He came, he saw, he danced and drove his one direct free-kick into the wall. Overall, David Beckham’s trip to Seoul with LA Galaxy was a success though not quite a complete triumph. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is, of course, big news in South Korea. However, not enough to fill more than half of Seoul’s 65,000 capacity World Cup Stadium when the MLS took on FC Seoul in an exhibition match on March 1. Organisers were disappointed with the turnout and put it down to cold weather. It is true that the American team arrived in a city blanketed by snow four days previously but the temperature had risen a few degrees above freezing on Saturday afternoon. Ticket prices were a bigger problem. The cheapest was around $32 – more than three times more than what entry to a K-League match would set you back. The player did his promotional duties as professionally as one would expect and was followed around the city by a host of reporters. He gave most of them the slip last Thursday evening when visiting a Seoul nightclub on Thursday evening. The 32 year-old headed to ‘Circle’ in the trendy Cheongdam district. The following day, 'Seoul Sports' described how “girls competed against each other to dance sexily” in front of him. Refusing to head to the VIP section, he was regaled with shouts of “sexy Beckham” to which, the reports went, he shyly said “thank you". Beckham wasn’t quite so polite on the pitch after being caught late by Lee Chung-yong. The ex-England skipper gave the young winger a mouthful and later exacted revenge by chopping Lee down. The referee went as if to produce a yellow card before realizing that it the day was all about Beckham. Lee, a player with a bright future, mostly outshone the LA Galaxy star on the pitch though Beckham played well. His crosses and set pieces created a number of chances for his team-mates, especially in the first half. All but one were wasted. Alan Gordon managed to smartly chest down and volley home one floated free-kick in the first half but new strike partner Carlos Ruiz was guilty of a missing a couple of sitters. As the game progressed, the visitors looked tired. Beckham looked tired for most of the week. Seoul can be a draining high-energy city especially when there are many media and sponsor events to attend. FC Seoul didn’t impress too much a week before the start of the new season. New big-money signing Dejan Damjanovic somehow missed from two yards as the K-League team enjoyed the better of the second half. But as most FC Seoul games tend to do, the match finished in a draw. The tv broadcasters didn’t even bother to show the subsequent, slightly-pointless, penalty shootout. Beckham wellied his shot high into the net but four of his team-mates saw their shots saved by stand-in goalkeeper Kim Ho-jun, who looked increasingly bemused by his success. Then it was all over. Perhaps it was telling that there were a lot more reporters in the post-match press conference than in the press box during the match. Becks and the boys then headed onto Shanghai where he has to do it all again. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

LA Galaxy are heading to Asia at the beginning of March for a tour that will include stops in Seoul and Shanghai. Soccerphile.com had a chance to exchange a few e-mails with the owner of the California club -Alexei Lalas. Lalas, who played 96 times for the US National Team, was, of course, the man behind the David Beckham transfer. Is Asia important to LA Galaxy’s plans to become a seriously big club? You can't be in business and ignore the Asia markets. Asia holds huge potential for clubs hoping to expand their brand and business. There is incredible interests in the sport, the teams and the players. Our hope is that when someone in places like Korea, Japan or China thinks about American soccer, they think about the Galaxy. Right now we have the unique opportunity to expose the Galaxy brand to million of potential fans and ultimately customers, and we're not going to waste it. How can Galaxy maintain the same sort of profile when Beckham retires/leaves? David is completely unique. His ability to produce on the field, create interest and and generate business off it, is hard to find. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But we're thinking of our next big move. We've set the bar pretty high with David but there will be other stars. Can Beckham ever repay the investment made in him? He already has. Some of it is quantifiable and some of it isn't. But there is definitely a method to any perceived madness when it comes to the amount we have invested. You will play FC Seoul in March... We're excited to come back to Seoul, Korea. The Galaxy played there in 2003 and it was a great experience on and off the field. It will be the first trip to Seoul of many of our players, including David Beckham, and they are looking forward to experiencing the wonderful football and culture of the country. What about Beckham is different that the public’s preconceptions? What about him surprised you? Apart from his family, soccer is really what he cares about the most. He understands the machine that swirls around him and he recognizes the responsibility that comes with it. Class player, class guy. At first glance, the MLS has many similarities to the Korean league –same number of teams, similar attendances and no promotion/relegation. The last point is the subject of debate in Korea. How about the US? Can a league be strong without promotion and relegation? There will not be promotion and relegation in MLS anytime soon. We are in sport that is still striving to succeed and our investors have enough to worry about without having to worry about their team not even playing in the highest division. What is the next step for the MLS to continue its development? Expansion and more stadiums. At some point we also are going to have to figure out a way to play mid-week games. Our TV rating must increase. I think all of this comes over time, but we need to be pushing at an accelerated rate in order to continue to attract business. We cannot continually rely on being the sport of tomorrow, eventually we have to transition into the sport of today. What is one (or more) thing that you think the MLS could teach other leagues? A realistic business plan and a willingness to stick to it are crucial. At times it's painful but it enables you to survive long enough to thrive. There are few (if any) US players playing professionally in Asia? Is there a reason for this? I don't think that the Asian leagues look at American players as quality. LA Galaxy will take part in a pan-pacific tournament with J-League and A-League teams. What is the purpose of this and why those leagues? It's a league initiative but I think it's wonderful to bring teams from all the regions together. The more integration and competition we can have the better for all league. We love playing against teams from other countries and leagues. It's a great way to advertise your sport a The J-League started at around the same time as MLS and has become a real success story. Are there lessons that the MLS, or Galaxy, has learned from Japan? It doesn't happen overnight and you can't build a league with old players looking for a vacation and a big paycheck. LA Galaxy recently played in Australia and New Zealand – was that a successful trip? Great trip. We had a wonderful time in both countries and we may return in the near future. Are there any plans to forge links with any clubs in Asia? We're always looking for potential partnerships with quality clubs around the world. It has to be the right club at the right time. There is a large Asian, especially Korean, population in LA. Are there any plans to sign some Asian? Korean players? Good Asian players are very expensive, but if there was the right player we'd definitely look to sign him. But we still haven't come across the right player. Why did you appoint Ruud Gullit? He has experience and he welcomes the pressure of being the coach of the LA Galaxy. Do you get annoyed with European arrogance towards US football? Because of our structure, MLS is the most competitive league in the world. It may not be the most beautiful or exciting, but it is the most competitive. There is horrible soccer being played all over the world, and much of it is coming from what many perceive to be the elite leagues of the world. There's no accounting for bad taste. Copyright: John Duerden and Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Just as AEG and the LA Galaxy's Beckham gambit seemed to have pulled a fast fade--5 matches, 1 goal, no playoffs, no cup--the MLS club got even "sexier" by announcing Ruud Gullit as new head coach. Gullit will be introduced tomorrow (Fri., Nov. 9) as the replacement for Frank Yallop, who left at the end of this season to take the reins of the expansion San Jose franchise which begins league play next year. Gullit, 45, had been rumored as one of two finalists last week, along with former German national coach, Jürgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann is a resident of Newport Beach, California, not far from Los Angeles. His name seems to be added to the list every time a high-profile coaching job comes up lately; earlier this year he was reportedly on the short list to coach the US Men's National Team through the next World Cup, but such a deal did not materialize.

The Beckhams--David and Victoria--have been in Los Angeles for barely two months, but their individual careers may never be the same. Mr. Beckham was injured this week as his Galaxy of the MLS fell in the first-ever SuperLiga final to Mexican club Pachuca. The SuperLiga features midweek, inter-league play between the top clubs in MLS and Mexican football. Beckham's injury--a knee ligament sprain--basically spells an end to his play for the regular MLS season and may see him miss two Euro 2008 qualifiers for England as well. In all honesty, the Bendy One does not seem happy in Los Angeles or MLS and this reporter would not be very surprised to see him end his career in red at Old Trafford one day very soon. He seems to have been born Cockney Red and so perhaps that's as it should be. It's likely that even the earlier transfer to Madrid was a mistake as well.

The USA retained its crown as the top nation in North & Central America by defeating traditional rivals Mexico 2-1 in the final of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Chicago. Neither nation had impressed in squeezing past their semi-final opponents; the US beat Canada 2-1 and Mexico edged Guadeloupe 1-0, but the big two of this FIFA region served up a rip-roaring climax to the tournament. The 50,760 in attendance at Soldier Field in Chicago were largely Mexican expats, who saw El Tricolor snatch a precious lead a minute before the interval through Atlas' starlet Andres Guardado.

1/17/07 Beckham, The Best Hope Yet For Soccer In The USA A string of extraordinary players have attempted to make soccer big in the USA. Among them the King (Pele), the Kaiser (Beckenbauer) and the Prophet (Johan Cruyff), but it is David Beckham that may turn out the be the most telling signing a US team has ever made and crucial for the development of soccer in the USA. Many international stars have attempted to help the game take root in the USA but its popularity has always remained largely limited to the Hispanic or Italian communities.

Ex-England captain David Beckham will leave Real Madrid for the MLS when he joins LA Galaxy in August this year. The deal The 31 year-old player will earn £128m (US$250m) for a five-year contract. Equivalent to £50 a minute and make Beckham the highest-paid sports star in the US. The contract provides for Beckham to share a part of profits made by his new team LA Galaxy possibly worth US$10 per year. Beckham's annual salary with the Galaxy will be US$10m. David Beckham's four main sponsors - Gillette, Motorola, Pepsi and Volkswagen bring in approximately US$25m a year.