David Beckham - Let AC Milan have him

The L.A. Galaxy. A team that has ascribed to greatness with the addition of David Beckham. And yet the team has done an unremarkable bit of use of Beckham.



In 2008 Beckham scored 5 goals, in 2248 minutes. He had 1 game winning goal and 1 goal assist. He made 12 shots on goal for the season. In 25 matches that’s pretty poor for one of the top players in the world. Honestly Landon Donovan, a good player but nowhere near the top of the world, who played the same number of matches, had 20 goals from 65 shots on goal – given he is a forward. Still I would expect more from the caliber of player that Beckham is at.

The question though is this the fault of Beckham or the L.A. Galaxy? I would have to think it is partially both. Otherwise AC Milan would not have interest.

Partially one would have to believe that David Beckham is playing far below his potential. Now that could be due to coaches, teammates, or the lack of gratification from the country in general. And the last part is very important. Beckham is used to being a major sports athlete, a hero among the masses, and a headline grabber.

In America, soccer is lucky to grab 3rd place above NASCAR in local news let alone ever being mentioned nationally. So even in the most phenomenal match, using all his skill, he would barely be noticed outside of the fanbase locally. That has to be demoralizing to some extent.

On the other end, L.A.Galaxy is hardly the equal of AC Milan, or Manchester United. The level of play is severely diminished. It’s just not as intense. It’s like Tiger Woods playing against amateurs in the British Open; he would be bored of the competition on day one.

So should Beckham play in Italy? Should we lose him to preserve his spirit? Can American futbol improve without him?

Again I blame them both. Beckham is a world class player, and as such should be stellar in every match. He should be motivating the team and helping to propel them to a winning streak they have not had before. And he should be speaking to the masses, ABOUT SOCEER, at every opportunity.

Show Beckham in a US ad, have a soccer ball with him. Speaking at a red carpet event, talk about soccer. Doing something for charity, you get the point.

And the Galaxy should be lining up his time with events where he can talk about this. They need to get him in front of reporters every chance they get. And in L.A. it’s not that hard to find a reporter. Or paparazzi.

I am underwhelmed by the performance of Beckham. I had such high hopes of what he could bring to the Galaxy and the MLS. But neither have happened. So let him go.

Soccer in America can only grow if we nurture it. Given the competition for eyeballs in the nation, that means a battle. But I think soccer can win, if the teams and players work the system. There is a reason why this game is so big across the world, and if Beckham spent more time displaying that rather planning his next move America would understand it just that much more.

World Cup Qualifier: USA vs. Cuba in Cuba

The qualifying round of the next World Cup are currently on-going. The U.S. team has started of well with a win versus Guatemala, though it was a mere 1 – 0 score.



But the next challenge to Team USA is perhaps the most steeped in the unknown.

On Saturday, the U.S. will be facing Cuba. Now in general that is not such a daunting task. History of games versus Cuba bode well for the U.S. There have been 5 wins and 1 tie in this match-up. But there is one big difference this time. The U.S. is playing in Cuba.

That one difference adds a lot of intrigue to a game that should be won by America. What are the local Cuban fans going to do when we take the field? How will the mood of the game be? Will the players be allowed to speak to each other prior to the game? Will the American players be allowed out of their hotel, or left to feel trapped inside like prisoners?

And of course there is the big issue that is beyond sports or politics, the effects of Hurricane Gustav – which hit Cuba several days before devastating New Orleans. Not to mention the impending onset of yet another hurricane possibly in the next week.

The experiences of Landon Donovan against Cuba may give us some insight

“They've always been nice and respectful when we've played them," he said. "I don't expect there to be an issue.”

And

“Yeah, we should beat Cuba in Cuba. If Trinidad beats Cuba in Cuba, we should win.”

Now is this accurate? Well only time will tell. The only other time that a U.S. soccer team has set foot on Cuban soil for a match was back in 1947 for a friendly game. The U.S. lost that match 5 – 2.

On Saturday we will get to see if history will repeat itself 51 years later, or if this match will have the chance to rise even above futbol and the World Cup and make a statement about the human spirit overcoming disasters like Hurricane Gustav. For me, if it becomes the latter then I don’t care if the game is a tie (ok honestly it wouldn’t matter if we lose either, but I want to see them win).