Beckham's returning, and he'd better deal with it

2009-02-16T17:21:11-05:00

2009-02-13T21:08:35-05:00

2009-02-13T21:08:34-05:00

2009-02-16T17:21:11-05:00

Jeff Gordon

Stony Brook 706205

12 It's all a tactic by the Galaxy. They know Beckham doesn't want to come back to MLS and they're not going to force him to, but they just want to make sure they get enough money from AC Milan so that it helps the league's financial stability and helps the Galaxy rebuild their team. 4359235

2009-02-14T13:15:44-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/306/70/thumb/cartman_as_dog_2.jpg 912 TX

naxself

Fort Worth 30770

11 Re: first tier leagues v. second tier leagues: MLS is a second tier league. It will be for the foreseeable future. For MLS to break into the first tier, it needs smart management. And it needs to stop expanding when it gets 20 franchises or so. It needs to raise the salary cap and it needs to fix its roster requirements (not to allow more foreigners, but to make them easier for people to understand; same goes for allocation money). If MLS has a team near you, it's worth your while to check it out. Re: competition on TV: the best leagues in the world - England, Spain, and Italy - get a lot of exposure. They have the best players in the world and fans around the world. There is no reason to begrudge them that. The two French fans clearly didn't go to the game just because they figured they should support their team; they wanted to be there. There are far better ways to spend your Euros if all you want to watch is Italy or England or Spain. Like upgrading your TV package. Re: Beckham: he desperately wants to play in the 2010 World Cup. So, to think he won't try - because he's never not tried - is downright silly. His argument - that he needs Capello to see him regularly - is sound because Capello's policy is that if you're not playing well or if you're unfit, he won't pick you. Beckham can prove he's fit, etc. by playing in a top three league with and against the commensurate talent. One more thing: I wouldn't rule out MLS blinking and settling for something like $15 million and a friendly. It's just the way things work. 4340376

2009-02-14T11:48:31-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/596/536/thumb/Galaxy_logo.png 23 CA

GalaxyMan08

Pasadena 597176

10 Whatever happens with the Beckham saga, I think people need to stop crapping on MLS. Yes, it is a relatively new league, and the "Tier 1" leagues it is "competing" with have been around for over 100 years. It will take some time, but I am impressed with the success of what the league has achieved so far. Soccer-specific stadiums (albeit some of them have permanent stages), jersey sponsorships, and a growing number of teams. MLS fans need to be realistic and not expect top tier players to come during their prime. The main reason names like Del Piero, Juan Veron are "rumored" to come here is mainly to sell jerseys and get some more name recognition for MLS. Which is smart, but a short term benefit. The league will continue to get better, and I am happy the way Don Garber handled the Beckham mess, and it speaks to the brain trust of the league that an MLS team, and the league was not afraid of dealing with these larger clubs. Those people who keep saying bad things about the league are going to continue to do so. In the end, because MLS is in America, and our economy will hopefully improve, the league is going to get better. In the age of "me, me, me...I want it now" the league will not engender itself to the snobs of the sport. However, in the end, MLS will indeed laugh last. 4339892

2009-02-14T10:23:34-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/439/189/thumb/Fulham.jpg 9 NC

Fandango

Raleigh 439629

9 The bottom line, he made a deal with L.A. 2 years ago, and he should honor it. There's a lot to be said in this day and age for finishing what you start, as there is WAAAY too much moving around of players AND coaches in soccer. L.A. I thought was being gracious to even entertain this deal, Milan didn't meet the deadline, so "party over" in Italy as far as I'm concerned. I really like Garber's all-business approach to this situation. 4339377

2009-02-14T06:07:31-05:00

motionsuggests

Tulsa 45899

8 I understand (sort of) Beckham's reason for wanting to stay from his point of view. But I don't understand the logic that says it's ok because the MLS isn't European football. I thought I might share an experience from a recent French league game I went to. At halftime of Rennes-Toulouse, I started talking to two younger French fans and asked them what they thought of the game (which was tied zero-zero). I was quickly told that Ligue 1 sucks, it's not exciting, it's too defensive. What you really need to do, they two guys said, is watch the Premier League or La Liga. "Ligue 1 is crap." I asked them why they were there if it sucked so bad? They ended up admitting it was their home team and they lived nearby so they thought they should support them. In any case, I think it's too bad that because of satellite TV and unequal financial clout, fans of leagues have to continually compare and judge their own league based on the exceptions. We have to say well Beckham is right leave because the MLS and the Italian league are here and here respectively. The MLS will never be a "first-tier" league if soccer fans keep shoving it to the side in their minds because they saw some guys running around on their television screen. Yes, Pato and Kaka are really good, but they aren't the only soccer players worth seeing on a Saturday afternoon. 4339031

2009-02-14T05:07:14-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/353/210/thumb/pato1.jpg 1956 NV

dynamo818

Las Vegas 353630

7 Apparently LA hasn't figured out that contracts mean nothing in Europe when a player wants out of his current team. The Galaxy are beginning to look like some kind of scorned lover who hasn't quite figured out that Golden Balls has found a better suitor with more attractive living arrangements, an Italian friend with benefits called Pato and Kaka who make him look a lot better than he really is - let's face it: there's nobody on LA who can cover his apparent deficiencies like Pato and Zambrotta who masks the pothole he creates on the right wing. Perhaps the Galaxy, the biggest attention **** in the sport, just can't resist all the media attention that this craziness has created. Whatever the motivation it really portrays them as babbling fools given that they can't make the playoffs in a third rate professional league. 4338986

2009-02-14T03:57:56-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/198/766/thumb/PCWork.jpg 136 NY

FCBarca

New York 199066

6 The Rossoneri are typically shrewd in contracts and sales...They figure the Galaxy are new to the game and will cave in negotiations....AC Milan & LA are playing the old game of 'Who will blink first?'...My guess is that Milan & Becks will try to leverage his 'out clause' into some negotiated amount before March...I doubt we'll see Becks play another match for the Galaxy 4338983

2009-02-14T03:30:04-05:00

CRT

No City 94957

5 Good points Neil. When talking about Beckham's overall reputation, you're right, this wont matter much. But it will for his American reputation. So it all depends on how much Beckham cares about his rep in the U.S. You'd think if all he cares about is World Cup 2010, then he'll do all he can to get out of L.A., or dog it if he can't get out. If he is worried now about his post-playing career (I would say a real focused athlete shouldnt care), then Freedman's optimistic outlook may come true and he'll play hard for MLS all season without a hitch. 4338924

2009-02-14T02:12:24-05:00

Neil4

Chicago 18943

4 It's not about showing off. It's about national pride. Beckham would have taken a pay cut to be in Milan where Capello can see him play with and against quality players, week in week out. He wants to play for England. When he joined the Galaxy, for substantially less than quoted in the media, he'd been shown the door by an over-his-head and tactically inept national team manager in Steve McLaren, who brought him back in desperation. Capello is a smart man and knows that Beckham is good for the squad, if not the starting eleven. He also knows that if Beckham plays in a second tier league (be realistic MLS, you're a long way from being as competitive as even the French League) he won't be fit to play in international competition. It's odd, that it seems to be ok if Landon Donovan skips out on MLS under contract, but not David Beckham. Double standard perhaps.... Out of interest, David Beckham's legacy will no way depend on his completion of a season in MLS. His 12 years of sterling service to a nation and two of the world's top clubs will speak more than three years in MLS. 4338932

2009-02-14T01:19:27-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/879/92/thumb/447.jpg 5974 NY

Anthony Verna

New York 88292

3 I'm looking forward to seeing him try in MLS, like he did when he first started with the Galaxy. 4338717

<p>  <style></style>  </p> <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img title="David Beckham" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/writers/greg_lalas/09/15/forbes.nyc/p1_beckham_0915.jpg" alt="Double Click to select a Photo" width="298" height="306" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">David Beckham is entering the third of his five-year deal.<br />AP</div> </div> <p>This ain't over yet. Not by a long shot.</p> <p>Major League Soccer's self-imposed deadline has passed, and AC Milan failed to make another bid for <strong>David Beckham</strong>. And so, MLS and the Galaxy say, their superstar is <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/02/13/beckham.staying.in.LA.ap/index.html">coming back to Los Angeles</a> by March 9, per the terms of their loan agreement with the Italian club.</p> <p>But you can bet Milan will still come back with another offer for Beckham, be it this weekend or next week. And it'll be better than the reported $7.7 million opening bid, maybe even better than its reported second proposal of $11 million and a summer friendly in L.A. And if MLS has any <em>cojones</em>, it'll stick to its deadline and tell Milan, "No, <em>grazie</em>."</p> <p>MLS and the Galaxy's ownership, AEG, need to show they can play hardball and stay true to their word. By rejecting one of the world's biggest clubs, they can make a grand statement that MLS is a serious league. But they'd also be saving face, too -- let's not forget, Beckham's camp failed to tell them they were negotiating a loan deal with Milan</p> <p>As far as Beckham himself goes, there are two ways this could play out. One, he comes back to L.A. disappointed and angry, dogs it for the entire season (as he did during the tail end of 2008) and exercises his out clause at the end of the year. End result, the Galaxy miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year and end up losing Beckham with nothing to show for it.</p> <p>But I doubt that'll happen. If you know anything about Beckham, you know he'd rather get a tattoo removed than sully his reputation. In fact, this could work to the Galaxy's advantage. The whole reason Beckham wanted to move to Milan in the first place was to stay in the spotlight and be surrounded by superior talent so he could keep the attention of England coach <strong>Fabio Capello</strong> in an effort to be named to the team that will go to the 2010 World Cup. Now that he's staying, Becks is going to have to work even harder to stand out more than 5,000 miles from London.</p> <p>He'll need more highlight reels like his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgjWZXnTn9A&feature=related" target="_blank">70-yard goal</a> against Kansas City last May to keep his celebrity burning. And without a <strong>Kaká</strong>, <strong>Ronaldinho </strong>or <strong>Alexandre Pato</strong> to make him shine, he's going to have to shoulder more of the load in L.A. That could be even tougher if Bayern Munich elects to keep <strong>Landon Donovan</strong>, the Galaxy's other star, who is also on loan until March. Still, I'd expect to see the Beckham who opened the '08 season by winning Player of the Week twice and littering the field with his trademark crosses and passes.</p> <p>Either way, you can bet your paycheck that Beckham will still exercise his out clause the second the '09 season is over in November. Regardless of how good he does this year, or where the Galaxy finish, he'll probably go running back to Milan in a last-gasp effort to show off on the big stage again. He'll have seven months until the start of the World Cup in South Africa. And whether he ends up going to his fourth World Cup or not, Becks' legacy is officially on the line, starting now.</p> 50181 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/459/8/thumb/freedman_jonah.jpg 12 CA

Jonah Freedman

San Francisco 4618