Beckham is in the US

[evalagoal]

He came in on British Airways flight (SURPRISE) last night 8:20pm CET into LAX.

Here's the story belwo from the Fox Soccer Channel Website.

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First, the world's greatest player, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, made a momentous decision. In signing one of the richest sporting contracts in history, he turned the New York Cosmos and U.S. Soccer from a laughing stock into an international phenomena and a sport that the media took seriously.

The second event that occurred in the year of question was the birth of David Robert Joseph Beckham at the Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, England. There wasn't too much media around for that historic day but in the years since, Becks has more than made up for that glaring omission.

Pele and Beckham ... one name is all you need for instant worldwide recognition

[AEKPROTATHLIMA]

Great news!!!!!!!!!!

[Irlandos]

Beckham will only be considered "cool" so long as he keeps his mouth shut... :P

[evalagoal]

It's an absolute circus.....

I watced yesterday his welcoming and it was just like when Rivo stepped foot in Greece except for the Hooligans. :D

One thing that I caught though that I questioned was on how he was speaking, he accidentally said "play football" and caught him self and changed it to "play soccer" and said outloud "I have to get used to this"

As a "football" (soccer) fan he should be a role model and encourage the word football in the US because this is the TRUE name. Again this is showing me of what a "sell-out" this guy is going to be.

I was dissapointed w/ that.

[evalagoal]

OH GOD! Look at this article written by Yahoo Sports.... How much crap are we going to read now that this guy is here.

Instead of making this "circus" more like Europe w/ fans yelling and screamin g for their team and making it a TRUE football atmosphere we're going to make it an atmosphere w/ 20,000 screaming 11-14yr old teenagers..... PANAYIA MOU

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CARSON, Calif. – Generally speaking, my wife doesn't give a rat's derriere about sports, but suddenly that has changed. She sounded oddly excited when I told her about Friday's assignment: covering the "Official Presentation" of David Beckham, who would formally join the Los Angeles Galaxy in an event that promised to deliver, well ... who knew?

There would be no game, no soccer ball and no action, other than a bunch of reporters watching the Galaxy usher out Beckham, who agreed to play for the Major League Soccer team in a deal that could net him up to $250 million over five years. Beckham had no plans to give away any of the money at the press conference, so why was my wife excited?

"He's soooo hot," she said.

Funny. She doesn't know a corner kick from a penalty kick, a cross pass from a bounce pass, shin guards from shin splints, but she did know that Beckham once wore his hair in braids. "And it looked really hip," she assured me.

When I mentioned Beckham no longer was considered among the top players in the world now that he's 32, she shook her head as if I just didn't get it. "He's got presence," she said and reminded me of how hot he is.

Then came the revelation: Maybe Beckham's presence and good looks, be it with braids or the buzz cut he now wears, can make soccer sexy in America. If Beckham is hot, can he make soccer hot in a country where spectators continue to give the sport a cold shoulder?

If we're to believe a recent study, we men might have no say in the matter. The study showed that, in the home, wives have more power than husbands in making decisions. Decisions like whether to attend a Galaxy soccer game, or watch the team on TV, or to spend $100 for an official Beckham jersey.

Armed with this disconcerting news, I headed to the "Official Presentation" at the team's headquarters in Carson with a plan I wasn't sure I could execute. Before I even had a chance and before Beckham arrived for his 10 a.m. press conference, there was work to do and things to consider.

The notion that Beckham can make soccer sexy enough to sell in America surely has crossed the minds of the people who are betting he can. That would be Beckham's agent, Simon Fuller, the brains behind the hit TV show "American Idol," and the Spice Girls, the former pop stars that featured a singer who is now Beckham's wife, Victoria (aka Posh Spice). Then there's Philip Anschutz, a shrewd billionaire who has brought fiscal soundness to Major League Soccer, now in its 12th year.

The most encouraging signs for those rooting for Beckham and soccer: The press conference was so big they had to move it to the "pitch" at Home Depot Center.

A Galaxy official said the team issued 600 credentials to reporters representing 10 countries. The team also invited season-ticket holders to attend, and it's a good thing they didn't invite the general public. There might not have been enough room in the 27,000-seat stadium.

By 9 a.m., fans stood in eight lines at least 50 people deep. There were fathers and sons and single guys to be sure, but few exuded the same excitement as the women and teeny boppers. Mike O'Sullivan, a reporter for Voice of America, flipped on his video camera and asked a gaggle of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 why they were interested in Beckham.

"Because he's so hot and he's going to make the Galaxy, like, No. 1," one of them blurted out, and the girls began to giggle and repeat "he's so hot" apparently unaware or unconcerned that the Galaxy is 3-5-4 this season and might need Beckham and the second coming of Pele to win the MLS' Western Conference.

Speaking of Pele, critics point out that soccer failed to catch on as an American spectator sport even after the Brazilian superstar joined the New York Cosmos of the old North American Soccer League in 1975. Pele captivated soccer fans, but I'm not sure he ever captivated soccer moms. And to a large degree, our society is now ruled by the culture of celebrity. Someone mentions Paris and we think Hilton, not France.

But back to the Galaxy's headquarters where, an hour before the press conference, Maria Lam and Edgar Esparaza spent $60 to outfit their 5- and 2-year-old sons in Beckham T-shirts. Maria looked puzzled when asked why they'd come for nothing but a press conference.

"How could you not?" she replied. "It's David Beckham."

Edgar chimed in. "I think it's going to shape soccer in the United States," he said, then looked at his wife and added, "But she's here because of his looks."

"Yes," Maria confirmed. "Because of his looks and he knows how to dress."

They headed inside the Home Depot Center and joined a raucous crowd that swelled to more than 3,000 people when the festivities drew near. Then came Posh, wearing a fuschia dress with a matching bag and oversized sunglasses as she sashayed across the field and toward an army of photographers. Flashbulbs popped, and popped some more. Then, fashionably late, came Beckham.

He emerged from a stadium tunnel wearing a natty gray suit, a crisp white shirt and brown dress shoes. His presence – or was it his hotness – set off as many squeals as cheers.

Finally, when called to the lectern to address the crowd of season-ticket holders and media representatives, he flashed a smile that lit up his whiskered face and said, "It's nice to see so many fans, and I thank you for that." As his remarks came to a close about five minutes later, the pressure was on – on me.

After the press conference, Beckham would be conducting interviews with groups of about 60 reporters. Waiting in one of the rooms, a woman who works for the German magazine Bunte ("It's like People magazine in Germany," she explained) re-applied her lipstick, added a layer of lip gloss and considered what she might ask Beckham if she was lucky enough to get the chance. "What kind of underwear are you wearing?" she proffered, and then unconvincingly added that she was just kidding.

I worried I might lose a chance to ask my question, to carry out my mission, with competing reporters preoccupied with Beckham's underwear. But after about 15 reporters were called on, and with the interview winding down, the moderator pointed to me.

Game time.

I told Beckham about my wife's excitement over the press conference and explained, "When I asked her why, she said, 'Well, Becks is hot and he's hip.' How do you feel about your sex appeal and how it might translate into increasing interest in the game here in America?"

Beckham smiled, almost bashfully.

"First of all, thank you to your wife," he said. "It's always nice to be loved and liked for not just obviously the soccer and obviously what I do on the football pitch. I've always been honored for the people who have made me feel special all around the world.

"I've had that from obviously the gay community around the world. I've had that from the black community around the world. And the Jewish community, which I'm half Jewish. I've had that from all different communities and people around the world, so I'm actually really honored when people say different things about me, not just the football, that I make a different impression to many other people.

"So if I can have that effect again in America, then great."

Mission accomplished. On the way home from the press conference, I got a text message. It was from my wife.

"How is Becks?"

When I told her about our exchange and that he asked me to pass along a thank you, she giggled.

"I can't believe you said something about me and he blushed! How giddy am I? It's like I'm 12 years old. I'm so excited and I know you're like, 'Whatever.' "

So, you gentlemen out there rolling your eyes and muttering "whatever," keep this in mind: When it comes to determining whether Beckham can make soccer sexy enough to sell to America, the decision might be up to our wives