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From an Englishman's point of view, let me explain why David Beckham cannot make a difference to US soccer, and why it will always be a second -level game in North America.

I was born and raised in England, and like every other child in the rest of the world, I played football, as it is called everywhere, except here in the States. When I moved to this country, I watched with great interest over the years as many attempts were made to establish soccer, as we call it, as a major sport in the States.

Let me explain why this latest attempt, lead by David Beckham, will fail once again, and soccer will remain at its best a second-level spectator sport.

I will begin with Beckham, as he is the latest ambassador to US soccer. He is a very talented player, let me make that clear, but he has never been what Michael Jordan, Reggie Jackson, Joe Montana or Pele were to their respective sports; players who could single-handedly make a difference to the game. He passes the ball with consistent accuracy, and is great at taking free-kicks, (making a shot at goal from a dead-ball situation), but he is not a spectacular player. Pele, arguably the greatest soccer player ever, was spectacular, and he failed to ignite much interest in soccer in the seventies when entrepreneurs first tried to expand the sport in North America. Now for sure, Beckham has movie-star looks, an ex-spice girl wife, his own reality show, and is chums with Tom Cruise, but is that enough?
Let's not forget, that both Beckham and Pele were hired to promote soccer in the US in the twilight of their careers. Beckham, now in his thirties, is on the way down, and is often injured. You have to understand that soccer players begin their professional careers at 15 and 16 years of age, and if they are lucky enough to play till age 30, their legs are worn out.
The only reason why either one of these players even considered playing in the States, was for money and fame. Beckham's top level playing career is all but over; by that I mean, playing for the best teams in the world, the 'Yankees of soccer', if you like. Can you imagine Alex Rodriguez choosing to play in the English baseball league? No, of course not, he will only consider playing for the best teams in baseball, and they are in North America, and perhaps Japan. So why would David Beckham choose to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, if he could play for the best soccer teams in the world in Europe and South America? The answer is simple. He is too old to compete at

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