| The usual morning haze will be starting to burn off | | | | going to look like," said the club's general manager, |
| when David Beckham strides out on to the turf at | | | | Alexi Lalas, after the unveiling of a new strip, all white |
| the Home Depot Center today to be unveiled as the | | | | and reminiscent of Real Madrid, this week to tap into |
| glamorous new face of Major League Soccer. Not | | | | Beckham's arrival. |
| since Pele graced the long defunct New York | | | | "MLS has never seen 70,000 people, the Red Bulls in |
| Cosmos in the 1970s has the game across the pond | | | | New York average 10,000 at the moment and I don't |
| boasted a name this glitzy. Yet, while LA Galaxy | | | | think Beckham alone can change all that," said |
| rejoice in their coup, the prevailing sense is that the | | | | Chinaglia, who scored 242 goals in his 254 games in |
| entire domestic league is holding its breath to witness | | | | the NASL. "If they really paid $250m to recruits, then |
| 'the Beckham effect' and gauge whether he can | | | | lots more stars would come but that's not the real |
| change the face of football in the United States. | | | | figure. Good stars will only come here when their |
| The former England captain's image stared out from | | | | careers are over. When Pele came here he played |
| the front cover of Sports Illustrated this week, the | | | | just three years but the Cosmos only started getting |
| first British sportsman to claim that honor since Ian | | | | big crowds after he left when we had Franz |
| Woosman in 1991, with the six-page article including | | | | Beckenbauer, Johan Neeskens, Carlos Alberto and |
| one particular admission of note from the 32-year-old. | | | | myself. |
| "This is not a big brand thing," he said, reflecting the | | | | "We had more than one great player and 16 different |
| cynicism which greeted confirmation that he was | | | | nationalities. Chicago have got Cuauhtémoc |
| leaving the Bernabéu for league games at | | | | Blanco, the Mexico international, but you need at |
| venues such as Dallas' Pizza Hut Park. "It's about me | | | | least 50 players of that character. Besides, Pele and |
| being the ambassador for MLS. If I can make people | | | | Maradona could dribble and score goals but David is a |
| more aware and make kids realize that you can go | | | | great player but doesn't score many goals, so it |
| into higher levels and make a great living from playing | | | | won't be easy for him. He's almost a special team |
| soccer, that's what I'm going over there to do." | | | | player, like an American football player. But Galaxy |
| Yet, despite the league, in its 12th year, being set to | | | | are not a great team and they are struggling." |
| expand from 13 to 16 teams by 2010 and there | | | | The Galaxy may be one of the most successful clubs |
| being 42m Hispanics in the United States, many of | | | | in the league but they have been on decline since |
| whose allegiances lie with soccer rather than more | | | | 2006 and languish second bottom of the Western |
| traditional American sports, doubts persist as to | | | | standings at present with only three wins all season. |
| whether Beckham's arrival can truly inspire a lasting | | | | The management staff instigated something of a |
| interest in the game here and raise it to the next | | | | mid-season reshuffle with Beckham one of a quintet |
| level. | | | | of new faces in Carson City. Yet results will have to |
| "He is the first big superstar to come to the States | | | | improve from now on in. "It's strange to see so |
| and the MLS and I hope to God other players do | | | | many new faces coming in and to see people leaving |
| come," said the former Italy international Giorgio | | | | too," said the US international Landon Donovan, the |
| Chinaglia, who was capped 14 times by his country, | | | | team's previous star performer. "But we had to do |
| featured at the 1974 World Cup finals, moved to the | | | | something. |
| North American Soccer League in 1976 and played | | | | "If we go out there and embarrass ourselves |
| alongside Pele at the Cosmos. "But one great player | | | | [because] our players are a bunch of individuals who |
| cannot revolutionize the sport. The league has to | | | | don't work together, this whole thing goes up in |
| change its way of thinking. | | | | smoke," said Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, which |
| "They are trying to say Becks is like Pele but I'm just | | | | owns the Galaxy. While Beckham may have set his |
| waiting to see what he's like when he plays. First of | | | | sights on helping the long-term development of the |
| all the salary is not $250m (£120m) [over five | | | | game in the United States, the short-term, and his |
| years]. It's $5.9m for playing and he has deals on the | | | | ability to transform this club's slapdash season, is key |
| side for so many shirts and other things because | | | | to whether any of his objectives are met. The |
| soccer in the US at the moment, as far as television | | | | Galaxy boast 11,000 season ticket holders for their |
| is concerned, has no ratings and it's very difficult to | | | | 27,000 seats and they expect average attendances |
| sell merchandise." | | | | to edge nearer capacity with Beckham in their ranks. |
| LA Galaxy disagree. "We're already well over a | | | | The new arrival has a reputation to justify in the |
| quarter of a million units [replica shirts] that were | | | | months ahead. |
| ordered, without knowledge of what they were | | | | |