As an english Man United fan, im disappointed to see Beckham move to the MLS. I think its' a waste of good talent, he could be playing for Real Madrid!! He wants to make the MLS a big sport in the U.S, will it ever happen?
I'm glad that you think Beckham playing for us is a waste. But what in the world compelled you to post that bit of information here? If you look a little bit harder I'm sure you can find the Man U and Real Madrid forums. We happen to be fans of the Galaxy and like the fact that Beckham is coming.
Not as long as people keep thinking that good players coming here are wasting their talent. MLS will never dominate the US the way soccer dominates most other countries, because it came late to the party here and the big three sports (plus a bunch of other sports) have a huge head-start. But the US is a big country and it can find it's place to be a competitive, entertaining league that competes with most of the first divisions in the world. But it's only 12 years old, so you've got to give it some time. I mean, we're still five years away from seeing the first American players joining the league who have never known a time without first division pro soccer in the US. As more and more American kids begin to think of soccer as a sport that can sustain a career, rather than just a recreational activity, I think we'll begin to see our fair share of the elite athletes becoming pro soccer players.
I think it will happen. Not right away, but I think it will. But it won't happen if people think like you have and just keep the status quo. I'm thankful that a handful of talent is starting to make the leap. Real, Manchester, Chelsea, and Milan etc aren't great clubs because their names are magic, they are great clubs because they have the money to buy the talent. Talent lures more talent, but you have to start somewhere. We are on the up, and certainly we don't have the resources to compete with the elite leagues of europe, either with cash or talent pool. But it will come up as more people like David Beckham see the potential rather than just sticking with the obvious choices.
Don't know why I'm responding to this drivel, but here goes. Beckham has already made MLS huge. If you are in England like you say you are (which part by the way?), you've already seen the impact Beckham has had on the league. I was in London in January the day that the Beckham deal was made official. As a Galaxy fan I cannot tell you how surreal it was to see "LA Galaxy" splashed across the headlines of almost every major London newspaper, mentioned on the BBC and Sky Sports, or to hear people talking about the Galaxy in pubs. It seemed like the Galaxy name was everywhere, and, well, it was. Rewind about a year and a half to November of 2005. I'm in England again and the only way I could keep up with the Galaxy's progress in the MLS playoffs was through constant trips to internet cafes. I was in London when I found out that the Galaxy had made the MLS Cup final. When I asked around, trying to find someplace where I could watch a live broadcast of the match, I got quizzical stares from almost everyone, even the staff at Soccer Scene ("The yanks have a football league?"). Most thought I was talking about American football, as in the NFL. No one knew who the Galaxy were, and they didn't care. Now I've got friends in England asking me to buy them Galaxy Beckham jerseys when they become available.
I am Swedish and have been in the US since 2002. I also studied here between '92-96. The MLS might not be like the NFL and probably never will be. However, I am VERY sure that it will be a popular spectator sport...well, it already is. My wife had never seen a soccer game in her life until she went to University. Radford University that we both attended has not football team, but a soccer team (Dante Washington who was on the US national team at the time). Since we live in the US at the moment, I can safely say that most kids growing up in central Virginia will have seen soccer games before they go to college. My sons play soccer, something kids around this very rural area never did in the 80's and even the 90's. My brother was here visiting and was stopped in the mall by some teenage girls who wanted to know were he got his Arsenal jacket from!!! Being Lynchburg, VA, hardly a cultural melting pot, this says quite a bit. I am myself surprised that I have Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV (English language version) as part of my basic cable...and for 15 USD a month I could have Setanta Sports as well. (Not to mention that ESPN2 shows MLS once a week and other soccer as well) The whole idea that Americans does not enjoy soccer is a stereotype....just like that stereotype of Sweden as some kind of over sexed porno country... With Becks and Xavier playing in the MLS will raise the profile of the game. And I support that 100% I just hope they the MLS does not "over-do" the whole "famous slightly older player" thing too much. I think signing guys like Carl Cort of Wolverhampton or Derby's Craig Fagan – not superstars but good solid footballers……but that is a discussion for another time.
You mean Lapland?? Actually, I thought Sweden was filled with Pipi Longstockings (she was hot when I was 10 years old by the way - OK OK she still is)
When the country's immigrant population goes 3 generations out maybe. You will have kids who have grown up knowing nothing but soccer from their parents but they will also be assimilated and pretty much American in how they think. They will follow their hometown team and the rest will be history. Same goes for the non-immigrant kids who play soccer now. They have grown up playing nothing but soccer and some of their parents have as well just with not as much passion as the immigrants. Those kids will have kids of their own and so forth and eventually it will trickle down into what we all dream of. I might be able to see this before i die since im in my early 20's but i dont think many of us on the boards will. morbid
I truly believe MLS will become one of the top 3 or 4 sports in the USA in the coming future. As Brisco County Jr. once said "Its the coming thing". Heres my reason why: MLS has already surpassed NHL in tv viewership and that was before NHL had their strike. With almost every kid in the country already playing soccer, its just a matter of time when the dots get connected and someone figures out the right ways to market MLS properly to attract all these future fans. One big reason MLB does so well is from little league and the prospect a child can be good enough and then potentially earn millions of dollars a year playing baseball. Right now, parents wont invest their hours of training and help if MLS base salaries start under $15,000. I switched from being a varsity pitcher for my HS team to a soccer fan almost overnight when the 1994 MLB strike hit. Although, Eric Karros was a great fan favorite and Dodger player, I'll never forget him crying how he didnt make enough money (already making over $1 mill). Here we slave at our everyday jobs and these baseball players are living their dreams AND getting paid millions and it still was not enough for them? Luckily, the stars aligned and the WC came to town and I was swept into the soccer fury (Although I did play 7 years of AYSO but NEVER considered joining my HS soccer team - weird). Bottom line... when NFL and MLB have their strikes in the future, hundreds of thousands of fans, even millions of fans will *find* MLS and it will be familiar to them since they play or played soccer growing up. Its just all a matter of time folks. We are the pioneers paving the way and its only going to get more exciting!
Its an honour to meet you in cyberspace! Ive actually never been there, just read about all the different places... looks nice though. Ive traveled other parts like Poland, then eastward to Ukraine and Russia, but never as far north as Sweden or Finland.
I think you hit it right there. The evidence of this rests in my 9 year old son, Joey. He is already convinced that he is going to play for the Galaxy. He loves going to the matches, and has attended the player clinics. At FanFest, he went up to Frank Yallop and told him that he was ready to try-out. The conversation went like this: Joey: "Can I try out for the team?" Frank: "What position do you play?" Joey: "Forward" Frank: "Do you score goals?" Joey: "Yep. Lots." Frank: "Well, hopefully we'll see you soon." Joey is now convinced that he is going to play for the team. My point is that you are correct in kids growing up watching and being a fan of 1 team. I called the Galaxy FO one day and asked them if there were any plans of starting a youth system like the ones they have in England now that we are getting sister clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal attaching themselves to MLS teams, and they said that they are looing into it, and that there are a few high school level kids that are currently being looked at. I hope they realize the value that a system like this would bring to the league. It will be fun to watch as the next few years go by. And who knows, one day Joey may very well get his wish. Have a nice day. Don
*sigh* Perhaps this would have been better discussed in the MLS General topic forum? *sigh* Whatever.
sorry topper. anyway, i don't read that forum. you gotta love the fact that he associates the MLS with the Galaxy first. i think that a good many in the world do the same thing. and that's a good thing, right? have a nice day. Don
What a fantastic story, thanks for sharing it. But I must spread reputation around first, blah, blah, blah. My response to the subject of this thread is that "ever" is a long time.