goal.com— Former MLS commissioner and present Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis doesn't believe David Beckham is key to the future of football in the United States.
Feb 25, 2009View in Crawl 4
At the rate Beckham is going he's not going to have anywhere to go. He can only do so much on the Galaxy and I haven't seen him do much on AC. It's ironic that Donovan, the most vocal about Beckham going on loan to AC, is now playing for FC Bayern on loan. And he hasn't done s**t either. Regardless of "Star Power" I think the MLS will do just fine. They keep expanding. And being a Columbus Crew fan it's evident to see there's plenty of talent in the pool that the MLS doesn't need Beckham to make the sport more high profile. Last game I attended at Crew stadium there was over 17k ppl in attendance. And they weren't playing the Galaxy and it was earlier in the season before they were poised for the Cup. Forget about Beckham.... Galaxy needs a better coaching staff and team before they become a bigger laughing stock.
I'm hoping that's the case with the new coach. Attendance was less than stellar in the beginning of the season but they were close and over 10k for most of the first part of the season. When they Cup bound they were getting record crowds over 20k. And our starting line up looks familiar. I just hope they can continue their momentum into this season. I'm nervous to say the least. But we were the first soccer specific stadium in the country and they've drawn consistent crowds more in the last few years than past. I've been going since 1996. Those games were PAINFUL to watch back then. Sigi did a good job but it's up to the team to keep it up. If Seattle wins the cup next year I'll be pissed.
Honestly, at this point, Beckham might be nothing more than a distraction to the MLS. One man won't bring the desired respect to the league. With or without Beckham, the Galaxies chance of making the finals is slim and none.
True, but the Premier League existed as the English First Division for many decades prior to 1992. MLS started from literally nothing in 1996 to what it is today.I do agree with you that once it opens up it will be "real", but there isn't the revenue to let it run free just yet.
mborys88Feb 26, 2009
At the rate Beckham is going he's not going to have anywhere to go. He can only do so much on the Galaxy and I haven't seen him do much on AC. It's ironic that Donovan, the most vocal about Beckham going on loan to AC, is now playing for FC Bayern on loan. And he hasn't done s**t either. Regardless of "Star Power" I think the MLS will do just fine. They keep expanding. And being a Columbus Crew fan it's evident to see there's plenty of talent in the pool that the MLS doesn't need Beckham to make the sport more high profile. Last game I attended at Crew stadium there was over 17k ppl in attendance. And they weren't playing the Galaxy and it was earlier in the season before they were poised for the Cup. Forget about Beckham.... Galaxy needs a better coaching staff and team before they become a bigger laughing stock.
mborys88Feb 26, 2009
Way to use a George Carlin line from Baseball. How original.
schwerveFeb 26, 2009
the crew need to prove they can draw a consistent crowd for more than just one year.
mborys88Feb 26, 2009
I'm hoping that's the case with the new coach. Attendance was less than stellar in the beginning of the season but they were close and over 10k for most of the first part of the season. When they Cup bound they were getting record crowds over 20k. And our starting line up looks familiar. I just hope they can continue their momentum into this season. I'm nervous to say the least. But we were the first soccer specific stadium in the country and they've drawn consistent crowds more in the last few years than past. I've been going since 1996. Those games were PAINFUL to watch back then. Sigi did a good job but it's up to the team to keep it up. If Seattle wins the cup next year I'll be pissed.
whorelockFeb 26, 2009
Honestly, at this point, Beckham might be nothing more than a distraction to the MLS. One man won't bring the desired respect to the league. With or without Beckham, the Galaxies chance of making the finals is slim and none.
exhumeMar 3, 2009
True, but the Premier League existed as the English First Division for many decades prior to 1992. MLS started from literally nothing in 1996 to what it is today.I do agree with you that once it opens up it will be "real", but there isn't the revenue to let it run free just yet.
pahomeschoolerAug 28, 2009
Jim Curtin to Philly?????? <a class="user" href="http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/08/26/souderton_independent/sports/doc4a955b02ed2ef996918787.txt" rel="nofollow">http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/08/26/soud ...</a>