The writing has been on the wall for quite some time. When your sport waives certain salary cap provisions, and then names the rule change after an individual, that right there is writing on a wall, my friend.
The MLS passed the so-called Beckham rule in 2006, which if I understand it correctly, allows teams to make one big signing over and above the salary cap. The L.A. Galaxy exercised that option with some serious panache, signing Beckham to a $250 million dollar deal. That's a lot of cabbage.
I imagine we'll have some stuff to say about this deal in the hours and days ahead. For soccer fans in the U.S., there are a lot of conflicting emotions about this deal. Should a league still really struggling to make money be offering this kind of cash right now? Are International stars on the decline really a way to build a successful league long term? (those of us who remember the Rise and Fall of the NASL will be asking that question a lot). Is Beckham going to have the kind of impact that warrants this decision?
The most important question on my mind is this--do other teams have the financial wherewithal to land players of even close to the abilities of Beckham? Beckham may have looked off his game a bit in the World Cup, but I don't think there's anyone remotely close to his talent level playing in the States right now. The United States' best player in 2006 was Clint Dempsey, and he's on his way to the Premiership with Fulham.
We'll discuss this more in the coming days, I imagine. I think this has the possibility of being a sea-change kind of moment for the MLS--whether for good or for ill, I haven't decided.
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