Is Beckham making the right decision by delaying his move to America?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around David Beckham's decision to delay his move to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States to pursue one last trophy with Real Madrid. Participants explore the implications of this decision on his career, the perception of soccer in America, and the potential impact on the MLS.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express admiration for Beckham's desire to win a trophy with Real Madrid before moving to the Galaxy, viewing it as a sign of commitment to his current team.
  • Others criticize Beckham's decision, suggesting it reflects poorly on his career trajectory and labeling his move to MLS as akin to "semi-retirement."
  • There are mixed feelings about the impact of Beckham's move on the perception of soccer in the U.S., with some arguing it could elevate the sport's profile, while others dismiss it as a marketing gimmick.
  • Several participants express frustration over the terminology used, particularly the use of "soccer" instead of "football," indicating a cultural divide in the understanding of the sport.
  • Discussion includes speculation about the financial aspects of Beckham's contract and the potential for other high-profile players to join MLS, raising questions about the league's financial viability.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus; there are competing views on Beckham's decision, its implications for his career, and the broader impact on soccer in America. Some see it as a positive move for the sport, while others view it negatively.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying opinions on Beckham's legacy, the state of soccer in the U.S., and the financial sustainability of MLS in attracting high-profile players.

Who May Find This Useful

Fans of soccer, followers of David Beckham's career, and those interested in the development of Major League Soccer may find this discussion relevant.

  • #31
cristo said:
That's a rather clever clause! So, I guess every team will now go searching for a "veteran" to rival Beckham. Hands off Larsson.. he's ours! :wink:

It is pricisely what is happening and you'll see in the next few years some very big signings.
 
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  • #32
Dont underrate your players. David isn't *that* good...
 
  • #33
Anttech said:
Larsson? He's mine and always will be :) (Celtic fan) go the hooops

Haha, fair enough, you can take that one! He is an amazing player though, and just fits into any team so well! Just hope we can keep him to help us win the treble again :cool:
 
  • #34
Yes I agree, one of the best strikers ever.

It is pricisely what is happening and you'll see in the next few years some very big signings.
Per Quality, or per Famous?

Lets hope Quality for your sake...
 
  • #35
Anttech said:
Dont underrate your players. David isn't *that* good...

There are "some" very good players in MLS, but as a whole the league is still third rate. With most teams on par with mid-bottom table English Championship league teams. a lot of what needs updating in MLS is actually the coaching.
 
  • #36
Anttech said:
Yes I agree, one of the best strikers ever.

Per Quality, or per Famous?

Lets hope Quality for your sake...

Lets be honest, mostly famous, but with still good years. The MLS doesn't really want or need lots of huge stars coming over here. We want a sprinkling of stars surrounding and helping develop our homegrown talents. Quality needs to be grown in the states, not bought, it's the only way soccer will survive here.
 
  • #37
IMHO.. You need to have decent to good career footballers, to up the level of the game ... Stars will help get more interest, but quality is what fans will come back for...

If you have a good grass roots, and league structure, the level of your home grown talent will increase
 
  • #38
Anttech said:
IMHO.. You need to have decent to good career footballers, to up the level of the game ... Stars will help get more interest, but quality is what fans will come back for...

If you have a good grass roots, and league structure, the level of your home grown talent will increase

Absolutely, right now MLS has decided it's in need of a publicly boost to gain interest and talent. Kids all over the country are thrilled about the fantasy of playing with Beckham and will be practicing all day outside with a ball.
 
  • #39
Funny thing is, I once was on a plane with the LA Galaxy football team who had just played Utah, this was a few years ago, I was getting the hell out of SLC to go to LA... They were all sitting in *coach* with me... I didnt recognise any of them.. I wonder where this injection of cash is coming from, that they can afford salleries and transfer sums for the likes of beckham... I certainly never would have sat in the same 'plane' with Real or Man U...
 
  • #40
Anttech said:
Funny thing is, I once was on a plane with the LA Galaxy football team who had just played Utah, this was a few years ago, I was getting the hell out of SLC to go to LA... They were all sitting in *coach* with me... I didnt recognise any of them.. I wonder where this injection of cash is coming from, that they can afford salleries and transfer sums for the likes of beckham... I certainly never would have sat in the same 'plane' with Real or Man U...

Most of the money is coming from endorsers.
 
  • #41
which is good for the game... who knows, Association-Football may one day overtake Amer-Football in the states... ;) I sure hope so
 
  • #42
Anttech said:
IMHO.. You need to have decent to good career footballers, to up the level of the game ... Stars will help get more interest, but quality is what fans will come back for...

If you have a good grass roots, and league structure, the level of your home grown talent will increase

Won't happen in the US. When the http://www.soccertimes.com/wagman/1998/sep01.htm (Carlos Queiroz's report on what needed to happen for the US to be a World Cup contender by 2010) came out several years ago, soccer parents (the ones that pay the bills for soccer development in the US) went ballistic.

In the US, soccer runs on two different tiers: immigrants with a cultural history of soccer and middle class families. Adult leagues have a lot of players of foreign ancestry playing the game. The youth leagues are almost entirely white middle class families.

The middle class families pouring money into youth soccer pay a lot of the bills for USSF and virtually none of them see their kids not only bypassing college, but dropping out of high school in hopes of becoming a sports star. Of course, all of them envisioned their own kids leading the US to World Cup victory in 2010 - it's just Queiroz's opinion of what it would take to develop top notch players in the US that they disagreed with.

The US won't develop the home grown talent to fill out a league. At best, it might turn out a star every two or three decades and maybe five or six 'career footballers' per decade capable of earning a spot on a real team.

Until US colleges are willing to go on NCAA probation to stock their soccer team with players with 6th grade reading levels, there will never be a quality league in the US.
 
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  • #43
BobG said:
The US won't develop the home grown talent to fill out a league. At best, it might turn out a star every two or three decades and maybe five or six 'career footballers' per decade capable of earning a spot on a real team.

Hey Bob, I could name you atleast 20 Americans off the top of my head playing overseas on "real" teams. US soccer is still a long way away, but you are vastly underestimating.
 
  • #44
Clausius2 said:
I have to say for almost everybody with a couple of neurons in Spain this guy is a kind of "animal de feria" (a freak) in & out of a soccer field. He does not know how to play, he is fed by the stupidity of some teenagers (specially girls) that love him and also by the lack of common sense of the 50-60's population without any educational formation that btw is driving spain towards the ruin. Personally I think he is a dolly and he never will be representative of the good soccer, specially he will never be representative of the sportive part of the legendary Real Madrid, and he is much worse by far than Lineker. I think this guy is one example of how Marketing theory can exhibit a **** in front of you and make you believe that it's a diamond.

Totally agree; it's about time they change their policy, although Beckham is not a bad player at all. Not to mention by the way you talk about the "legendary Real Madrid" I can deduce without a smidgen of doubt you are a merengue :P

Barça will never be thankful enough to Real Madrid for taking Beckham and all their court of gallactics.

- A.
 
  • #45
specially he will never be representative of the sportive part of the legendary Real Madrid, and he is much worse by far than Lineker.
Lineker? Lineker and Beckham are completely different football players, Lineker was an out and out striker, Beckham is a Midfield playmaker. In his hay day for Man U he was an exceptional player. I don't rate him now at all, but he was good. Real are a load of twaddle anyway, personally we could do without teams like that... IMHO :wink:
 
  • #46
Isn't it possible for a player to regain their form? A change of scenery can do some good.
 
  • #47
A friend of my cousin's that plays for my old high school is supposed to be getting a look from the Galaxy. I've never seen the guy play, but some kind of local connection like that would be more likely to get me into the league than Beckham being signed. Still, I understand I'm not the target demographic here. US sports are very star driven, and having a recognizable name will go a very long way toward establishing league credibility. Hell, they're talking about him on a Clippers broadcast right now.

As of now, I'm way more interested in watching non-pro games. My university was robbed of an NCAA bid this past season.
 
  • #48
Capello is nagged with Becks and has declared that he won't play again for Real Mandrill, so he will be fresh as a daisy when he arrives in LA
 
  • #49
meteor said:
Capello is nagged with Becks and has declared that he won't play again for Real Mandrill, so he will be fresh as a daisy when he arrives in LA

Well, that, or he'll be severely lacking match practice!
 
  • #50
US sports are very star driven, and having a recognizable name will go a very long way toward establishing league credibility.
Perhaps domestic credibility, but I think that is what you were inferring, but not international...
 
  • #51
Anttech said:
Perhaps domestic credibility, but I think that is what you were inferring, but not international...

The US isn't going to get international credibility in soccer until soccer has national credibility.
 
  • #52
It sounds to me like they are hoping to attract new fans and thereby more advertising money.
 
  • #53
Anttech said:
Perhaps domestic credibility, but I think that is what you were inferring, but not international...

Credibility meaning it will attract the attention of domestic television markets and endorsement contracts. I don't think they necessarily care that they can compete with leagues worldwide. They're concerned about competing with MLB, the NBA, and the NFL. Attracting fans is the first step.
 
  • #54
Greg Bernhardt said:
Whether or not you like him as a player, this will do wonders for MLS. The marketing potential is massive. MLS will actually be on espn and in the news. Now it is rumored the brazilian Ronaldo might goto NY Red Bulls and Edgar Davids to FC Dallas.

side note: Excited to see Clint Dempsey play for Fulham!
The Americans playing in the premiership are much better than the guys the rest of the world is sending to the US.

Ronaldo - to quote the bbc during the last world cup: "A fat penguin".

Davids - one of the most overrated players ever. Sticks his head down, charges with the ball, step on the ball, cries about it.
 
  • #55
J77 said:
The Americans playing in the premiership are much better than the guys the rest of the world is sending to the US.

Ronaldo - to quote the bbc during the last world cup: "A fat penguin".

Davids - one of the most overrated players ever. Sticks his head down, charges with the ball, step on the ball, cries about it.

:smile: fat penguin, not quite but I can see where he's coming from.

I personally think the US needs to export more players as well as growing home grown talent, it also needs some sort of competition like the European cup(or do they already have something like this?) England had to sit out of the European game for years and it seriously damaged our talent. Playing at a different level could only strengthen the teams there, and the world cups only once every four years.
 
  • #56
J77 said:
The Americans playing in the premiership are much better than the guys the rest of the world is sending to the US.

Ronaldo - to quote the bbc during the last world cup: "A fat penguin".

Davids - one of the most overrated players ever. Sticks his head down, charges with the ball, step on the ball, cries about it.

Well, I wonder if there is any US player better than Ronaldo in his good times with F. C. Barcelona (the last Champions League winner, and probably the best football team actually).

Take it easy:
 
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  • #57
Davids - one of the most overrated players ever. Sticks his head down, charges with the ball, step on the ball, cries about it.

One doesn't play for:

Ajax, Juventus and FC Barcelona, if one is overrated. He is way past his prime, but *was* (Once apon a time, many moons ago) a good player, very aggressive...
 
  • #58
Anttech said:
One doesn't play for:

Ajax, Juventus and FC Barcelona, if one is overrated. He is way past his prime, but *was* (Once apon a time, many moons ago) a good player, very aggressive...
His whiney attitude held the Dutch back, every time.

OK - he was a fairly good player while at Juve; Ajax? not one of the consistently best in the world; Barca - they play some nice football, I'd like to see them week-in-week-out playing the likes of Che$ki, ManUre and the Arse tho'
 

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