Association Football

photo by shady sp

There are a lot of great story lines going into the MLS playoffs – will Seattle be the first expansion team to win, will Columbus repeat, can Real Salt Lake cause a stir – all of these are great stories, but another story will dominate: David Beckham.

MLS has finally got David Beckham right where they want him: in the playoffs. It only took three years, but despite all the talk of the Beckham move being a failure, he is now in a position to prove his worth to the league. What began as a nightmare this year with a public feud between Donovan and Beckham can now turn into a fairy tale.

The Galaxy have been on a tear as of late and were able to win the Western conference and they have to be one of the favorites to win it all. They do have a tough road however. First, against arch-rival Chivas and then either Houston or Seattle in the semifinals. The league and ESPN are praying the Galaxy make it through to the finals. Beckham in the finals at a packed Qwest Field is what the league was dreaming about when they signed him and they are probably praying for a Galaxy-Chicago final ie (Beckham vs. Blanco final). A Galaxy run would also allow ESPN to go Beckham-crazy in their promotional efforts. ESPN has both Galaxy playoff games in the first round so expect a bigger than usual promotional effort, which would only increase the further they go. All of this would be good for the league and should draw greater interest to what should be an exciting playoffs. But this all begs the question: will Beckham prove his worth on the field, as well as off?

Filed under: MLS |