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What will impact be if Beckham stays in Italy?
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AP Photo/Antonio Calanni
I don’t want say I told you so, but still…….OK, fine. I told you so.
No one can legitimately be shocked that David Beckham now wants to stay in Italy with AC Milan, who wants to keep him after some nice performances by the midfielder.
It wasn’t hard to see coming. First, this is a big in-for-your-face for Beckham to all the naysayers who said he couldn’t play top level club soccer anymore. And second, once you’ve had another chance to play with the best, your competitive instinct isn’t going to tell you to trek on back to the level of play in the U.S. – contract be damned. PLUS, Beckham is catching the eye of England coach Fabio Capello once again, and you’re crazy if you think playing for his national team a few more times doesn’t mean something to Golden Balls.
Now that this ball seems to be rolling, it'll be hard to stop. MLS fans should just plan on Beckham staying in Europe for longer than the initial three months. Maybe he’ll come back eventually, but it’s hard to see it while he’s still fit enough to make an impact in a top-level European league.
Which brings us to, what will this do to the MLS? Will popularity decrease? Is it a huge blow? Remember Beckham has had some injury issues, and on top of that L.A. finished well out of the playoffs last season despite the presence of Beckham and Landon Donovan – who would also like to stay in Europe.
So what do you think? What does this mean for the MLS?
