Becks

Thank goodness, in the midst of if all, there is a little bit of good news. I guess if nothing else, I can have my bread and circus.

David Beckham is coming to the MLS. Now, I know he's lost a step or two, but it is still good news. Beckham is a spectacular dead ball player. He can still compete and is a level above most of the athletes in the league. Perhaps he will generate some added revenue for the league. I can say certainly that the MLS is more likely to see some of my money with Beckham in the league, I've already paid money once, only in the misguided hope of seeing him, when Manchester United came to the US to face Bayern Munchen. If nothing else, I did get to yell Khan in my most Shatneresque toward the Munich goal.

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I had a fairly stong feeling that Beckham was on his way here, but I had a feeling it would take a few more years. It is fairly clear that Posh would love to spend some time shopping in LA. And the US is as good a place to play as any for a player on the back stretch of his career. You get the love of the fans and stay competitive a few years after you would be run out of any European league on a rail. Mattheus did precicely the same thing, and if I recall correctly his wife was looking forward to shopping in NY.

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I just hope the move doesn't repeat what happened to major league soccer with Pele. In its first few years the MLS came perilously close to building an unstoppable juggernaut in DC a la the Cosmos. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the US can market itself as the optimal pre-retirement destination and share the love.