End It Like Beckham: L.A. Galaxy Won the Championship, But Is Major League Soccer a Retirement League?

By Ivan Fernandez Mon., Dec. 3 2012 at 12:37 PM

Courtesy of Karla Pineda

Can you tell they're fans of David Beckham?

Is Major League Soccer the league where great players go to retire? That's the question that arose Saturday afternoon before the league final between the L.A. Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, a rematch of last year's final. The Galaxy beat its opponents 3-1 for its first back-to-back Cup win in its history but the celebration was bittersweet as it was celebrity midfielder David Beckham's final game with the Galaxy and with the league, not to mention that midfielder Landon Donovan's future with the team and the league remains in limbo.

Galaxy and Club America fan Oscar Pineda brought this question up with his friend and fellow football fanatic Fernando Palacios as they celebrated at one of the many picnic/tailgate parties outside the game at the Home Depot Center. Palacios believes that Donovan will return to England to play for Everton, where he was on loan to before retiring in two years. "But MLS is the retiring center right here," responded Pineda. "Shouldn't he be over there in England playing then come to MLS and retire?"

Courtesy of Fernando Palacios

It's not quite the Super Bowl but the fans are just as passionate.

MLS has suffered the reverse effect that leagues in Europe are famous for. Whereas many young players from all over the world head to Europe to improve their soccer skills by joining teams in the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, and Germany's Bundesliga, MLS is home to many foreign players who have arguably already played at their peak. There's Rafa Marquez, formerly of Atlas and FC Barcelona, and Thierry Henry, of FC Barcelona and Arsenal, on the roster for the New York Red Bulls. There's also Pavel Pardo and Cuahtemoc Blanco, current and former members of the Chicago Fire whose time in Mexico's Club America cemented their statuses as two of the best athletes in the sport. All of these guys are over 30 and, while some such as Beckham (age 37) are still exceptional players, they've already hit the high-water mark of their careers.

"When Beckham came to the Galaxy," said fan Steve Carrillo, "we weren't that good." The midfielder signed with the club in 2007 but spent most of his time injured or on loan until mid-2010.

Courtesy of Fernando Palacios

David Beckham, Landon Donovan and other members of the Galaxy warm-up before kickoff.

Even new fans such as Ed (who preferred not to give his last name) can see the difference. Ed fell in love with soccer and the Galaxy when his friends invited him to last year's Western Conference final between L.A. and Real Salt Lake and was hooked since the opening whistle. He'd love to see the league grow its own talent at home in order to attract more fans at home and abroad the way other clubs overseas have.

"When Tottenham [Hotspurs] came to play against the Galaxy," he said recalling L.A.'s international friendly match at home against the English team this past summer, "to me, it was heartbreaking to hear more Tottenham fans showed up than L.A. Galaxy fans."

The league has cranked out great players such as Donovan but it still has more work to do if it wants to create players that can compete on the same stage as Lionel Messi, Mario Balotelli, Neymar Santos, Javier Hernandez and other young talents rather than filling its club rosters with famous talent on its way out.

"Hopefully MLS can become something that the world will recognize," added Ed minutes before entering the stadium to witness a bit of MLS history firsthand.

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Tags:

david beckham, landon donovan, major league soccer

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mcbaldwin

1 Like

Typically uninformed report. How about Clint Dempsey, Brad Friedel, Michael Bradley, Carlos Bocanegra, Brian McBride, Tim Howard, Maurice Edu, and on and on. All started in MLS and moved on to Euro leagues. How about the Latin and Caribbean players who got their start here and moved on to Europe. Sure, great to get a high profile foreigner or two to draw those who are attracted to a celebrity name, but MLS is built on CONCACAF talent.

Blanco and Pavel Pardo brought out a few Mexican fans, but they were far from dominant players in MLS. They were savvy veterans who brought something (mostly marquee value in a market with lots of Mexicans), to the team. Most of the aging pros who've come here to coast have had a very rude awakening. Luis Fernandez comes to mind, as do Lothar Matthäus and Freddie Ljundberg.

Beckham had a work ethic, at least.

I was at the Galaxy/Spurs game and saw many more Galaxy fans than Spurs fans.

"When Beckham came to the Galaxy," said fan Steve Carrillo, "we weren't that good." This is a tellingly clueless quote. The championship team of 2005 was dismantled to accommodate Beckham's ridiculous salary. Anyone who's a real Galaxy fan knows that the best team was arguably the 1998 squad.

Mark Baldwin

All-American Soccer Fan

alexlove

@mcbaldwin I felt i had to reply. my friend saw this and informed me about my quote. I DID NOT say that. it's a total misquote. in fact i said LA was good before becks and they'll be good post becks. i agree with you on 1998 squad though. the link up between cobi, mauricio, welton and carlos hermosillo (lol) was dangerous. i believe they still hold records from that year, including an 8-1 score margin against dallas burn. I've been a fan since 96. i know what i'm talking about

afroxander

@mcbaldwin That's the point though. All those guys are playing their best years overseas and we get to watch guys like Blanco and Ljundberg play here at home. :(

mcbaldwin

@afroxander @mcbaldwin

90% of the Brazilian National Team plays elsewhere. Same for Argentina. 100% of the Dutch Nats play outside Holland. Chicharito plays in England. It's not a valid criticism of MLS.Here's another telling quote:"The league has cranked out great players such as Donovan but it still has more work to do if it wants to create players that can compete on the same stage as Lionel Messi, Mario Balotelli, Neymar Santos, Javier Hernandez and other young talents rather than filling its club rosters with famous talent on its way out."I believe the list of players I provided have competed on the same stages as those mentioned above, with the exception of Neymar, who has yet to take the plunge in Europe. The author's Chicharito reference makes my point rather nicely.Blanco and Pardo were greatly impeded by an overrated league that wouldn't let it's players go abroad until they were over the hill. The FMF (and Chicharito) should thank MLS for lighting a fire under them to try to raise their level. Getting beat by MLS guys in the 2002 World Cup tells a lot about those "whose time in Mexico's Club America cemented their statuses as two of the best athletes in the sport." Those who pay attention to the sport will remember Ivan Zamorano. Way over the hill, Bam Bam made a much bigger impact on Club América than Blanco and Pardo made in the MLS. These two were wonderful players, don't get me wrong, but I'm just pointing out that Mexico has had it's share of fading foreign stars brought in for marquee value. I don't hear anyone criticizing them for it.The sad fact is that you can get away with writing all sorts of ridiculous drivel about soccer in the US and no one will call you on it. Well, almost no one.