Is Beckham Leaving America Already?

If you saw the bottom line Wednesday on ESPN you might have noticed that David Beckham and his agent are currently in discussion with A.C. Milan, in an attempt to loan Beckham to the Italian club.  Some of you might be saying, “Didn’t Beckham just arrive in America? Why is he headed back overseas?”

Don’t worry, Beckham is only leaving North America to play soccer for several months.  He has every intention of coming back to LA next season.  The Major League Soccer (MLS) season is almost over and Beckham would only be on loan from January until the conclusion of the Italian league.  After the MLS season concluded last year, he went to London and trained with Arsenal FC, but he never officially played on the team.

The soccer season overseas is much longer and constant compared to the MLS.  Players only get a month or two off at most when they play in leagues like the EPL or Serie A in Italy.  The MLS is relatively shorter. The fact that Beckham will now get two salaries amongst his many endorsement deals does not hurt either. As if Becks and Posh Spice need the added income.

Beckham has decided to keep up his skills and continue playing overseas to stay in top shape.  This decision was influenced by his desire to continue playing Internationally for England in the next world cup.  Although Beckham lost his long tenured captaincy from the national team last season, he still wants to continue playing International soccer.  If the deal goes through with AC Milan, Beckham will join Brazilian stars KaKa and the newly acquired Ronaldinho, along with Italians Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso.  This star studded team will certainly challenge Becks in training and will only get him better and ready to play Internationally and in the MLS season.

Beckham came to the Los Angeles Galaxy two seasons ago (2007) to help jump start soccer in America.  Although he was injured and did not play as much as he would have liked to his inaugural season, Beckham had a great second season showing off his accuracy with dazzling free kicks and goals from midfield…many of which ended up on Sportscenter the following morning.

Despite Beckham and others efforts, soccer still has yet to break through as one of the top sports in the US.  However, Beckham has certainly increased domestic interest in watching and participating in the sport.  Having Beckham playing in Italy or wherever he may decide, can only be beneficial for the future of American soccer.  With David’s name currently attached to American “futbol” and him playing overseas, the MLS could be seeing added attention and press.  Having Beckham participate in two leagues simultaneously could also persuade other great international players to do the same, bringing more talent to the MLS, thus making American soccer and the MLS more competitive with other countries and leagues Internationally.

Soccer has the potential to be the next big sport in America.  Soccer is world renown and has only increased in popularity as America has become more diverse and multicultural.  Maybe it is time to become a soccer agent.