Beckham and Galaxy need to win the MLS Cup
David Beckham in all probability will play his last game for LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final on Sunday night against Houston Dynamo. Galaxy’s Home Depot Center had already been pre-chosen as the venue for the final and in my mind Galaxy and Beckham need to win the game to justify the progress of professional soccer in the USA.
Sounds ridiculous I know and I would normally not say such nonsense but Galaxy have been the best MLS team for the past two seasons yet Beckham and co and have yet to lift the major trophy in American soccer.
Only twice since 2000 has the ‘best team’ won the end of season finale, which the media (and the MLS) pronounce as the championship title. Columbus Crew were the last team to win the Supporters Shield given to the team with the best overall season record and the MLS Cup. That was in 2008 and Columbus dominated in that period as did DC United for a couple of seasons before that.
However in the last two seasons LA Galaxy have finished the 34-game season with the best record (they were 2nd the season previous) but have failed miserably in the end of season play-offs.
Calls for a national single league, now 18 teams strong, and thus an eventual league winner have gone unheralded by the MLS, who worry that it would deter American sports fans from following their local(ish) teams. The American sports fan’s psyche is like no other remember and fans well and truly believe that their team, in whichever sport, start every season with a chance of winning silverware, and at the very least are in with a big shout of an extended season via the play-offs.
Following a Fulham or a Sunderland would hold no value for an American fan and with no relegation, it is all about being the winner, which might explain that there are so many ridiculous side trophies up for grabs. I’ll give you the Coffee Pot Cup and the Texas Derby to name just two.
If Galaxy beat Houston Dynamo tonight it will be a fitting finale for Beckham and provide a huge boost for the sport in a land where soccer has never been king. Whatever you think of him, you cannot deny his real love of playing the game and few thought that when he signed his 5-year deal in 2007 that he would see it out.
Beckham is still a crowd pleaser and without doubt, although not quite to the same initial degree, he still adds bums to seats wherever he plays. Why do you think the GB Olympic team are talking up his chances of playing next summer?
Beckham has had a record season for assists (15) and has an eye on returning to Europe, preferably the Premier League. No doubt he still feels he could feature in the European Championships, although I would say that is unlikely but a chance to champion the 2012 London Olympics would mean an awful lot to him.
Beckham has been good for the growth of soccer in America despite the cynics and naysayers. Without his influence I wonder if Thierry Henry, Torsten Frings, Robbie Keane and others would have come to America to play? Would new stadiums have been built and would NBC have taken so much as a sideways glance?
There will be a full house in Carson, California tonight, but if Houston win the game, news of it will only fill a few lines of tomorrow and Monday’s national papers but if David Beckham is photographed holding aloft the trophy, well that will be big front page news and every sports fan will be talking about it and not just in the USA but around the globe.
It is as simple as that. Sorry Houston but there can be only one winner tonight if the MLS and soccer in America is to continue to progress.
Whilst on the subject of the MLS I’d like to recommend a blog written by fellow Charlton fan Jimmy Stone, called Football Not Soccer, who has followed the MLS season with some erudite and witty posts. Take a look.
I think the real shame about Beckham’s time in America is that I think he thought he had finished at the top level, and I’m confident that he could have played at the top level in one of the major European leagues for much of his time in LA.
Sure it would have been a great time for him and his family, but I wonder if he could have achieved more in recognised football had he stayed this side of the pond.
He, as you say, really, really needs to win this trophy tonight, and I hope he does.
Very true KH. I remember watching some of his early games and it was reminiscence of when we had Allan Simonsen, and in fact it has taken Galaxy 3 years to work out he could best make them title contenders.
He certainly didn’t move for the money but he has further globalized his brand and I imagine his missus has enjoyed it. Hopefully we will see him in the Premier again.
Houston has, quite simply, nothing to lose tonight. Should be a good match.
In regards to a European league system here in America, the infrastructure’s just not there yet. Reading places like BigSoccer, where this fact is willingly ignored by many who look longingly at the European system, can be very frustrating.
Had they started out with a planned multi-division setup (which was batted around in 1988-89 by the USSF), it may have been different. But with the failures of the NASL on everyone’s mind, starting small and working up to a 20-24 team league made much more sense. Perhaps when there are 30 cities that can legitimately support soccer in the US, a second division can be a reality.
That said, I just don’t think you’ll ever see playoffs go away in US soccer, much like they’ll never be implemented in Europe. When I lived in London, I’d have spirited debates about playoffs/no playoffs with friends, and it simply came down to what format we were used to.
Thanks for commenting Jim.
I agree on the cost implications and the geography.
Do you think with a two division system the MLS will entertain relegation?
No problem. Big fan of the blog.
Depends on what size the second division is. If we’re talking a MLS2 of say, 8-10 teams, then no. If you take the best of the (new) NASL and USL, start with 16 teams or so, then sure.
Starting relegation is going to be a bit of a mess to begin with, as you have companies like Red Bull sinking serious money into MLS. They’re not going to like the possibility of their $40m-plus investment going head to head with Carolina after a particularly bad year. I would assume that if it actually happens, there will be a lead time of a few years for everyone to prepare.
But that’s kind of a pipe dream at the moment, since North American soccer is fairly unstable underneath MLS. You’ve talked about the USL team in Bermuda. I happen to be in Rochester (NY) and we nearly lost the franchise a few years ago, despite winning a bunch of trophies and being MLS’ bridesmaid a few times.