans are capable of playing along side their supposedly superior European brethren. In the end it will give the MLS creditability in Europe and most importantly strength the talent pool for the USMNT.

Also don't be surprised if some of these players find themselves back in the MLS towards the end of their carriers. Hopefully they can play better than Ryena.

SuperLiga and Becks bent ankle

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I've fallen behind due to an illness, but I'm getting better. I thought I'd summarize and give my opinion on some of the things that have happened since I last posted.

SuperLiga group stage finishes - As I said when the SuperLiga first premiered, I love it. The games have been tough and spirited; a far cry from the exhibition friendlies some people were fearful of this turning into. Also as I said before, the real success of the SuperLiga will be measured upon whether the tournament is able to successfully draw the Mexican population into the MLS fan base. Its too soon to call that one, but so far, in the short term, its been a success especially if you are an MLS fan. 3 of the 4 teams advancing are MLS teams with CF Pachuca the lone Mexican side to advance and FC Dallas the lone MLS side left behind.

On a semi separate note, It seems like every time I read an article about an MLS match between the LA Galaxy and some other team there is inevitably a bit about how disappointed fans were they didn't get to see Beckham play. Some fans have even taken to making funny signs in order to vent their fury. There is no doubt that this has to be a nightmare for the MLS and the Galaxy, which is seeing the Beckham machine stall out before it even really gets going. Some teams like Dallas have tried to appease fans who bought tickets to their SuperLiga game against the Galaxy by offering them free tickets to a charity game next year against LA.

Unfortunately I don't have any solution to offer fans or the league. However the silver lining in all of this is that Beckham wont wear out as fast as he otherwise might have had he been healthy. Because of the crazy schedule that the league came up with in order to insure that Becks visits every MLS city at least once and the even crazier number of friendlies and charity games the Galaxy have agreed to play in order squeeze even more money out of Beckham, the Galaxy will play 8 to 9 games in August, 8 games in September, and then 6 games in October. The New York Red Bulls on the other hand play 4 games in August, 5 in September, and 3 in October - roughly half of what the Galaxy play. With such a packed schedule there has to be a worry that Beckham and other Galaxy players will become exhausted. Sure the league will make a killing in revenue in the short run, but they might be shooting themselves in the foot when all the Beckham hungry/soccer curious ticket buyers fail to become hardcore fans after they see a worn down version of an already terrible team.

If theres a lesson the MLS needs to learn its that soccer players are people. The league constantly over hypes and over markets its assets in a desperate attempt for press and inevitably fails to meet expectations. The best example of this is of course Freddy Adu, who might now finally be able to develop normally in Europe without having the expectations of being an American Pele thrust upon him. Hopefully the MLS will realize Beckham is a human being and not just a media tool sooner than later.