They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well what if that old dog’s tricks are working just fine? Enter David Beckham. Beckham is 34 years old, a father, and international superstar. So why continue? Look we can all safely say that his MLS experiment was a failure. Beckham came to the U.S. seeking to change the landscape of soccer. However this was doomed from the start. Americans want goals, crazy shots, fast play, and tricks (A+B Right stick up) that only can be done in video games. That is not Beckham’s game. Beckham throughout his career has been a provider, a setup man.
When he came to the MLS people looked at the move thinking Beckham would run circles around the MLS players and put up record numbers. This was not the case as it is not what Beckham does. Put him as a support player surrounded by both equal physical and mental talent and you will have one of the top link-men in the world. Take David Beckham and make him your go-to guy and you are asking for trouble. This is what the L.A. Galaxy did and it showed on the field. Beckham was terrible in the MLS. Most said he was just too old and his time was over.
Then came his loan move to AC Milan. Milan is a five-star club with world-class talent and one of the most loyal fan bases in the world. Suddenly Beckham was surrounded with players who can pass, finish, and read the game at his speed. Through those couple months Beckham was by far AC Milan’s best player. He was the missing link, spraying crosses into the box for Milan’s strikers to put the final touch on. That simply is Beckham, a support player. Sure he is known for his free kicks, but his long passing and crossing is where he makes his money. Now you may not know soccer, but surely you can see the issue. If Beckham has no one to cross the ball too, well then what’s the point? If you took Peyton Manning and put him on the Berlin Thunder his numbers would go down. As good as Manning is, he is also working with world-class players and that makes a big difference. AC Milan is just that, a club full of world-class players in a top soccer league.
It seemed that he had settled in Milan and it became clear he wanted to stay in Italy. However AC Milan and L.A. Galaxy could not come to an agreement on the transfer fee for Beckham forcing a return to the MLS. This created a very tense situation, as many of the Galaxy players did not want Beckham back questioning his desire to be there. I understand why the Galaxy players became upset, however you cannot blame Beckham for wanting to leave. After playing in the MLS, lets face it a lower class league. Beck’s got the taste of top-level soccer again and had the chance to show he still had something to give to the game. I believe Beckham can still play at the top level, but he can’t carry a team and this was the problem from the start.
Well here we are again, the MLS season is coming to a close and Beckham appears to be on his way back to Milan on loan. I understand how this makes Beckham look like the bad guy, taking all that money for something that we, as well as him, knew was doomed to fail before it started. However I am really hoping the Galaxy let him go for good this time. Just let it go, please MLS and L.A. Galaxy do not drag out another long awkward saga, will he? wont he? Sure MLS want to save face, but at some point you have to move on, cut your losses. It will look bad at first, embarrassing even. Losing all that money and having to admit to the American sports media “you were right” will be a punch to the gut. Sometimes you fail, but you move on and for the MLS its time to move on.
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