"Purely technical rationale"

Bruce Arena called David Beckham's three-month loan to AC Milan as "purely technical rationale." Beckham wants to continue playing for England and with the Galaxy done with league play from now until next spring, chances are Beckham could fall off the England team altogether with so much inactivity.

Hence, the move.

Still, it just seems like an odd move. As a reader pointed out, this sort of loan deal has happened before, with Henrik Larsson. But in MLS, it hasn't happened this way perhaps ever. Sure, when prominent Mexican players joined MLS teams, notably Carlos Hermosillo and Luis Hernandez in the late 90s, they too went to ply their trade in foreign countries during the MLS offseson. But that was different in the sense that MLS didn't really follow FIFA rules. Transfer windows and the like weren't part of MLS when Hermosillo and Hernandez were in their heyday.

Becks is gone for the winter now and the Galaxy as well as MLS need to hope that he returns not only in top physical condition but in good form in order for this move to pay off.

On the field of course. This loan probably would not have happened if it weren't going to pay off financially.