All MLS stars take back seat to Beckham

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – All-Star defenseman Jimmy Conrad was leaning over the railing discussing the future of soccer in America and holding a soccer magazine in his hand.

One hint as to who was on the cover: It wasn’t Jimmy Conrad.

Major League Soccer is David Beckham’s world now, and everyone else – even MLS All-Stars like Conrad – is just living in it.

That’s been readily apparent this week, as the All-Stars get ready for today’s game against Celtic FC, but can’t escape the reality that all the buzz is about Beckham – who is scheduled to make his debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, but will be watching today’s game from the commissioner’s box.

“A very layered and complex question,” is what Conrad calls the conundrum of exactly how Beckham will fit into a league that many believe he has come to America to save.

There will be star power, for sure. Beckham drew 5,000 to a glorified news conference last Friday where he was officially introduced to Galaxy fans. Adidas reports shipping 250,000 of Beckham’s new jerseys to stores over the past week or so.

But there are issues, as well. How, for instance, will a guy who signed a five-year, $32.5 million contract fit into a league where the median salary is $52,965 and 91 players made $17,700 or less.

“It feels like a slap in the face,” All-Star Dwayne De Rosario said.

And what about players like Juan Pablo Angel? The Colombian star was lured from the English Premier League in April to add quality to the New York Red Bulls. Latinos love him, and Angel is considered by many to be the best player in the league. Yet he makes $4 million a year less than Beckham, and he’s one of the league’s many so-called stars who now seem more like bit players.

“No, no, no,” Angel says when asked if he has a problem with Beckham getting all the money and fame. “It’s good for him, it’s good for everyone. You get what you think you deserve. If he got that money, it’s because the people who are paying him think he’s worth it. Now, he’s got a responsibility to fulfill.”

Apparently, that responsibility doesn’t include taking the field for the All-Star game, which might seem like a natural time for the league to introduce its newest star.

Instead, Beckham is scheduled to watch the game in the commissioner’s box, but only after flying to Denver with the Galaxy owners, then meeting with Stan Kroenke, the owner of the city’s Nuggets, Avalanche and Colorado Rapids, the MLS team that plays in a $130 million complex that Kroenke helped finance.

Beckham’s debut is scheduled for Saturday in the Galaxy’s friendly against Chelsea, though an ankle injury restricted his practice Monday and could keep him on the sideline.

Commissioner Don Garber said he was putting no pressure on Beckham to suit up Saturday.

“Certainly, David is going to be healthy. We hope he gets better quickly,” Garber said. “But this is a long-term commitment. There’s no need to rush this.”

During his “State of the League” news conference Wednesday, Garber spent nearly an uninterrupted hour discussing all that is right with MLS, the 12-year-old league that has struggled to gain a foothold in a country reluctant to embrace soccer.

The commissioner mentioned Beckham only a few times – giving the impression that soccer’s biggest name was more like a mere piece of the puzzle than a savior.

To Garber, Beckham’s arrival fits with the league’s announced return to San Jose, four new national TV contracts, a good expansion experience in Toronto, this year’s 300 percent increase in jersey sales (not including Beckham jerseys) and broader plans for international play. All are part of the big strategy that the commissioner says will eventually put MLS in with the so-called major sports in America.

“The enlightened ones are getting that,” Garber said of the sports editors he meets with to ask for more space in their sections. “The non-enlightened ones are not, and they’re missing out.”

Conrad agrees that the MLS is making strides, but thinks it must handle Beckham’s arrival the right way for things to really take off.

He’d also like to see a day when the MLS’ tightly controlled salary structure is loosened up. Teams have a $2.4 million salary cap, but this year, an exception was put in for teams to sign one player who didn’t count against the cap – the so-called Beckham rule.

Now the question is whether Beckham’s arrival will be the start of something really big for soccer in America, or another promise that goes unfulfilled.