Beckham is Back-ham... I Guess...

David Beckham craftily picked a good time to re-enter Major League Soccer last night when the already impressive LA Galaxy faced off against the continually discouraging New York Red Bulls. His triumphant return conveniently coincides with one of the most unimportant games of the season against a New York team that seems to make every opponent look good. The Galaxy certainly looked good winning the match 3-1 with impressive goals from Alecko Eskandarian, Landon Donovan, and Eddie Lewis. Beckham himself made several key plays including setting up Eskandarian on a nifty back heel flick. Beckham had been on loan to AC Milan, playing in Europe for the last several months.

Regardless of the Thursday night's outcome, wasn’t Beckham supposed to do more for soccer in the states? Upon his arrival two years ago, many were comparing his move to “The Trade” when Wayne Gretzky went to the LA Kings. Coming from out of the country, Gretzky came for many reasons, but a large portion of it was to bring good hockey awareness to the States and to be the franchise face for the sport. He did it by constantly talking to the press, going to events, and being a part of the community. So far, Beckham hasn’t done any of those things, even though he said it was about being an “ambassador” for the sport. So far all he does is go to movie premiers with Posh Spice, make colognes, and pose for magazine ads.

The only press conferences he does are short and he never reaches out to the fans. Beckham isn't even on good terms with his own teammates. He and Galaxy Captain, Landon Donovan have recently recently bickered back and forth through the media on these same issues of "unprofessionalism." All Beckham has really done for the sport is make the rest of us wonder how it’s possible to sign a contract for $250 million (50 times the average MLS salary) and not play for the team you signed it with. So he’s an Ambassador, eh? He can’t even keep his butt in his theoretical “Soccer U.N.” seat. His extended vacation to Milan had him missing the MLS playoffs for a third straight season. Apparently helping the team that pays his salary is out of the question. But it’s all for the “good of football” anyway, right?

Whether you love Beckham’s move to the Galaxy or think he moved to prostitute “Brand Beckham” to the LA circus, it is undeniable that he makes good teams better shown clearly in the outcome of last night’s game. So Galaxy and Soccer fans rejoice, after a long hiatus from the MLS, Beckham is officially back. That is until he decides to leave again to go play in Europe. In fact, in recent press conferences he has even stated the possibility of him returning to Europe on another loan to maintain his status on the England squad. With the World Cup right around the corner, maybe Galaxy and MLS fans shouldn’t get too excited.

USA Upsets #1 Spain

Team USA stuns the top ranked Spain soccer club in the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup today in undoubtedly one of the biggest upsets in U.S. soccer history. After opening the tournament with two losses, it seemed the U.S. was doomed to another embarrassing appearance on the world soccer stage. But once the opening whistle sounded, the U.S. went on the attack and showed the Spaniards that they weren't going to be an easy victory. Jozy Altidore out-muscled Joan Capdevila (above) to score USA's first goal in the 25'. It was a defining moment in U.S. soccer. No longer are we going to be pushed around and looked over. It also personifies the sort of style Team USA is starting to head for. Practically everywhere else in the world, soccer is an incredibly urbanized sport. Kids play soccer growing up in the inner-cities of Italy, Brazil, and Argentina, whereas in America, kids are playing basketball, football, and our other major sports. Soccer in the United States is primarily suburban, and because of this, the raw talent of the U.S. club will never be comparable to the other major teams in the world. What we do have is size and athleticism. Oguchi Onyewu, defender for the U.S. Men’s Team is the type of physical specimen that the team is starting to play with. He’s 6’5”, 216lbs, very physical, athletic, and tough. He’s a type of athlete that could probably play in the NFL or NBA. When they come to attack and play with physical strength and intensity, they play a game that is different from the raw talent and finesse style that is associated with the top teams. It’s a style that can help them win, seen through this huge victory. Congratulations team USA.

We are entering a new era of U.S. soccer. Now, no team in the world is going to be circling us on their calendars like they have for the last 15 years. We are on the verge of becoming one of the elite teams in the world. We'll see what happens on Sunday where the U.S. will face the South American powerhouse, Brazil. They lost to this same team in by an embarrassing 3-0 earlier in this tournament.