One day soon David Beckham will become Sir David Beckham. He has been the most influential English sports figure both on and off the field since the late great Bobby Moore. Bobby was never knighted – a national disgrace in my view. Now Beckham faces one of his biggest challenges on Sunday in the final of the Major League Soccer Championship.
He once again will be the main attraction in what many people believe will be the rebirth of domestic soccer in the United States.
The “Beckham Experiment” had the worst possible start when he arrived in the USA with an ankle injury, which kept him out of many early games, which the Galaxy lost.
He was constantly in the media and appeared on every worthwhile national TV and radio show that was available to him and the LA execs. It has been reported that Beckham has earned twice as much this year in endorsements and sponsorship than projected at the start of his five year $250 million contract.
More alarmingly to the supporters was that he traveled thousands of miles to sit on the England bench as his new US teammates struggled to make the playoffs. England coach Capello had mandated that if Becks wanted to be in the 2010 World Cup squad he HAD to be playing in Europe. It all came to a head earlier this season when upon his return from AC Milan, where he had a brilliant season, he was booed mercilessly by the ‘riot squad’ – the USA equivalent of ’Combat 19′.
Hundred of signs and effigies were in evidence at the games. Throughout his career, Beckham has always acted with dignity and character but this was all too much and during a particular poor performance he climbed over the sponsors billboards and charged at a section of fans screaming obscenities.
US star forward and Galaxy captain Landon Donovan had said openly that Beckham was great for the exposure he brought to US soccer but was an ordinary player for Galaxy.
Soccer in the USA had taken a huge dip following the collapse of the NASL (North American Soccer League) in the mid 80’s. It came back with flying colours in 1994 to host, which many people claim, the best organised and successful World Cup of all time, averaging around 60,000 fans per game! The USA national team, with many of its stars playing in Europe is now consistently a top 20 country.
The MLS rose from the ashes of the NASL and slowly it has grown and is respected. Will Sunday’s game, watched by millions around the world, springboard American soccer onto the world stage? If it does, it appears, they only have one man to thank. Sir “Golden Balls”.
Rodney Marsh is one of the most charismatic and entertaining players to have graced English football. He played more than 400 games and scored over 150 goals during a career at Fulham, Queen’s Park Rangers, Manchester City and Fulham which saw him win nine England caps. He was also one of the early pioneers of English players to carve out a name for himself in the United States, scoring 41 goals in 87 appearances for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Marsh is now a popular and respected pundit who will be writing regularly for insideworldfootball.