David Beckham (Oxymoron Project ongoing) ...

David Beckham (Oxymoron Project ongoing) ...

Pele came to the US in 1975 and left in 1977. So, it has been thirty years since he played his final real game against my Seattle Sounders. The tide was very high in 1977, but the water rushed back out of the bay very quickly. I have watched the depths of the mid-80s and the steady rise over the past twenty years of the sport I most enjoy.

David Beckham’s arrival in the US to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer is a huge litmus test for a variety entities.

It is a litmus test for the general sports media that generally loathes covering soccer.

It is a litmus test for the casual sports fan that has grown to watch more soccer than they used to if World Cup TV numbers are an indication.

It is a litmus test for the soccer fan in the US to see if they are more willing to embrace MLS as so many of them remain “Eurosnobs” willing to watch the EPL on cable but not MLS games.

It is a litmus test for the entertainment media given the profile of Posh and Becks and so many of their celebrity friends as so much glitz should lead to more high profile celebrities at the matches there to be photographed.

It is a litmus test for the Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer to see if their slow and steady growth and “infrastructure” of stadiums can truly maximize the benefits of all of the above.

Major League Soccer and US soccer fans; you’ve got what you asked for. Now it is time to put up.

Does the MLS and soccer “need” Beckham? I say no to the need issue. The steady growth of the sport should continue with or without his presence. But, it is nice to be viable enough to lead to genuinely interesting discussions of the level of play in the US and have there be an actual case to be made for the level being pretty good.

The initial coverage is a win in and of itself, but so was the initial spike of interest when Pele came to the US a little over three decades ago.