The Sun-Herald

Beckham's Epic American Fail

This weekend, David Beckham will run on to the pitch with AC Milan. Unfortunately for him, he'll be wearing a Los Angeles Galaxy shirt.

In something of a little ironic twist considering recent drama, Milan (playing LA Galaxy on a pre-season tour) will have among its team an American defender by the name of Oguchi Onyewu.

The country that Beckham is now so desperate to quit in favour of playing for Milan is, after all, capable of producing top class soccer players.

Hooray for that.

Beckham has been in the news this past week after finally returning to Los Angeles Galaxy, the team he left last year to play "on loan" with Milan in Italy's Serie A.

The loan concept is somewhat alien to American sporting culture. So is, among top American sports, the concept of international competition and the higher calling of representing your national team.

That's part of the reason why Beckham's Milan affair is so confusing for some Americans.

It is not, though, the reason why Beckham said he was "committed" to Los Angeles Galaxy and American soccer 17 times during a press conference in New Jersey last Thursday.

That's more to do with the old propaganda mantra - the more you repeat something the more they will believe it ("they" being the public).

The truth is that Beckham should maybe adopt a new Italian name - Pinocchio. His economy of truth is equal to the depth of his commitment issues.

I attended Thursday's press conference and asked Beckham straight out whether in an ideal world he'd rather be in pre-season with Milan than at Galaxy.

While simultaneously talking about his "commitment" to Galaxy and American soccer he looked me straight in the eye and said he'd rather be contracted to a European club right now.

A flash of truth.

It was as if we were having a separate, private, conversation in a room off to the side away from the 50 or so international media around us.

Most reporters in the room missed that moment and Beckham's confession.

Maybe, for Beckham's machine, just as well.

Seconds later, he was off again maintaining how "committed" he was to his current situation.

But, don't worry America, in his own mind Beckham is no doubt "committed", not least because he has a contract that requires him to be and Beckham, as he reminded everyone on Thursday, always honours his contracts.

But this is where it gets complicated for Beckham and his crowded calendar.

He also wants to play at the 2010 World Cup and England coach Fabio Capello has told him he needs to play in a higher standard league than MLS to be considered.

Enter Milan, and Beckham was mostly right when he said that if the Italian club telephoned any player with an invitation to join them they'd all drop what they were doing immediately to take up the opportunity.

But this is where Beckham digs his own grave. Unfortunately for him he is not "any player".

He is not Freddie Ljungberg, the former Arsenal and West Ham player now at Seattle Sounders. Nor is he former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke when the Trinidad & Tobago international was with Sydney FC in Australia' A-League.

Nor is he Robbie Fowler, once an England contemporary, now the marquee player of North Queensland Fury, a new team in a growing league from an obscure tropical country town, contemplating an offer to return to Tranmere Rovers.

Beckham arrived in America with fireworks and a cloud of promise that he'd help build and grow MLS and soccer in America. He still talks about being an "ambassador" for American soccer.

It is all about the soccer, Beckham blubbed, rather than his celebrity.

But in reality it's absolutely more than what happens on the pitch, which makes Beckham either totally unaware or stupid.

Americans love statistics and here are some.

Two years ago, 66,237 fans attended the New York Red Bulls match against David Beckham's LA Galaxy, his first game in the league (see, there is a market for soccer in New York).

Last year, around 50,000 attended the corresponding fixture.

On Thursday night, Galaxy beat New York 3-1.

But just 23,238 turned up to see Beckham's return in Galaxy colours.

This is before we even get to pitiful television ratings that have not been nudged since Beckham's arrival.

That's the fail.

And as his Posh Spice wife surely could tell him, when the numbers don't add up, it's time to shut the circus down.

No wonder he'd rather be wearing a Milan shirt this weekend.