Beckham 'could make Galaxy great'

2Slick

Boss Alexi Lalas believes the signing of ex-England captain David Beckham in August could help to make LA Galaxy the world's biggest football club.

Lalas told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek: "It's hard to quantify the positives from this deal, we are so excited.

"We hope this will have a huge impact on our fans, who will see a quality player in the prime of his career.

"We want him to help us to be the top team in MLS and maybe, one day, become the top team in the world."

Beckham, 31, last Thursday agreed to sign for Galaxy in a deal worth around £128m and he is set to join the Major League Soccer outfit in the United States after his Real Madrid contract finishes at the end of July.


We wouldn't have done the deal if we didn't think we could reap the rewards

Galaxy boss Alexi Lalas

But Lalas believes the deal is a good one for Galaxy as well and that Beckham will be a fantastic asset to the club.

"We are bringing in, not only a good soccer player, but someone who will increase the visibility of the sport and push the game to the next level on and off the pitch," he added.

"As far as we're concerned, it's money well spent. We know he's going to help the team, for starters, but why should he play football for free?

"It's clearly a wonderful contract for him but it is for us too because it does us no good to have a player with a lot of notoriety but who can't do it on the pitch - and that's not the case here.

"This is a business decision and we wouldn't have done it if we didn't think we could reap the rewards.

"We feel we gave him everything he wanted but we feel we're getting an incredible asset in return, so it's a win-win situation."

Lalas also thinks Beckham will have no trouble settling in Los Angeles and will be surprised by the quality of the football in MLS.

"He talked on the phone to actor Tom Cruise before making this decision and we're happy he has people he trusts and gets along with already established in LA," said Lalas.

"Beckham is well-known everywhere in the world, including LA, so he won't be able to walk unrecognised down the street but maybe it's a different perspective over here.


I don't believe my England career is over because I will always say I'm available

David Beckham

"It's up to us to make sure he's comfortable off the field so he can do the job expected of him on the field.

"At the end of the day, he looked at what this was going to be, the adventure and the challenge for him and his family and he'll relish this.

"We believe he'll adapt to the physical part of the game and be a huge success and make our team better.

"I also think he'll be pleasantly surprised by the level we've got over here."

And one Hollywood resident certainly cannot wait to see Beckham in action.

Sylvester Stallone watched Everton host Reading in the Premiership and when asked about Beckham's move to America told BBC Sport: "I think it's fantastic.

"History repeats itself, maybe the seventies was too soon with Pele and Beckenbauer. This could be great for everybody."

Beckham is thought to have made the decision to move to the US after deciding his international career with England was over, having been dropped by his national boss Steve McClaren.

But Beckham says that while he is playing professional football, he will never give up hope of a recall to add to his 94 caps.

"I don't believe it is the end of my international career because I will always say that while I am still playing football I will be available to play for my country," he told the News of the World.

"Of course I'm still available and if I get the call it would be amazing."

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Meanwhile, LA Galaxy have announced they will take part in a new SuperLiga competition, which will include top teams from MLS and Mexico, and which will run from 24 July to 29 August.

"This tournament presents the most authentic competition between rival soccer nations and will bring out the passion and pride of fans in our hemisphere," said MLS commissioner Don Garber.

Modelled on the Uefa Champions League, the format includes a group and a knockout phase, with all games staged at US venues.

Kronical™

Loz, this guy actually thinks signing Beckham will make Galaxy the best team in the world? You've got to be kidding me. Beckham was literally booted from the England national team and was hardly ever used in Real Madrid, one of the current greats in the world and this guy believes that it will do something for the club so they can start producing Deco's and C. Ronaldo's and Ballack's and all? Crazy.

The US can have him. If it's not about the money, it's not about the football either. Never in my mind has the MLF came across as a challenge as Beckham has stated. He's moved to America I believe because of influences from his wife so she can move closer to Cruise and what's her face, he's become one of the rich and the shameless, he's even started using the word soccer... Fucker.

New School Fire

Its funny, the rest of the world is taling about this, and most of America couldn't give two sh*ts, lol, or even know who this guy is for that matter. I know this guy as the guy who married the hot Spice Girl.

$pawn

Lol NSF, If you dont know anything about Soccer you know about David Beckham, Hes a household icon, used to be and still is. Hes obviously not as good as he was 5 years ago, but he still can produce some great play. He will help the club out alot, but its not going to make them the greatest in the world..maybe the greatest in the MLS >__> but thats not saying much.

Styles™

Beckham to LA will help out the MLS, but not enough to be even near as close as the EPL league, the EPL in baseball standards in the MLB, the MLS in baseball standards is like EPL's Minor League team, and not the high minor league the low minor league, like the level A minors...LA payed him too much to get him to America and it won't make much of a difference, I like soccer, but I'd much rather watch the EPL teams than MLS anyday of the week...

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