Beckham Heading for L.A. Galaxy

American soccer is about to get a big time boost in the person of David Beckham. Major League Soccer altered its player pay rules to allow the international soccer superstar to begin playing with the league. The so-called Beckham rule has allowed other teams to bring on high priced international talent, further adding to the international flavor of the MLS.

The Los Angeles population is roughly one-half Hispanic, thanks to waves of migrants mostly from Mexico and Central America. The city's parks are filled on weekends with organized games and players sporting jerseys from their home countries.

For Vallejo, a soccer coach, the quality of a player matters more than where he is from.

"I just want to watch soccer," said Vallejo, whose parents moved to the United States from Guatemala and Ecuador. "And I think Beckham can bring good soccer."

Galaxy club president Alexi Lalas, who estimates the Hispanic element of the team's fan base to be around 50 percent, agreed.

"David Beckham, unlike any other player, transcends all of these boundaries," he told Reuters.

"I would argue that whether you are a housewife from Orange County or a person of Mexican heritage living in Los Angeles, you know who David Beckham is.

"If we were to go out and get an internationally renowned South American star, I would argue that although the person of Mexican descent may know who he is, the housewife in Orange County wouldn't. And that is the difference."

With the help of Beckham, MLS expects to shatter attendence records at all of its venues in the latter part of its season. Part of the appeal of Beckham is not just about his skills on teh soccer pitch. Rather his international attraction may bring casual fans who otherwise not come to a match. The task for the MLS is to get those fans to stay in the stands even if Beckham is not playing. Although the MLS has been a solid league and slowly growing, it has not grabbed the kind of attention that will help vault American professional soccer into even part of the status that European and South American leagues have.

But Beckham offers a chance and I hope the league takes it.