Cowering league, club

Here's my latest PE column on the David Beckham mess.

Biggest failure?

I wrote my PE column on David Beckham and his loan deal. I compared him to some of the Galaxy's former high-profile players like Luis Hernandez and Carlos Hermosillo, well, mostly those two, in terms of how they used to join the Galaxy in the middle of the season and all that.

Anyway, the full column should be up on Wednesday and I'll link to it. But one thing I really didn't pursue was this: which one was the biggest failure?

Now, I actually think Carlos Hermosillo was decent in his time and I don't know that I'd call him a failure on the field. But he didn't bring in any large numbers of fans either.

I guess it depends what criteria you use. If it's that - the ticketing, marketing, general interest standpoint - that's one thing. If it's the on-the-field impact, that's another. Possibly. Maybe you can't judge those players without taking everything about them into account.

And it also may not be quite time yet to judge Beckham since he still could play for the Galaxy this year. I say could because I'm not sure that he will come back. After all we heard there was no chance he'd leave, then we heard the rumors, then we heard about some lame ultimatum set by the league, then we heard he was coming back on March 9, and now we hear that he's coming in July. Right.

What a joke

I thought MLS learned from the past, that the league had grown to the point where clubs and the league itself didn't rely on one player.

I was so wrong.

Now, Becks gets to stay away with Milan for the duration of the season and, as an added bonus to Galaxy fans, he won't be able to play until mid-July.

By the way, this will be the theme of my Wednesday PE column so I will gather my thoughts on the matter and let everyone know how childish and absurd this whole deal is. It's too bad I won't be able to call it what it really is: complete bullshit.

Bad idea

Remember in the late 90s when the Galaxy had some aging Mexican superstar on their team? At the start of the season, the team would go through business as usual and then sometime in May or so the aging Mexican superstar would be plunked down in their midst, the team would have to re-adjust to the player and one another and the team would go on business as usual.

Those days are long gone and the league has grown up a lot since then.

Or so we thought.

Reportedly, the Galaxy are considering a blast from the past, except this time it's an aging English superstar that would be the one dropped into the Galaxy's midst sometime in the first third of the regular season.

The Galaxy and Milan are supposedly looking into an agreement that would see Beckham join the Galaxy after all, but not until the Italian season ends. Then Beckham would be free of all other obligations and would be able to return to the Galaxy. Except, of course, his true obligation should be to his contract and the Galaxy.

This is a terrible idea, the thought of sharing a player in this way. When MLS was two or three years old, there wasn't really any other way around it, and everything was so new that nobody really knew any better. Many people didnt' care for it then as it took time for players to adjust to Jorge Campos or Carlos Hermosillo or Luis Hernandez. In 1998, the Galaxy were off to a flying start but when Hermosillo came the club regressed and it took some time for the team to recover.

The Galaxy owe it to their fans to move forward with Beckham: either he will be here at the start of the season or they'll move on without him. It should be that straightforward. Accepting Beckham's desire to stay in Milan by allowing him to do just that, stay there and join the Galaxy in the middle of the season, will send all sorts of negative messages. How insignificant will the first part of the season be with a big piece of their puzzle off in Europe? Remember 2007, when the arrival was a gigantic distraction? We could see some of that again, and who knows if this team will be able to handle that.

This drama hopefully will culminate by week's end. Until March 10 comes and goes, we won't really know for sure what will happen. But let's hope an agreement in which both sides share Beckham is not one of the options on the table.

Becks' secret weapon

Not all David Beckham news are the same old tired tales.

Wednesday's Galaxy column

Late start today, again. Argh. Anyway, here's a link to my PE column.

I haven't weighed in much on the Beckham soap opera but, with the Pan Pacific Championship going on tonight, I figured it would be worthwhile to chime in.

I won't be at HDC tonight either, as much as I'd like to. Seriously. I'll take in a doubleheader anytime, even if it's teams I'm unfamiliar with. I'd also like to see what the Galaxy look like at this part of the preseason, with about a month before the start of the regular season.

Becks and LD

I got a late start this morning because I've been working on my PE column, which now runs every Wednesday.

I tackled the David Beckham topic, the soap opera that it is. And while I'll save the actual column until Wednesday, I did want to share a bit of it here right now.

Beckham's made it clear that he wants to stay in Italy. So too has Landon Donovan. Beckham is on loan and scheduled to return on March 9, like Donovan, but if he had his druthers Milan would be his permanent home; Munich would be Donovan's.

So, what's the difference between the two? Why is Beckham vilified while Donovan isn't?

I answered that in my column, at least what I think is the answer, but wanted to see if I'm thinking along the same lines as Galaxy/MLS fans, mostly the former.

Damaged goods

Three days after the deadline MLS set for a decision on the David Beckham transfer saga have passed and things have changed. Milan might be out of the Serie A race after a loss to Inter, while Beckham is now an injury concern as he left the Milan derby with a hamstring injury in the 59th minute.

Becks is still expected back on March 9. However, this is why I still think we won't see it happen. Here's what he said after the match:

"I know it will be difficult to go back after everything that's happened. I've said I want to stay at Milan and I haven't changed my mind, but it's out of my hands. I hope things will go the way I want them to, of course. But if I have to go back, I will be professional, because that's what I have to do."

Here's a link to a story on the matter from the LA Times.

Still around... for now

Looks like David Beckham won't stay in Italy after all. Well, not sold on that but that's what the Galaxy said earlier today.

Here's the official statement from Bruce Arena:

Today's deadline imposed by Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber regarding a resolution of David Beckham's potential transfer to AC Milan has passed and we did not receive an acceptable offer for the player. As a result, David remains an LA Galaxy player and we look forward to having him back with the club starting March 9.

My take: I don't believe we've seen the end of this. The Galaxy know they have the advantage in this situation. They don't have to do anything; they don't have to get rid of Beckham, they don't have to meet any deadline (today's deadline wasn't imposed by them), they don't have to negotiate for anything. Beckham is their player and that's that. Milan is the club that wants him, and Beckham wants to stay. So Milan will have to pay extra to get him because the Galaxy don't have to get rid of him.

Now, the Galaxy also knows that Beckham has an escape clause, at least that's what has been reported. If he can walk at the end of the 2009 season, then maybe it's something to consider. But there's no guarantee that Milan would want him back in October or November or whenever he'd be free to go abroad, reportedly.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see more negotiations on the part of Milan. Supposedly they were sending some people over to talk to the Galaxy face-to-face. If they turn up, what are the Galaxy going to say: Mr. Garber says we can't talk anymore? No. Not a chance. If Milan people show up, expect the Galaxy to listen.

Besides, there's the negative PR that could come from all of this. Many Galaxy fans have expressed some form of dissatisfaction with Golden Balls, and frankly I can't blame them. On the field, the Galaxy is a shadow of its former greatness. Off the field, there are priorities in place that weren't there four years ago. The atmosphere at times around the Galaxy is arrogant and pompous, and that certainly wasn't the case four years ago, even after they won the double. A lot of that has to do with Beckham, because they certainly haven't won jack since 2005. The Galaxy would be better off continuing to negotiate with Milan and try and get rid of Beckham. I'm sure that Milan will come back with another offer, probably higher than the $10 million or whatever has been reported. That's a nice bit of money for any player, even Beckham. They can start putting the focus back on soccer - they're going to make money anyway, with or without Beckham.

Anyway, Beckham is still property of the Galaxy, and the team still is counting on him to return on March 9. But that does not mean we've seen the end of this drama.

Ciao Becks

Becks wants out.

"I have expressed my desire to stay at AC Milan now and it’s just down to Milan and Galaxy to come to an agreement," Beckham said following Milan's friendly against Rangers.

And with that, it looks as if his stay with the Galaxy is all but over.

Damage been done?

David Beckham wants to stay in Italy and his lawyers are working on trying to make that happen, according to reports. On loan from the Galaxy to AC Milan, Beckham might not return in early March like he's supposed to.

While that may not have been much of a surprise to some, the idea was that he would return and play in his third season with the Galaxy. But now that he's apparently decided on trying to make a go of it in Italy for good, has he done irreparable damage? Would he be accepted by Galaxy fans and MLS fans in general should he come back?

If so, why bother bringing him back? AC Milan is willing to deal for him and rumors vary from $6-20 million in terms of the money the Italian club is willing to shell out for his services.

It just seems that the Galaxy stands more to gain at this point than to lose. They could ship out a player who may not necessarily want to be with the club, attempt to put a focus back on the field and on their soccer product, and make some money while they're at it. It might be a bit of a PR disaster for a while but perhaps that's a storm worth weathering.

Catching up

Several items of note came down over the last couple of days but I was squeezed out of time from posting them. Here are some of the more notable things that happened over the last couple of days.

* The U.S. will formally announce their intentions of launching a simultaneous bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. On Monday, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati will host a conference call and will announce the executive director of the bids and will provide more details on the United States' plans. Apparently, Monday is FIFA's application deadline for both World Cups, and the only stipulation at this point is that the applicant nation has the means to host such an event. It's safe to say the U.S. has the means and wherewithal to host the World Cup.

* U.S. coach Bob Bradley has a squad of 20 players in camp to continue preparations for the opening Hexagonal match against Mexico on Feb. 11. This team features all MLS-based players - save for Charlie Davies - but it doesn't mean it lacks experience. Brian Ching, Frankie Hejduk, Jonathan Bornstein and Ricardo Clark are in camp and all have played in meaningful games against Mexico and have all stood out against El Tri.

Here's the full roster:

GK: Jon Busch (Chicago), William Hesmer (Columbus), Matt Pickens (Colorado Rapids).
Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Ugo Ihemelu (Colorado), Chris Wingert (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC).
Midfielders: Brian Carroll (Columbus), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Eddie Gaven (Columbus), Stuart Holden (Houston), Jack Jewsbury (Kansas City), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), John Thorrington (Chicago).
Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Chris Rolfe (Chicago)

* Pachuca lost to Chilean side Universidad Catolica 1-0 on Wednesday in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores play-in series. Pachuca needs a victory next week in order to qualify for the tournament.

* David Beckham scored another goal for Milan, this one off a free kick. Becks now has two goals in two consecutive games for Milan but suffered an injury that may keep him out of this weekend's match against Lazio. Still, the goal fueled speculation that Becks will stay with Milan as the Italian club continues their pursuit of landing the Galaxy's midfielder on a full-time basis.

Beckham fallout

What if... okay, this is only a what if... but what if David Beckham stays with AC Milan? Then, he won't be with the Galaxy, and season ticket holders who either renewed their seats or purchased them for the first time with the hopes of seeing Beckham play 15 times will have their hopes dashed.

But what if they bought them after club officials assured everyone that Beckham would be around in 2009 no matter what?

The Daily Breeze's Nick Green explored that topic on his blog and posted a letter he received from a season ticket holder.

The latest rumors have AC Milan offering $6.5 million for Beckham as there is now a figure to go along with the initial chatter of Milan wanting to keep Beckham for good.

Milan wants Becks

AC Milan wants to keep David Beckham. There's a surprise. Beckham has been playing very well for the Italian club and the prospect of losing him in about six weeks isn't enticing to the club. Never mind that Beckham is already under contract with the Galaxy and MLS and is only there on a short-term loan.

Still, Milan officials said they were "prepared to pay a fee" for the Galaxy's captain, and such a transaction could fetch the league's biggest transfer fee in history.

It's too early to know if and when Beckham will make his return. He's supposed to come back March 9 and if something does happen it probably won't happen until closer to that date. So the entire preseason then will hinge around whether or not Beckham will even return, barring some sort of official He-Ain't-Going-Anywhere statement signed off by Becks, his people and Galaxy/MLS officials.

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena wasn't too pleased about the rumors and more specifically Milan people even bringing up the possibility of hanging on to Beckham for longer than the loan deal. And although he said the loan is in place and will end on March 8, Milan might not take no for an answer.

Goal for the Englishman

Beckham scores!

David Beckham scored his first goal for AC Milan in a 4-1 win over Bologna on Sunday. Afterward, he was asked about his return to the Galaxy and whether or not he may stay in Italy.

"I feel very good here. I arrived in a team that wanted me for years and I play for exceptional fans... I'll stay here until March and then we'll see. Right now I'm focused only on my football."

Anyway, here's his goal.

Becks' new team

On Sunday, David Beckham watched his new team from the stands. His new team is a little bit more effective in keeping balls out of the back of the net than his old team, which is actually still his current team.

I wonder how much playing time Beckham will actually get with AC Milan, though. If they keep scoring this efficiently, it may be hard for him to crack the lineup.

Holidays in Milan

Not sure where the Beckham family will spend Dec. 25 but on the 29th Beckham will join his new team for their training camp in the Middle East, according to reports. Not the worst way to ring in the New Year I suppose.

Becks will be in Italy by Dec. 20 as he'll be presented that day. Sometime in January he'll probably make his Serie A debut and by mid-March he's supposed to come back to the United States. If and when he does, he will have had a few months of Italian football under his belt, which is a great way to spend the winter... if it doesn't lead to anything more, of course.

Ambassador Beckham

David Beckham and the Galaxy are off on their brief barnstorming tour of New Zealand. Here's a video of a press conference Beckham and the Galaxy held in Auckland.

"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.

Back to Europe

I think it was Alexi Lalas who said that the Galaxy would never loan David Beckham. He's not around anymore, obviously, and neither is that sentiment. Becks is on his way to AC Milan, a deal much discussed for several weeks now.

According to a press release, Beckham will join AC Milan effective January 2009 but will report back to the Galaxy "for training and the start of the 2009 MLS season."

Now, this deal does not signal the end of the Becks experiment. Rather, it's being spun as a move to help further Beckham's international career, and of course AC Milan likely stands to make millions in jersey sales and such.

But this move on many levels does not make sense? What of the Galaxy and his priorities here? Beckham is the team's best player... supposedly, though Landon Donovan made a good case for his significance this season with 20 goals and nine assists. What message does Beckham's move overseas send about his commitment to the Galaxy? And to MLS?

This type of deal is unprecedented, I believe. I don't recall player for whom rules were bent so it's difficult to put into context. If Beckham is injured and misses significant time with the Galaxy next season, the deal will be severely frowned upon. If Beckham does well with Milan, however, and gets back to his top form - which he clearly was not at in 2008 - perhaps it is of benefit to the Galaxy. Regardless, though, it seems as if there are many negatives - if not more - than positives on Becks' trip back across the pond.

Bruce Arena will be on a conference call later this afternoon. If I have a chance, I'll jump on it. If not, there will be plenty of stories on the matter later.