Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Why Becks Should Stay in Milan
For those of you that don't follow football (soccer as we Yanks call it), you might not realize the large quality gap that exists between our league in the States and those across the pond. In most sports, America's leagues are of the utmost quality. Nobody hopes to play baseball in Panama, or chase hope dreams in Greece. They come to the States to partake in the Major Leagues and the NBA. Football is different. Major League Soccer (MLS) is sort of the joke of the football world. It's sad really. It would be great to have a high quality and ultra competitive football league in America. The MLS certainly means well, however it just has not been able to attract the sort of star power to lend it any real credibility. There was a brief period of hope a couple of years ago when David Beckham came to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Even those of you that don't follow football are well aware of who David Beckham is. He's a superstar, one of the most recognizable figures on planet Earth. If for nothing else, you know him as the husband of Posh Spice. Yeah, that guy. At the beginning of the month, Becks (as the English call him) went to AC Milan (one of the most storied clubs in Serie A, and European football itself, for that matter) on a two month loan from Galaxy*. Since then Beckham has turned heads with his play and style on the pitch. While at the age of 33, he's certainly lost a step, he's still a dominating presence and one of the most talented players around. Last weekend against Bologna, he scored his first goal in a 4-1 win. Now, Beckham is torn on what to do next. He's under contract with LA Galaxy, but he's been enjoying the level of play in Serie A. Moreover, as stated in the article, Beckham is one cap (an international apperance) away from tying the record for England. Fabio Capello, the current manager of the English National Team, is known for doubting the quality of the MLS, and Beckham very much wants to remain on the English squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At this juncture, it appears that Becks is leaning towards staying with Milan past his two month loan. I say he should. Who can really blame the guy? The MLS just does not provide the level of competition necessary for top flight players. Beckham should stay in Italy where he has a fighting chance of defending his spot on the English International squad and he can improve his game against some of the best players in the world.
Hopefully, someday MLS will have its day in the sun. I think it's definitely possible, since soccer is gaining popularity in the United States. At the end of the day it's going to come down to money. Somebody much more wealthy than I am is going to have to make a risky investment and lure top flight players over from Europe to play for a club in the States. There's already rumors that Thierry Henry is considering a move to the MLS in the next couple of years. As long as the star power is there, the revenue will follow. America loves a hero, we just need to develop our own, or steal one from Europe.
*Football transactions in Europe are much different than the types of trades and signings we are used to in American sports. In Europe players are often "transferred" or put out on "loan" to another club. A transfer is like a trade, where the player goes to another club, but instead of another player in return, the club that is giving up the player usually gets a substantial monetary reward. A loan is where a player is temporarily given to another club, but the club that gave up the player still retains rights to them, and can recall them at any time. Young players are often put out on loan to other clubs so they can develop instead of languishing on the bench.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user CLF January 12, 2009
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