Column-MLS looking to capitalize on talented players in upcoming season

With roughly three weeks to go before the start of the Major League Soccer season, two of the biggest questions are if David Beckham can stay fit, and if he can help soccer to grow in the United States.

England manager Fabio Capello told the press recently that Beckham has a good chance of making the English National squad that will play France on Wednesday March 26, three days before the season opener for his Los Angeles Galaxy against the Colorado Rapids. If Beckham plays in the game against France, he will reach 100 matches played for England.

So what does this have to do with the MLS?

It shows that the league not only has the biggest name in soccer, it also has one of the best players in the game, and could be on the rise of becoming a serious contender against the bigger sports in this nation.

Even though soccer is the biggest sport in the world, it is still behind "the big four" in America (baseball, football, basketball, and ice hockey), but with the success of the U.S national team and the improvement of the MLS it might not be long until it will be called the "big five."

It was big news in the soccer world last year when Beckham announced that he would move across the Atlantic Ocean and join the Galaxy. In his first game as a starter on Aug. 18 against the New York Redbulls, an impressive crowd of 66.237 saw the game at Giants Stadium, making it the highest attendance for a regular season game in MLS history.

Beckham's season was spoiled by a knee injury he picked up against FC Pachuca in the North American Super Liga final which put him on the sidelines for over six weeks. He played in a total of eight games (five in league play) and was registered for one goal and three assists.

Many fans were disappointed not to see Beckham play because of his injury, and many people bought tickets just to see him.

The British superstar will have a key role in the growth of the MLS this season, and I have no doubt that he will succeed in bringing fans to the stadiums.

When Beckham first came to the MLS it was after a long season with Real Madrid in Spain, and he arrived to the league with a minor injury.

This season the fans are going to see a fit David Beckham, having a full pre-season training with both the Galaxy and with Arsenal which are the current leaders in the English Premiership in front of Beckham's former club Manchester United.

Beckham is the big name of the MLS, but soccer fans should not forget that they have one of the best American born players in Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy). Along with great players such as Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Jaime Moreno (DC United), Juan Pablo Angel (NY Redbulls), and Collin Samuel (Toronto FC), as well as with exiting young prospects such as Israel Sessay (LA Galaxy), Nikolas Besagno (Real Salt Lake), and Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), this season could very well be the best season yet of the relatively young MLS, which started in 1996.

If media give the MLS the attention is needs, and deserve, I believe that Americans will understand the charm of the sport that is referred to as "the beautiful game."