This Is American Soccer, US Soccer, MNT, WNT, and MLS - Tackling the subject of Soccer in the US, and worldwide.

HOLLYWOOD EDITION 

“Have you heard?”

“Yeah, I did. It would be nice: Claudio Renya coming back to MLS.”

“No, THE news.”

“Oh, right, Clint Dempsey got his work permit approved. I hope McBride stays at Fulham; he’ll be a nice role model for Clint. And maybe they’ll find a way to steal Onyewu out from under the richer clubs. Either way, every American soccer fan is now at least a little bit of a Fulham fan, right? I mean, it’s almost as if they are making a conscious effort to sign guys from the other side of the Atlantic.”

“We’re still talking about Fulham right?”

“What else would we be talking about?”

As off-season news goes, this week was pretty full, you might even say historic, but with all due respect to the other guys – with David Beckham there is always the other guys; you know them, the ones who just play soccer - the news of the Earth’s favorite son coming to the New World has momentarily overshadowed everything in the American soccer universe as if a solar eclipse (He is after all going to the Galaxy).

The New York Post has him on the front page; Even Good Morning America, who broke the story yesterday morning, had him on live via satellite for a few minutes this morning. And in those few minutes you learned everything you need to know about what it means that David Beckham is going to ply his trade in America. And it has very little to do with soccer. What it means was encapsulated this morning as two middle-aged women (one supposedly a top-notch journalist and would-be host of World News, the other a former Sportscenter anchor no less) giggled their way through an embarrassing set of questions. Wow. 250 million dollars. Te He Te He. What can you buy now that you couldn’t before? Here we say Haaaaay. Te He Te He. Can you say Haaay. That’s how we do it here. Try it. Haaaaay.

Well done ladies. You make us proud. At least The Daily Show has some back-up material should our government not make asses of themselves in the next 24-whoops, what’s that Lassie, Georgey’s in the deep-end without his Swimmies on? Oh, it’s his time to sink or swim. Now where was I?

Oh yes, Diane and Robin, the neighborhood welcome wagon. You know, shouldn’t there be a higher ratio of muffins to giggles in such a circumstance? Well, they did somehow find a way to get a Kobe Bryant jersey over to Madrid. And they had some beach towels too, but weren’t able to get those over to Spain. Welcome to America my man. Finally, the thing you’re best at is front and center. Don’t go worrying yourself about that silly soccer stuff. Just keep the circus going, baby! We love you Becks!

It is the Beckham circus MLS has purchased, and I think US Magazine should be chipping in a bit for that 250 mill. The Beckhams, not just Beckham, and how they translate to the United States is the interesting part - and that has very little to do with soccer at this point, but down the line MLS is betting that it will.

This whole hullabaloo speaks to tangential enterprises, just as the 250 million-dollar contract is made more of marketing histograms than game plans. It’s about awareness and attention, even if that comes in the form of images from Galaxy games covered in Wite-Out on perezhilton.com. Will all of that translate at some point into better play on the field, which unfortunately is not always the thing to come of relationships where sports need to consider business practices? I’m very much taking a wait-and-see approach on this. I’ve got my lawn chair, a cool glass of lemonade; let the grand experiment begin.

The only thing for sure is that MLS and the Galaxy’s bottom lines should get a nice bump in the short term. It’s the long term that is the big question mark. He is only one guy and one guy that was never a flashy player beyond the free kick and faux hawk. The movie after all is called Bend It Like Beckham not dribble past four guys at breakneck speed and slip one past the keeper. This is not to question his value as a player, leader, and teacher, especially in a league – no, make that in a country - that could use all of those. I believe he could still contribute on a lot of club teams, not just MLS, but no one needs the circus Beckham brings, except maybe MLS. Down the line, will he make any lasting difference? Will the throngs still come out to watch? Will Thailand be hankering for televised Galaxy games, or will they dismantle the golden statue out front of Pariwas Temple?

Weren’t similar questions being asked when he signed with Real Madrid?

Is he the best player? No, but he is the biggest. Is he in his prime? No, but if anyone’s game translates into a third decade, it might be his. But again, this isn’t about soccer. It’s not about a game. Not yet anyhow. It’s about business. And there’s no business like show business like no business I know. But too, it’s a fickle business, a gamblers paradise, and for a league not even given a first glance when it comes to world club rankings, Beckham at least gets them on the radar. How long MLS stays there, and will it be as a laughing stock or legitimate cog in the international market, we don’t yet know. Let the grand experiment begin.

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With this crazy week, I’ve been remiss in not announcing the winner of the second annual TIAS essay contest. First, and most importantly, thanks to those who entered the contest and took the time to write down their thoughts on a curious 2006. Our winner is 17-year-old Jordan Garcia in Cedar City, Utah. The decisions here are never easy, but I went with Jordan’s piece because besides the X’s and O’s that most everybody touched on, including the multitude of growing pains swirling around American soccer, he dealt with those pains which he had some power over. His own. Jordan wrote:

“Winter 2006, it was the end of the hardwood season in Utah. The lights in the gyms were out; swooshes of the net have passed; the dunks have been slammed, and the state champs crowned. These are typically the lonely months for me. I love basketball as much as soccer. But then in that empty gym, I realize that a couple of buddies of mine are playing indoor soccer. At this point I haven’t given the slightest of thoughts about playing soccer. They spot me, and sooner than I know it I’m playing indoor for the first time since I was a freshman. Sports have a season for me, and this isn’t soccer’s. The ball is passed to me; I give it a flick and the ball whizzes over to my friend; he does the perfect impression of Ronaldo by spinning around the only defender in his way and taps the ball into the 3-foot-by-3-foot goal. At that exact moment I realized that I must get back on the pitch. The game of soccer was re-ignited in me and that was when I knew that I was once again a soccer freak. Just as American soccer has learned a lot this year, I learned that regaining my love for the great sport brought me closer to my friends and gave me more than I would have ever wished for as I get ready for the Spring season. Thanks to an empty gym and some friends, 2006 is turning into a stronger, wiser 2007.”

And we’re already out to fast start.