So far, it has been a pretty good year for Southern California sports.
The Angels and Dodgers are both playing well, Anaheim has become one of the hottest places on Earth to bring home a title for a sport played on ice, and if you’re a Bruin, the school year has been filled with Final Fours, victories over USC, and a landmark national championship.
But something is about to happen that, in my opinion, really puts the icing on the cake: David Beckham will begin his five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 1. It’s only weeks away.
When the announcement was first made, many were jubilant in the realization that potentially soccer’s biggest name in the past 10 years will be coming to SoCal. Forget his skills as a soccer player; Beckham brings popularity and marketing power to a lackluster MLS franchise that most people seem to have forgotten about.
He was seen as just a scrape-off, like the Galaxy are getting Real Madrid’s leftovers, but the conclusion was, “Hey, at least he brings some attention.”
Now, the situation is entirely different.
The day after England was eliminated from the 2006 World Cup by Portugal, Becks resigned as captain of the English side. Only a little later, new England coach Steve McClaren dropped Beckham from the national team altogether, sighting the need to go in a new direction with younger blood. The move was shocking; Beckham was seen as untouchable and invaluable under former England coach Sven Goran-Eriksson.
It seems now that the situation couldn’t have played out better for Beckham. Instead of wallowing in sorrow and self-pity, he made a statement saying he intended to work as hard as he could to get back on the team. He has done just that. Not showing any signs of aging, Beckham has played some of the best soccer of his life in the past few months, leading McClaren to recall him to England’s squad.
Then all his critics were silenced for good. In an international friendly against powerhouse Brazil, Beckham took a marvelous free kick outside the right corner of the box and connected with captain John Terry for a header past the Brazilian goalkeeper. It was a beautiful sight.
So now, not only does David Beckham bring the marketing and attention that everyone was previously excited about, but he might actually bring some talent, too. His free kicks are still quite possibly the best in the world, and considering how many goals are scored off free kicks, this could really work out. The Galaxy could be the next Southern California team to become a dynasty and bring home some titles.
Even beyond that, in the wake of Beckham’s European departure, rumors have floated about others following in his footsteps. Portuguese defender Abel Xavier will be in Los Angeles next year playing alongside Beckham. French phenom Zinedine Zidane had been rumored for awhile to come out of retirement and play in Los Angeles for a few years.
Yea these guys may be a bit old, but they’re good. Better than who’s starting for the Galaxy right now.
This could be the beginning of something big. It’ll start with Beckham, but if the trend continues, we could see every famous soccer player in the world come to America to live out their final professional years. And after that, maybe famous younger soccer players will come to the U.S. to play alongside the emerging local talent. The MLS would no longer be the laughingstock of the professional sports world; they could actually be legit.
OK, so I’m getting ahead of myself and that’s far in the future. Even then, I may be one of the few people who really even care about Beckham’s impact in America and on international soccer itself (hopefully not). But no matter what your opinion is on the sport, it’s going to be pretty cool watching one of the world’s best at the Home Depot Center next year. I implore you to welcome him and prepare for what is soon to come.
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
E-mail Wenzel at
awenzel@media.ucla.edu.