Beckham will provide slight boost

David Beckham is expected to make his Major League Soccer debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday in an exhibition game against English Premier League power Chelsea.

The former English national team captain and wife Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams have made quite a splash.

But what kind of impact will Beckham’s presence make on soccer in the United States?

“Will more kids play soccer because of him? No,” said Husson College women’s soccer coach Keith Bosley. “Will there be better attendance at every Galaxy game? I think so.

“It’s a good thing. This will definitely be a bump [up] this year. I was at a [New England] Revolution game a few weeks ago and they said their [home] game with the Galaxy [on Aug. 12] was already sold out.”

Bosley said soccer will never threaten football as far as popularity is concerned in the U.S. but soccer certainly has its place, its own niche.

“It has a small but gradually growing market and that’s OK. The MLS is pretty stable,” said Bosley who added the escalating Central and South American influence in this country is another positive for soccer.

Camden Hills girls soccer coach Meredith Hughes-Messer said Beckham definitely adds a “flair and sense of excitement” to the sport.

She compared Beckham’s status to the type of status attained by former NBA superstar Michael Jordan.

“He is surrounded by glitz and glamour. He’s such a world-wide figure. He’s an icon with a lot of charisma. Every sport needs that. Every sport needs someone like that [for younger players] to look up to. It’s what [Wayne] Gretzky meant for hockey,” said Hughes-Messer.

She added Beckham will bring more media attention to the league and the sport.

Bangor High School boys soccer coach Adam Leach agreed the publicity generated by Beckham’s presence will be a positive and could introduce new fans to the sport.

“But when it comes to making soccer better in this country, I don’t think it will make a big difference,” said Leach.

Soccer is like hockey in this country and it always will be. It is much more of a participatory sport than a spectator sport.

There are millions of youngsters playing soccer. It is a parent’s dream in that it is inexpensive, it is much safer than football and it is a great conditioner.

But Americans love offense and until FIFA changes the rules or increases the size of the goals, soccer will never do well in the television ratings.

Brazilian Pele, perhaps the greatest soccer player to ever live, gave the North American Soccer League a nice boost when he signed a three-year contract for $2.8 million with the New York Cosmos in 1975.

He helped increase the league’s average attendance by 80 percent from 7,597 to 13,584. Pele was past his prime but was still a great boon to the NASL.

Beckham is also past his prime but he is still worth the price of admission with his pinpoint passing and precise free kicks.

The Beckhams could generate some valuable sponsorship deals for MLS, especially if their careers flourish in this country.

The Spice Girls have announced a reunion tour and Victoria Beckham could land some acting gigs along with her husband.

Soccer is quietly alive and well in this country. The MLS now has soccer-only stadiums and the Women’s United Soccer Association is returning in 2008 after a five-year hiatus.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.